Passover symbolizes the removal of God-seekers from sin (Egypt) and sin from God-seekers (Days of Unleavened Bread). Pentecost pictures the beginning of God’s call to His firstfruits who constitute the end time church–the called out (sanctified) ones whom God commands to “… come out of her (false religion) (2 Cor. 6:17), to”… walk as He (Jesus) walked” (1 Jn. 2:6) and to purify themselves “… even as He is pure” (1 Jn. 3:3) through “… the washing of the water by the Word” (Eph. 5:26). This began on the Day of Pentecost, 31 A.D. and will continue unto the end of the age. As His ministers preach and teach the gospel as His witness (Mat. 24:14), those few Israelites and Gentiles who have ears to hear and eyes to see will answer as God calls them to come to Him. Though many are called, only few will answer His call (Mat. 20:16/ Mat. 7:13,14). Those who answer His call to righteousness and endure therein until the end will be saved at His return (Mat. 10:22). The next great spiritual event to take place on planet earth is the return of the conquering King, symbolized by the Feast of Trumpets.

“And the Lord spake … 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. 23:23-25). This is the point in history when Jesus will return to earth, in the clouds, with His holy angels, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God (1 Thes. 4:14-17). This will be at the “last trump: for the trumpet will sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible (alive and in spirit form), and we (the firstfruits) shall (all) be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52). Unless Christ returns to resurrect the dead, eternal life is not possible. For if there is no resurrection, “… then they also which are fallen asleep (dead) in Christ are perished” (1 Cor. 15:18).

If Jesus Christ does not come the world will destroy itself. But He has promised to return at a time when that is about to happen. At the seventh trump at the end of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 11:15-19). A trumpet is a symbol of war. As soon as the gathering of His firstfruits is completed (pictured by Pentecost) Jesus will return to set up again the Tabernacle of David (Acts 15:16)–the Kingdom of Israel–and to set His hand a second time to recover the remnant of His people (Isa. 11:1) whom the false prophets of the Counterfeit Church have failed to search out and rescue (Eze. 34:1-14). The beginning of the regathering of Israel will begin when the trumpet is blown, causing Israel to worship their Messiah in the holy mountain in Jerusalem (Isa. 27:13). Note it: Israel will be regathered at the sound of the seventh trump at the end of the Great Tribulation when Jesus returns to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. Because the churches have rejected the Holy Days, specifically the festival of Trumpets, many believe that the gathering of a small percentage of Jews in 1948 to establish what is called “Israel” is the fulfillment of this prophecy. Not so. Jesus did not return, there was no shout, there was no trumpet blast, there was no lightning flash from east to west, there was no voice of the archangel. This will be the next thing to happen in world affairs as God continues His plan of redemption. During the following thousand years God will send out His firstfruits from headquarters in Jerusalem to minister to and teach lost Israel about their promised inheritance. During this time those who have never heard the Truth of God (the churches), along with those who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, will be given the opportunity to know, believe and obey the Lord. At the end of the thousand years of ministry by the firstfruits, those who have come to God during that time will celebrate their acceptance by God–they will at that point be made one with Him. This coming together with God in a state of oneness is called the Day of Atonement–at-one-ment.

In Leviticus 23:26-32 we find written: “And the Lord spake … saying … 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 (fast) …. It shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath rest and ye shall afflict your souls from even(ing) to even(ing)–sundown to sundown. What a glorious day–atonement–man made one with God. To be continued. L.J.