WATCH! The Living Word of God is exploding with depth and new meaning for us in 2023. This picture reflects not only the astounding artistry of the Almighty’s handiwork in the western NC evening sky, it also prophetically appoints the day God’s trumpet will announce the return of Jesus Christ to rule and reign over His kingdom on this earth!
The biblical epic appointment known as the Day of Trumpets is anticipated to begin at sunset September 16 on our 2023 Gregorian calendar, ushering in the beginning of the 1st day of God’s appointed 7th month.
God's trumpet has sounded only one time on this earth. In Exodus 19:19, He voiced His presence with trumpet sound on Mt. Sinai before speaking the Ten Commandments. It is significant that the “voice” of the trumpet did not come from the breath of man, but from God.
The last reference in the Old Testament to trumpets, Zechariah 9:14, again refers to God sounding or “voicing” the trumpet, and points toward the New Testament fulfillment of this prophecy. “And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the LORD God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.”
Soon after, still on Mt Sinai, God said to Moses in Leviticus 23:23-24: "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.”
The Hebrew word for month, "hodesh" aka "chodesh" which means "new moon", is a derivative of the Hebrew root word “hadash” which means “renew, repair or restore”. From darkness, His created light emerges every month to renew and guide us to the fullness of His light. His holy convocations, with the exception of one, occur in the middle of the month, during the time of fulness of His light, exemplified in His full moon.
The Hebrew words for “holy convocation”, "mikra kodesh", mean "holy convocation and rehearsal” The Holy Day of Trumpets, the only convocation occurring at the very first light of the new month, has been “rehearsed” by mankind every year for over 3 millennia! Its ancient Hebraic themes have always been repentance, a king's coronation, and a marriage feast--all pointing straight to the coming return of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God!
Jesus told us very plainly we should be watching at God's appointed times every single year until He comes again. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back —whether in the evening or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If He comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: WATCH!” Mark 13:32-37.
The Day of Trumpets, appointed by the Almighty Himself, has been known for thousands of years by the Hebrew idiomatic expression “no man knows the day or the hour”. That's because it is the ONLY appointed Holy Day of the Lord that begins just as the first sliver as the new moon arises and only God knows for sure when that will occur. We can further understand the rest of the passage to say that while we don’t know the specific day, or time of the day, we do know the appointed season as the Day of Trumpets as He decreed in Leviticus 23.
Every Christian at the time of Jesus knew that the times and the seasons were “the appointed times of the Lord, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times.” Leviticus 23:4. In fact, "holiday" is literally the contraction of “holy” and “day”. And God gave the month and the day for each "holiday". He just didn’t give the year. For over 3500 years, God's people have celebrated the future coronation of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
“But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4-11
Jesus fulfilled God's Holy Convocation Days appointed in the Spring, with His death on Passover (Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. l Corinthians 5:7); his burial during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Jesus said, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.” John 6; 51); and His resurrection on the holy day of Firstfruits. (“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20)
GOD'S APPOINTED FALL HOLY DAYS HAVE YET TO BE FULFILLED BY JESUS! We look forward to at least 3 more appointments on God’s calendar. Jesus' return will be heralded on the Day of Trumpets. He will be fully recognized as our Redeemer and Savior on the Day of Atonement. Finally, Jesus will physically reign over His Kingdom on earth during the season of Tabernacles.
Yes, when Jesus returns to this earth, it will be by Divine Appointment to fulfill the remaining Holy convocation days scheduled on God's calendar. The first of those, the anointed Day of Trumpets, is signified by the rising of the new moon beginning God's seventh month, appointed in Leviticus 23. In ages past, as soon as the sliver of the new moon was observed by two witnesses, they blew the trumpet 100 times: 11 series of nine brief blasts followed by one long powerful blast, known as "the last trumpet.”
Could this be "the last trumpet” that Paul spoke about in 1 Corinthians 15: 51-54? “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory’”.
Revelation 11:15 repeats this truth. "And the seventh angel sounded (a trumpet); and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."
According to God’s Word in Genesis 1:5, His day begins at sunset. The young illuminated crescent moon will appear very low in the twilight of the west-southwest lasting up to 25 minutes after the sun sets. Today, we Christians are watching all across the globe, literally sharing confirmations through the air in real time AS IT OCCURS! First sightings of God’s 7th month new moon are expected in Fiji (+16 hrs ahead of us) along with Israel-based observers (+7 hrs ahead of us).It is best seen in the west after the sun dips below the horizon just before or at sunset. We will be watching here in Fontana Dam around 7:15-8:15 pm EDT with sunset projected at 7:41pm, though rain and cloudy skies are currently in the forecast.
Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert...If He comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘WATCH!’”
Listen to the shofar trumpet sounds: https://hebrew4christians.com/.../Bles.../01shofarblasts.mp3
