The next three sermons will be based on the Jewish calendar. The first will be Rosh Hashanah, the second will be the Gedaliah fast, and the third, Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Just to be clear, this isn’t about participating in these holy days, but learning from them. Today, starting in the evening October 2, 2024, Rosh Hashanah begins and then ends on the evening of October 4, 2024. “Rosh Hashanah (literally “Head of the Year” in Hebrew) is the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah is the first of the High Holy Days (or Jewish High Holidays), beginning a 10-day period of soul searching and contemplation that concludes with Yom Kippur.” Another writer said, “It commemorates the completion of God’s creation of the world, especially the sixth day when God created a man. On that day, the penitent Jews stand in front of God, awaiting his forgiveness and mercy. The typical greeting on Rosh Hashanah goes: "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.” “One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that God has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The actions that change the decree are repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur.” “Rosh Hashanah is a time of rejoicing and celebration as well as time of deep reflection and holy occasion.” “Rosh Hashanah, also known as the Feast of Trumpets, during this holiday, the “shofar”, or ram’s horn, is blown.”
As I said, we can learn from this, even though the Jews have not and still to this day refuse to listen to the trumpets call and truly repent and humble themselves before Jesus, their Messiah and King. Not only do they refuse to bow before their King, but many do not even believe in God Himself, they merely participate in the rituals, very much like many in the church. I was reading an article that started, “It has been a long time since I’ve believed in God, though I worry that this God I don’t believe in will be mad at me and I’ll end up with an asymmetrical bob or a bad credit score. Still, I like Rash Hashanah.” The writer then goes on to describe the ritual. Another writer talks about being sealed for a good year and “describes his conception of divine judgment and inscription in this season: Three books are opened in heaven on Rosh Hashanah, one for the completely wicked, one for the completely righteous and one for those in between. The completely righteous are immediately inscribed in the book of life. The completely wicked are immediately inscribed in the book of death. The fate of those in between is suspended until Yom Kippur. If they do well, they are inscribed in the book of life. If not, in the book of death. The Ten Days of Repentance are seen as an opportunity for change. And since the extremes of complete righteousness and complete wickedness are few and far between, Rosh Hashanah functions, for the majority of people, as the opening of a trial that extends until Yom Kippur. It is an unusual trial. Most trials are intended to determine responsibility for past deeds. This one, however, has an added dimension: determining what can be done about future deeds. The Ten Days of Repentance are crucial to the outcome of the trial, since our verdict is determined both by our attitude toward our misdeeds and by our attempts to rectify them by changing ourselves.” The problem here is that they decided the verdict, but without Jesus this is all meaningless. So basically, most will consider themselves righteous, just like most Christians also already believe their names are written in the book because they followed the rituals of the church.
Last year after Rash Hashanah (September 15, 2023), the Ten Days of Awe and Yom Kippur (September 25, 2023), Hamas attacked, making it the “single-worst massacre of Jews since the holocaust,” as one official said. Last year most Jews who observed the High Holidays would have believed all was well and proceeded to enter into another year just like the previous one. And now as these High Holidays approach once again, Israel is at war and the world is upside down. The question is, will the Jews truly repent? History tells us up until now the answer has been no. The trumpet has been sounding since the prophets of the Old Testament and now into the New Testament. Atrocities continue to happen, but they refuse to repent. Jeremiah 5:3 “Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.” They participate in the Ten Days of Awe, but there is no awe of God. Jeremiah 2:12 “Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. 13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. 15 They have laid waste his land; his towns are burned and deserted. 17 Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the Lord your God when he led you in the way? 19 Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me,” declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.”
The Jews participate in these rituals every year and it is totally meaningless. Paul writes, 2 Corinthians 3:12 “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Some Jews (Messianic) have turned to Yeshua, but retain much of the beliefs of Judaism. They too have accepted the false teaching that as the Jews for Jesus website states, “we believe he will return as King Messiah and restore all things.” Not only do the Jews need to repent, but the church must also repent of their rebellion and wickedness. Like the article I read, many in the church do not actually believe in God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit, they just go through the motions as if they do. They falsely think that because I go to church and call myself a Christian, I am saved. Yes, they say they believe, but by not believing in God’s word and following / obeying it wholeheartedly, that means you are following other gods, a different jesus and other gospels, therefore will not receive eternal life. Most church groups follow their own distinct beliefs. Many in the church have followed the beliefs of the Jews and are still waiting for Jesus to return and build His kingdom and bring peace. Jesus already did that, and the church has rejected that kingdom and the incredible power that comes with it. So both the Jew, the Messianic Jew and the church are waiting for Jesus to come and set up His kingdom even though He already did and He already gave power and authority to the church at Pentecost. Instead of receiving that kingdom, the church like the Jews, rebelled and have settled for a lack of power even though as Paul said, 1 Corinthians 4:20 “the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” There is a lot of talk in the church today. So even if the Jews have not repented and turned away from their wickedness after all these years and the church refuses to repent, the trumpet is still being sounded and must be listened to. There is still a call for true repentance. Zechariah 1:3 “Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” This means if you listen carefully, you will hear it and that means that you do not have to continue on this path of destruction and desolation. As Jesus said Mark 1:15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” The kingdom of God already came near because Jesus said, Luke 11:20 “if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” As we know, Jesus drove out demons! Jesus also responded to the question, Matthew 11:3 “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” 4 “Jesus replied, go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5 The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. 6 Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” True repentance will once again bring the kingdom near, and the church will once again do as it was called and empowered to do; carry on the works of Jesus. John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Rosh Hashanah, the month (7th) of Tishrei is the head of the year even though, there is another new year which is the month of Nisan, the 1st month, where Passover occurs. This is like the school year being a new year, birthdays are a new year and of course, New Year’s Day. Rosh Hashanah talks about the creation of the world. This year will be 5785. I have always liked that. Yes, the earth is young, no matter what guesstimate the scientists want to give it, give or take millions of years. First of all, you have to believe that in the beginning God created everything. No, I cannot tell you how, other than God said, and everything was created, and we have witnessed His handiwork ever since. God could have just said it once or even just thought it, as He did not need six days. God creating is about faith and the righteous live by faith. Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” I am amazed at how many Christians do not actually believe the earth is young. They try to make scripture work with science. I look at it this way. God painted an amazing picture and in that picture was the universe and all that it contains. For example, you have the mountains which when painted were zero years old but look like they have been there a long time. Read Job 38:4-38. The appropriate response is as Job said, Job 42:5 “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Also, as Isaiah said, Isaiah 6:5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” No, you cannot really argue about this, since it is by faith. You either choose God’s word or man’s views. You either choose to worship the creator of the heavens and the earth or you choose man’s pathetic ideas about something blowing up, even though for something to blow up you need all the elements for that to happen. Isaiah 40:28 “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” You can’t say that about a God particle!
If you cannot accept “in the beginning God,” then the rest of the bible will be a problem for you and you will easily, as so many have done, replace God’s words with your own words, the words of others, traditions, reasoning and experiences. God spoke and the universe was created. We are told John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus said Matthew 28:18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Mark 1:27 “The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” Jesus continued and said, 19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus gave that same power and authority to His disciples and then to the church at Pentecost. Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.” The disciples would do just as Jesus did and then the church would go out and do just as the first disciples did. Acts 2:1 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 8:6 “When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city.” That same power that created the universe, healed the sick, cast out demons and raised the dead was also present when Jesus Himself was raised from the dead. Paul said, Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” The church is supposed to have “incomparably great power,” but that is not happening because the church, like the Jews, has rebelled against God.
That power is missing because the Jews and the church have both rejected Jesus, their Messiah and King and became powerless against our enemy satan. Even though Jesus said, “the gates of Hades will not overcome it,” the gates of Hades has overcome because the church rebelled. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” The church is not separate from the Jews. Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Paul said Romans 11:1 “Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” Acts 22:3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors.” The disciples and the early church were Jews. Acts 11:26 “For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.” Jews and Gentiles were supposed to make up the church but started with the Jews. Jesus said Matthew 15:24 “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel,” even though many Gentiles would believe. Jesus did end up healing the Canaanite woman’s daughter because of her faith. Matthew 10:5 “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” But then we see a prophecy from Isaiah fulfilled. Isaiah 42:5 “This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” Isaiah 49:6 “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Later Paul would tell what Jesus said to him. Acts 26:15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” The church was to continue doing as Paul did. We also saw this with Peter. Acts 11:15 “As I (Peter) began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.” Acts 13:46 “Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.”
The trumpet has been sounding for the Jews and the church, but both are refusing to listen. As a warning, make sure you test the spirits to see if the watchmen are truly anointed by God. Some who claim to be watchmen have opened the gate for the enemy instead of warning the people. Jeremiah 6:17 “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’” Don’t be those who do not listen; listen carefully. We were told Revelation 11:15 “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 12:10 “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah.” 1 John 3:8 “The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” The sounding of the trumpet represents a call to battle, or a warning of imminent danger. When you heard the trumpet, you are supposed to listen and make the necessary changes. The trumpet could mean victory. Numbers 10:9 “When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies.” Nehemiah 4:19 “Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. 20 Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” 21 So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. 22 At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” 23 Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.”
The trumpet could also mean sin and defeat. Isaiah 58:1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.” Ezekiel was appointed as a watchman. Ezekiel 33:1 “The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head. If they had heeded the warning, they would have saved themselves. 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’ 7 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 8 When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 9 But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.”
The trumpet has been sounding, but the Jews and the church refuse to listen and the enemy has ravaged the land. Even though the Jews were warned, they did not listen and still do not listen. Jeremiah 37:2 “Neither he (king Zedekiah) nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet.” The Babylonians then destroyed the temple, killed most of the people and placed the survivors in captivity with only a few remaining in the land. Instead of victory, there was disaster and defeat. Then the second temple would also be destroyed. Jeremiah 4:5 “Announce in Judah and proclaim in Jerusalem and say: ‘Sound the trumpet throughout the land!’ Cry aloud and say: ‘Gather together! Let us flee to the fortified cities!’ 6 Raise the signal to go to Zion! Flee for safety without delay! For I am bringing disaster from the north, even terrible destruction. 16 A besieging army is coming from a distant land, raising a war cry against the cities of Judah. 19 Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. 20 Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment. 21 How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22 “My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” The same has happened to the church, except it is worse, as this attack has been going on for generations and millions have been deceived and deluded and have died without ever knowing the truth. To show how severe this is, Jesus said Matthew 24:22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” The abomination that causes desolation that Daniel and Jesus talked about, has decimated the church. Sadly, for the most part the sound of the trumpet has been ignored, kind of like a car alarm that keeps going off and people ignore it. Isaiah 30:9 “For these are rebellious people, deceitful children, children unwilling to listen to the Lord’s instruction. 10 They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions. 11 Leave this way, get off this path, and stop confronting us with the Holy One of Israel!” The reality is that those people who wear the sign that says the end is near are correct; it really is. Ezekiel said Ezekiel 7:1 “The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel: “‘The end! The end has come upon the four corners of the land! 3 The end is now upon you, and I will unleash my anger against you. I will judge you according to your conduct and repay you for all your detestable practices. 4 I will not look on you with pity; I will not spare you. I will surely repay you for your conduct and for the detestable practices among you.”
Every year the Jews go through this ritual, but do not repent and turn to Jesus. The shofar is blown, the trumpet calls out, and Psalm 19:1 “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” Romans 1:18 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The words of man have replaced God’s word and Jeremiah 23:36 “each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.” Jeremiah 8:8 “‘How can you say, “We are wise, for we have the law of the Lord,” when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely? 9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the Lord, what kind of wisdom do they have? 10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 11 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. “Peace, peace,” they say, when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 9:6 “You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me, declares the Lord.” The church also goes through their own rituals (Christmas and Easter) but also do not turn from their wicked ways. Like the Jews, they celebrate and repeat. For almost two-thousand years we have had God’s word, but it has been ignored and replaced with the words of man and doctrines of demons. 1 Timothy 4:1 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”
There is still hope of the victory that comes with the sound of the trumpet. God promised David a long time ago that there would always be a remnant, which means as Jesus said there will be some survivors as some will listen to the trumpet piercing the air, but it will be a calling to gather and be triumphant over our enemies, not a calling to cower and fear for your life. The fear of God will replace the fear of our enemies. The church today doesn’t have enough sense to fear God. Jeremiah 5:20 “Announce this to the descendants of Jacob and proclaim it in Judah: 21 Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear: 22 Should you not fear me?” declares the Lord. Should you not tremble in my presence?” For those who do fear God, Isaiah 10:21 “A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God.” 2 Samuel 22:7 “He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. 20 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.” Jeremiah 31:10 “He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ 11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. 12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord.” Jeremiah 30:10 “So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,’ declares the Lord. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid. 11 I am with you and will save you,’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 50:18 “Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria. 20 In those days, at that time,” declares the Lord, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.”
Instead of being defeated by our enemies, the remnant will rise up and God will rout our enemies just as Jesus did. Matthew 4:23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them.” There will be a clear call for battle, so make sure you are listening and prepared because we are going to war (spiritual warfare), but do not fear because the battle is the Lord’s, and that battle has been won already by Jesus. Just to be clear, the battle was not over on the cross, but won. The church was supposed to continue to fight. This would only happen if we remained true to God’s word, which meant we would be given all power and authority to defeat the work of satan. Because the church rebelled and did not remain, the church was defeated, but once again the church will rise up and defeat our enemies. The trumpet will sound a clear call for battle unlike what we are seeing today. Paul said 1 Corinthians 14:8 “Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?” Most are not ready for war and are oblivious that they need to be. Jeremiah was told Jeremiah 1:17 “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. 18 Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.” It is important to understand that the message is to God’s people. 2 Timothy 4:1 “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come (that time is already here) when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” Joshua was told Joshua 1:2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.”
The church is about to take back the land from our enemies. This is a spiritual war, and the enemy is not people, but dark forces. 2 Corinthians 10:3 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.” As of now, satan feels victorious even though Revelation 12:12 “he knows that his time is short.” Daniel 9:27 “And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” This desolation is about to change. Daniel 7:21 “As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.” Presently satan does not fear the church because fancy buildings, the masses doing the same thing week after week, quality programs, rituals, lots of books and music and the visions and dreams of the gurus cannot defeat satan. There is no power. Jeremiah 23:20 “In days to come you will understand it clearly. 21 I did not send these prophets, yet they have run with their message; I did not speak to them, yet they have prophesied. 22 But if they had stood in my council, they would have proclaimed my words to my people and would have turned them from their evil ways and from their evil deeds.” Lamentations 2:14 “The visions of your prophets were false and worthless; they did not expose your sin to ward off your captivity. The prophecies they gave you were false and misleading.” Jeremiah 5:30 “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?” The answer is defeat and captivity which has already happened to the church.
The good news is that once again, our enemies will fear the power of God. Our enemy satan does not fear the powerless church, which is why he has deceived the church into believing the church is exactly how it was supposed to be. He knows what happens if the church returns to God’s word and God turns His face back to the church. satan wants to keep it this way. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” The demons knew who Jesus was and the power and authority that He had over them. That was the power and authority the church was given and should still have. James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” Luke 8:27 “When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me! 30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss. 32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission.” Those demons are still here which is why we need power and authority from on High once again. Those demons have no fear of the church in its desolate condition.
The spiritual war will work like this, but remember this is a war against spiritual darkness, not people. Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Joshua was told Joshua 1:3 “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” When King Jehoshaphat prepared to go to war, the Spirit of the Lord said, 2 Chronicles 20:15 “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’” Judges 7:22 “When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.” Joshua 6:5 “When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.” 20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it.” Isaiah 37:36 “Then the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” Numbers 10:8 “The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come. 9 When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies. 10 Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed festivals and New Moon feasts—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God. I am the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 20:1 “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3 He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4 For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
The church will once again charge into battle and be victorious instead of what is happening now. Jeremiah 8:6 “I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle.” Repentance changes everything so we still have hope so, Psalm 98:1 “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the Lord, the King. 7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; 9 let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.”
We were told repent, and the kingdom would come near. Today begins the Ten Days of Awe or the Ten Days of Repentance. For the Jews they are told repentance, acts of charity and prayer are crucial during this time. One writer said, “The Ten Days of Repentance are crucial to the outcome of the trial, since our verdict is determined both by our attitude toward our misdeeds and by our attempts to rectify them by changing ourselves.” The final verdict for the upcoming year will be at Yom Kippur. Obviously, there is more to it, but even if these ten days were described in more detail and adhered to zealously, it would not matter because the Jews continue to deny Jesus and refuse to accept Him as their Messiah. True repentance would be acknowledging Jesus is their Messiah and King and accepting / acknowledging His word and none other to be the way, truth and life. John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This also applies to those who call themselves the church yet follow a different jesus and other gospels. The Jews and the church remain desolate and the only way out of this desolation is to humble ourselves before God. So we pray, Lamentations 5:1 “Remember, Lord, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace. 15 Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. 16 The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! 17 Because of this our hearts are faint, because of these things our eyes grow dim 18 for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it. 19 You, Lord, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. 20 Why do you always forget us? Why do you forsake us so long? 21 Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old 22 unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure.”
Do not wait because Hebrews 10:37 “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” The trumpet will sound one final time and it will be too late. Matthew 24:1 “And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” 1 Corinthians 15:52 “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.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
Are you listening? Take this seriously as where you will spend eternity depends on it. Joel 2:15 “Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. 16 Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. 17 Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
