Thursday, August 25, 2016

1997"...at the Last Trump..." Chapter 3 by G. Stephen Benton




CHAPTER THREE:
THE UNFULFILLED FEASTS OF ISRAEL


SEVEN: THE NUMBER OF COMPLETION


Although  I have already  referred  to this number, before  we view the feasts of the seventh  month,  let’s examine  it a little closer.  The number  seven represents completion. Wherever  this number  appears  throughout scripture  its meaning  is always the same.   Its first and most simplified  use is the number  of days in a week.  Seven days make  up a complete  week.


God's creation  of music is stamped  with the number seven.  Seven notes  make  up a complete  scale. The eighth note  of any scale begins  a new octave. (Consequently,  the number  eight is God's number  of new beginnings.)


Because the balance of the feast days occur in the seventh month,  they speak of completed things which will take place at the end of a given period of time whether  it is related to the Church or to Israel.  The next three feast days: the feast  of Trumpets,  the Day of Atonement, and the Feast  of Tabernacles  all have their  fulfillment  in Israel, not the Church.


In the last chapter I made reference to the number 13 and its significance to the rebellious house of Judah.  It is interesting that we find the number 13 appearing with reference to this last church age, the Laodicean church.   Here the number is coupled with number seven.  The last church age began in 1906 with the pouring out of the Holy Ghost in California.  The Church age will end in 1997, as I shall later document, a period of 91 years or
7 x 13.  This last Church age represents a complete period of final rebellion of the Church.  Its rebellion is the result of being deaf to God's word.   For that reason, Christ is shown



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standing at the door  of the  Church  of this last age calling those  within to come out and hear  his voice.  Those  who remain  within that  deaf  church will be spit out of the mouth  of Jesus  Christ.




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THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS:
A SOUND OF MOURNING
AND A CALL TO REPENTANCE


The first day of the seventh  month  of the sacred year is the feast  of Trumpets.

"And the Lord spake  unto Moses, saying, 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.
Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering  made by fire  unto the Lord."                           Lev. 23:23-25


As we have partially  noted,  this first day of the seventh  month of the sacred  calendar  is also the start of the civil year.   As such, it is the Jewish  New Year's  day,  Rosh Hashanah.   The month  is Tishri on the Hebrew calendar.


The end of one year and the beginning  of another should be a time  of remembrance;   a time for taking spiritual  inventory.   So it was in this first day of the seventh month.   God  designated this day to be a sabbath day, a day to cease  from doing servile work.  The prominent  exercise of the day was, "a memorial blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation."
         
The trumpets  blown on this day were not the  silver trumpets  of gladness, but the winding trumpets  of rams’ horns.   This type of trumpet  made  a sad sound.   It was the sound  of mourning  because  the Feast  of Trumpets  was the prelude  to the great  Day of Atonement   when Israel's past sins were  atoned  for.  The plaintive  note  of the  rams' horns was designed  to call men to repentance.    Isaiah  was given the same commission  during his ministry  which echoes  the theme  of the day of Trumpets.

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"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people  their transgressions, and the house of Jacob  their sins." Isa.58:1


The blowing of the trumpets  on that  feast day was intended  to call their  sins into remembrance.  The sound would create  the mood  for searching  their  souls in preparation   for the fast on the Day of Atonement. Remission  of sin belongs  to the contrite,  repentant   heart.


When John the Baptist  preached   in the wilderness, he did not pipe the glad news of the gospel but the mournful  melody  of repentance.   Those who came to his baptism  with an unrepentant  heart  were refused  the ceremony  of water baptism.   To them  he said, "bring forth fruit meet for repentance. " There  were those  who went out into the wilderness  merely  to see the spectacle  of a prophet because  there  had not been  a prophet  in Judea  for over four hundred  years.  After  John was thrown  into prison, Jesus blasted  those  who went merely  to see John:
“And when the messengers of John  were departed, he began to speak unto the people  concerning John, what went ye out into the wilderness to see?  A reed shaken  with the
wind?
    But what went ye out for  to see?  A man clothed in soft raiment?  Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately,  are in king's courts.
But what went ye out for to see?  A prophet?   Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.”                      Lk.  7:24-26


Three  times Jesus  asked  "what went ye out to see?"  He asked  it of those  same hypocrites  in his audience  who had previously  attended  the preaching  of John.   Their motivation  was to go out to see what was going on.  John's message  of  ''preparing the way of the Lord"  had no effect  on them because  they thought  that  they were okay.


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Their attitude  and response  to the gospel was like many  in the Church today .  A vast majority  of professing Christians  attend  church as a social outlet.   They go to see their  friends, the choir, the program,  and the preacher.   The Word preached  to them  is not mixed with faith and therefore  it serves no purpose  for them.   Many people choose  a church based  on the charisma  and the popularity of the preacher  rather  than the content  of the message. Jesus took his indictment  a step further:

"Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation?  And to what are they like?


They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, we have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned  to you and
ye have not wept.   For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, he hath a devil. "                                                                    Lk. 7:31-33


John trumpeted  to them with a ram's hom  calling for repentance  but they did not weep.   He lived a life void of worldly celebration but it did not touch  their  hearts.   Rather  than believe his preaching  it was easier  to say that he had  a devil.


With the Day of Atonement  coming nine days after the Feast  of Trumpets,  nine being the number of  judgement,  the Feast  of Trumpets  was inaugurated  to prepare  them  for the atonement   of their  sins.


This feast day will have its fulfillment in Israel during the time of the Tribulation  and will begin with the sealing of 144,000 Jews (Rev. 7:3-4).  We glanced  at this group  earlier  but  here  we shall take a closer look.   After they are sealed  for their protection,  they will then go out and preach the "gospel of the kingdom" throughout  the world.  In Matthew  24:14 Jesus gives us the purpose  of their  ministry:



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"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. "


The majority  of the Church  today believes  and teaches  that  the commission  given in the above verse will and  must be performed   by the Church.   The Church  was entrusted  to preach  the gospel of Jesus Christ which is distinctive from the gospel of the kingdom.  Remember, both John  and Jesus  preached,   "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."  The Jews rejected  the message  of the Kingdom  and as a result  it was put on hold.  It will be offend  again during the Tribulation.   After the Kingdom was rejected,  God established  the Church, offering salvation to the Gentiles.   He never commissioned the Church  to preach  the message  of the Messiah's kingdom on earth.

One of the signs of the coming kingdom  would be the return  of Elijah.   The apostles  called that  fact to Jesus' attention  after  his transfiguration  on the mountain.


"And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
    But I say unto you,  that Elias is come already, and they knew  him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.  Likewise shall also the Son  of man suffer  of them.
Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist."  
Mt. 17:10-13


Elias will come during the second  half of the Tribulation  after  the  144,000 trumpet  the memorial  or the remembrance of God.   The  144,000 will bring to Israel's mind  its lost glory and how it has abandoned its God.  In that  day Israel  will fast according  to the prescription written  by Isaiah.   They will mourn  for their  sins and transgressions


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against  their  Messiah.   Joel prophesied  what the response  of Israel  should  and would be to the preaching   of the  144,000.

"Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drink offering is withholden from the house of your God.
Sanctify  a fast,  call a solemn assembly, gather the
elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord.
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn  assembly…
Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch  and the altar, and let them say spare thy people,  0 Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore they should say among the people,  where is their God?"                               Joel 1:13-15,17
   
When  Jesus  gave the  sermon  on the mount, referred  to by many  as the  "constitution  of the Kingdom" he said, "blessed are they that mourn, for  they shall be
comforted. " That  scripture will be fulfilled during  the  Feast of Trumpets  thus allowing the Great  Day of Atonement  to have  its true fulfillment in Israel.   When  the  144,000
trumpet  the gospel of the kingdom  of heaven  then  the Jews will respond  to the preaching.


Later  in this chapter  we shall clearly see that  when this day of mourning  takes  place  in Israel's future,  it will happen  on the exact day that  God  designated   in the Old Testament:   the  first day of the  seventh  month  on Israel's sacred  calendar.   Israel  will experience  a great  return  of its people to their  land in 1998 but  they will begin  their  return to God  in 1999.  You  can be sure that  there  will be a Temple  in Jerusalem for them  to return  to at that  time.*


*This information is updated in The Last Trump: God’s Secret to be posted upon  completion of the posting of this book.


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THE DAY OF ATONEMENT:
ETERNAL REMISSION OF SIN


    Having properly  met  the requirements   of the Feast of Trumpets,  which is a Godly  sorrow for sins, Israel  will have prepared   itself for the great  Day of Atonement
known as Yom Kippur.  This is the day most  often  referred to in the epistle  to the Hebrews  when the high priest entered  once a year into the most  holy place  and presented the blood  of the sacrifices that  would cleanse  the people from their  sins during  the past  year.


The feast  of Trumpets  and the day of Atonement are connected   in the same  sense as the feast  of Firstfruits and Pentecost.   Notice  the following verse:


"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Also..."
Lev.23:26&27
    That  one word,  "Also," ties  together  the  Feast  of Trumpets  and the Day of Atonement.    It is  very significant because  later we shall see how the same word will connect the trumpet  sounding  that  announced  the Jubile year with the trumpet  sounding  on the day of the Feast  of Trumpets.  


Nine days after mourning  for their  sins, on the tenth  day of the seventh  month,  God  called for a holy convocation.   On this day of Atonement  the nation  was obligated  to fast.  It was the only fast day of the year that was commanded  by God.   However,  when the nation         observed  the fast it was not  in the manner  God prescribed.


Their fast did not  focus on the condition  of their souls and their relationship  with God.   Their  fast did not interrupt  their  pleasure  and neither  did it stop them  from working.  They fasted  for strife and debate  and did not allow their hearts  to be broken  by the  Spirit of God.   As a result, their fast was condemned  by God for its hypocrisy.



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"Is it a fast  that I have chosen?  A day for  a man to afflict his soul?  Is it to bow down his head as a bulrush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?  Wilt thou call
this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord?" Isa. 58:5


Their  fast was meaningless  because  their  hearts were unprepared.  We are  given God's attitude  toward fasting  in the New Testament  when John's disciples asked Jesus  why his disciples  did not  fast.
"Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, why do we and the pharisees fast  oft, but thy disciples fast  not?"                                                                 Mt.9:14


Although  God  had  ordained  only one fast day for Israel, by the  time  Jesus  arrived,  the  Pharisees,  the  leading religious  sect of the Jews, had  legislated  over 100 fast days per  year.   They fasted  to be seen  of men.   Jesus  warned against  such fasting.   He told his disciples  not  to  "appear unto  men" to fast.   Those  who fast to be seen  do not receive  the  benefits  of fasting.   In his answer  to John's disciples, Jesus  associated  fasting  with mourning.


"Can the children of the bride chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?"
                                    Mat. 9:15


    Because  Israel  eventually  failed  to keep  the spirit of the  Feast  of Trumpets,  their  fast on the  Day of Atonement lost its significance  also.  The Day of Atonement   became nothing  more  than  a yearly ritual  for them.   But  the day is coming  in their  future,  during  the  Tribulation,  when the full significance  of the Day of Atonement   will be fulfilled  in their  lives.  The  144,000 will convict them  of their transgressions  and then  they will fast with a true  heart.  When  that  day comes, nine days after  the feast  of  Trumpets,  God  will hear  their  prayers,  respect  their  fast and  forgive them of their  sins.




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When  Jesus  made  atonement   for the sins of the world at Calvary the Jews stood  around  the  cross taunting Jesus because  his atonement  meant  nothing  to them.   They even  objected  to the  sign hung  over the  cross proclaiming him  as their  king.   They did not  see Jesus  as the  sacrifice for their sins because  they  thought  they had no sin.  But  the time  is coming  during  the  Tribulation  when  their  hearts will be changed.   Zechariah   prophesied   about  that  day.
    "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for  him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for  uncleanness."            Zec.12:9-10  & 13:1


Notice  that  the  fountain  will not  be created but opened to the  house  of David.   It was created  at Calvary but  closed to the Jews because  they did not  believe.   That
passage  marks  the fulfillment  of the Day of Atonement.    In the  days of the Tribulation,  the house  of Israel  and  the house  of Judah  will again become  one house  and  God  will reunite  them  in one day.   On that  day their sin and uncleanness  shall be removed  forever.


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THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES:
GOD DWELLING ON EARTH

"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak  unto the children  of Israel, saying, the fifteenth   day of this seventh  month shall be the feast  of tabernacles for  seven days unto the Lord…


Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath."                     Lev. 23:33-34, 39

This is the  last feast  day of the year and as such it will be the  last great  feast  day to be fulfilled in Israel's future.
After  Israel's sins have been  removed,  after  its restoration again when  it shall be known as the people  of God, then the feast  of Tabernacles   will have its fulfillment.

This feast  is also referred  to as the Feast  of Ingathering.    The final harvest  of the year has been  reaped and now a time  of remembrance   and  celebration  is in
order.   It is a time  to praise  and  thank  God  for his hand  of provision  and protection   extended  to them  since their departure  from Egypt.


For Israel,  it marked  a time  for remembering  the past  days when their  forefathers   dwelt in booths in the wilderness  when God brought  them  out of the land of Egypt.   For that  reason  it is also called  the feast  of Booths. They were instructed  to dwell in booths  seven days.
We often  forget  to thank  God  for providing  for us.  Israel  lived in the wilderness  for forty years and during  that entire  time  God  kept  shoes  on their  feet, food on their
table  and  a roof  over their  heads.   Rather  than  give thanks for the provision  and  shelter  we have, we often  complain about  the type of provision  and  shelter  it is.  God  provided

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shelter  for over two million people  in the wilderness  while he took them  to the land filled with houses  that  they would not  have to build.   Lest  they  forget  God's goodness,  he caused  them  to dwell in temporary  houses  for seven days. That, coupled  with the recent  harvest,  would cause them  to readily  recall how God both fed and covered  them throughout   their  wanderings.


It should also serve as a reminder to us that we are pilgrims here on earth  and as such our possessions should be light and portable. We should always be ready to move when and where the cloud or Spirit moves. Indeed, we are admonished  in Hebrews  to  "lay aside the sin and the weight that so easily besets us." (Heb.12:1)


Tabernacles  also marks  the final ingathering  of God's people.   By this time  all who belong  to God  will have been  gathered  to him.  The Old and  New Testament Church,  the  144,000, the  Tribulation  martyrs,  the  two witnesses,  and redeemed Israel.  At that point  in time, Jesus will rule the entire  earth  while dwelling among  his people. Then he will be Israel's God  and they will be his people.  Zechariah  prophesied   concerning  the future  of the  Feast  of Tabernacles:

"And it shall come to pass,  that everyone that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year  to year  to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles."                  Zec.14:16

The appearance   of the rest  of the nations  in Jerusalem  during the Feast  of Tabernacles  will be mandatory  for the next  1,000 years.   When the heathen nations  appear  in Jerusalem  each year, they will come specifically to kneel  before  the Lord and confess that  he is LORD.



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"Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations…
I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear. "
Isa.45:20, 23


    Again, when will this event take  place?   Its first observance  will be on the fifteenth  day of the seventh month  of the year 2006.  Notice  that  this celebration continues  not  for just  seven days, but  it includes  an eighth day.


"...and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath."


    As previously  stated,  eight  is God's number  of new beginnings.   The new beginning  here  marks  the beginning of God  dwelling in the midst  of all his sons.  Because  it is a
sabbath,  it is designated as a day of rest  and marks  the beginning  of the  "rest" of the  people  of God  (Heb.4:9-11).



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WHAT ABOUT THE CHURCH?


We have looked  at all of the feast  days of Israel and carefully noted  how they have been  and will be fulfilled in these  last days.  Moreover,  we saw in the  fulfillment  of Passover,  Firstfruits  and Pentecost,  that  God  brought  about their  fulfillment  exactly on their  designated   days.  If there is an Old Testament   time  reserved  for the gathering  of the Lord's Church,  would  it not  be reasonable  to expect  it to have  its fulfillment  exactly on its predetermined day?   Let's see.



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