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Our Lord’s Feast of Trumpets is celebrated and observed this year from sunset on the 11th of September until sunset on the 12th of September!
The Book of Revelation outlines for us the blowing of these trumpets. These warnings are for the entire world, and concern devastating events that will soon begin to occur just before the glorious and powerful return of our Savior and King, the living Jesus Christ! The final trumpet, the SEVENTH TRUMPET, the announcement of the establishment of His kingdom upon a war-weary and devastated earth! (See also our free online PDF booklet: “What Is the Kingdom of God?”).
We, dear Brethren, Co-Workers, and Friends, in our small part, are also working to perform as a modern-day watchman. We boldly speak to the children of Israel and to the world, “‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. TURN, TURN from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” (Please also watch our sermon, “Why Should You Die, O House of Israel?”). We CRY OUT and do not spare; we lift up our voices like a trumpet; we tell His people of their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins! – cf. Isaiah 58:1.
Here is a sermon made for the Feast of Trumpets in 2022 ──
In this message, Mr. Johnson speaks about the feast's purpose and meaning. The soon-coming trumpet blasts from the LORD God, revealed to us in the Book of Revelation, and why the Church. What is the purpose of the Church of God?
¿Por qué somos llamados a esta vida? ¿Fuimos predestinados a ser llamados por Dios Padre? ¿Fuimos llamados para un gran propósito? El ministro Leonard V. Johnson repasa, a partir de la palabra viva de Dios, por qué somos llamados durante esta dispensación.
Here is a sermon for the Feast of Trumpets in 2021 ──
The Lord’s Feast of Trumpets is indeed one of our LORD God’s holy feasts, per Leviticus 23. We hope and pray that you heed these messages and warnings of the LORD’s SEVEN SEALS and the SEVEN TRUMPET BLASTS before it’s too late! □
Here we are again, dear brethren, coming up on the LORD God’s glorious Feast of Trumpets, September 12th, 2026! Hello to our beloved Brethren, Co-Workers, and Friends in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Lahore, Pakistan, Manchester, England, UK, Owensboro, Kentucky, and Fayetteville, NC!
Here at the Church of Jesus Christ Online Ministries (COJCOM), we continue to keep and celebrate the LORD God’s biblical holy days and feasts, including the Feast of Trumpets, also called Rosh Hashanah by our Jewish brethren. Two older sermons of related interest would be “Feast of Trumpets and the Church” and “Prophecy – Feast of Trumpets 2022.”
The LORD’s Feast of Trumpets is on September 12th this year──2026. Its observance begins the evening before, at sunset, on the Gregorian calendar and runs until sunset on the Gregorian calendar.
Let’s turn in our Bible to Leviticus 23 ──
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 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[not a shadow] of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.’
25) ‘You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.’” – Leviticus 23:23-25.
Here is pictured within the memorial of blowing of trumpets the next phase of the LORD God’s redemptive plan, when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, shall come, in the clouds with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17) For it shall be AT THE LAST TRUMP “for the trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15:52.
Unless our Lord Jesus returns to resurrect the dead in Christ, we would never gain eternal life if there were no resurrection: “Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.” – 1 Corinthians 15:18.
Our Lord Jesus will directly intervene in world affairs upon the SEVENTH BLOWING OF THE TRUMPET ──
“The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
15) Then the SEVENTH ANGEL SOUNDED: And there were loud voices in [the atmosphere], saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord [God the Father] and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” – Revelation 11:14-15.
A trumpet in God’s living word can symbolize war. He will come during a time of worldwide war when the nations are angry!
So, let us notice exactly when this takes place ──
“’ So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They [ISRAEL] will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they [ISRAEL] who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.’” – Isaiah 27:13.
Now, when will ISRAEL be gathered together? At the sound of the SEVENTH TRUMPET, at the glorious and powerful coming of our Lord Jesus! Most churches have forgotten or are blatantly ignorant of the LORD’s Feast of Trumpets; they believe that the return of the Jews to the holy land and the establishment of a nation which is called Israel was the fulfillment of the above prophecy.
The LORD’s Feast of Trumpets clearly points to the blowing of trumpets, and God’s living word shows us a variety of prophetic events that will accompany the cacophony of blasts.
In this article, I’d like to cover with you the relevance of the Feast of Trumpets and the Book of Life.
The Feast of Trumpets in the Old Testament
God’s word tells us ──
“And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2) ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, THESE ARE MY FEASTS. …
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[not a shadow] of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.’
25) ‘You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.’” – Leviticus 23:23-25.
Let us note that the children of Israel were to mark this particular day as A MEMORIAL OF THE MEANING THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS HAS FOR THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL──both physically and symbolically.
The Eternal One instructed the children of Israel to ‘make two silver trumpets to use them for calling the congregation and for directing the movement of the camps.’ They were to gather the Tribes of Israel for assemblies and signal when it was time to move during their migration to the Promised Land. They were also instructed to blow them when they were preparing for a military attack or to defend against an enemy. Moreover, trumpets were blown during the LORD’s festivals and at the beginning of each month ── cf. Numbers 10:1-10.
The children of Israel had already experienced the awesome and ear-splitting trumpet and its blast when the LORD God gave them the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:19). So, the Lord continued associating trumpet blasts with important events and happenings──as the LORD God continues for us today!
Here is a little more regarding the ‘day of blowing of trumpets’ from God’s living word ──
“’ And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month [Tishri], you shall have a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work. For you it is a day of blowing the trumpets. 2) You shall offer a burnt offering as a sweet aroma to the LORD: one young bull, one ram, and seven lambs in their first year, without blemish. 3) Their grain offering shall be fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ephah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram, 4) and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5) also one kid of the goats as a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6) besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the regular burnt offering, and their drink offerings, according to their ordinance, as a sweet aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD.” – Numbers 29:1-6.
In the Strong’s Concordance of the Bible (#8643), the ‘blowing of the trumpets’ term is terû‘â. “Alarm, signal, sound of trumpet. This is a feminine noun formed from the root rûa’. It is a purely Hebrew formation and occurs thirty-six times in the OT, mostly in the singular. There are four distinct senses in which it is used. It is used for “signal” (Lev. 25:9), the “sound of the trumpet” for the blowing of the shofar on the day of atonement. It is also used for “alarm” as in case of attack (Josh 6:5; Jer 4:19), “I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.” In addition, it is used for the trumpet in the tumult of the battle, “And Moab shall die amid uproar, amid shouting, and the sound of the trumpet” (Amos 2:2). Lastly, the noun is used for the exultation of praise to God, “Praise Him with trumpet sound, praise Him with lute and harp” (Ps 150:3).” 1
Now, because animal sacrifices are no longer required (cf. Hebrews 10:3-10), Christians do not offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or drink offerings made by fire──we are to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). However, traditionally, a financial offering is taken up on this holy day consistent with what the Apostle Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 9 ──
“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7) So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.
Also notice what the LORD God tells us in Deuteronomy 16 ──
“’ Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God in the place which He chooses: at the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD, at the FEAST OF WEEKS [PENTECOST], and at the FEAST OF TABERNACLES; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty-handed. 17) Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you.” – Deuteronomy 16:16-17.
This coming SEVENTH MONTH is called Ethanim in God’s living word ──
“Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.” – 1 Kings 8:2.
However, this month is typically called Tishri by our Jewish brethren, as that was the name used when they were in Babylonian captivity. And although our Jewish brethren call the LORD’s feast Rosh Hashanah, that was never its original name.
“Rosh Hashanah actually means “Head of the Year.” What: Rosh Hashanah is the birthday of the universe, the day G‑d created Adam and Eve, and it’s celebrated as the head of the Jewish year.” 2
The Jewish Talmud was compiled between the 1st and 7th centuries, with the Babylonian Talmud, which is considered the main version, completed around 500 AD. And since the meaning of the name Rosh Hashanah means “Head” and “Year” ── which is nowhere to be found in God’s living word ── we use the term “the Feast of Trumpets.
The Book of Life
True Christians have our names written in God’s Book of Life (cf. Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5).
The first allusion to the Book of Life appears in Exodus 32 ──
“’ Yet now, if You will forgive their sin ── but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.’ 33) And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against Me I will blot him out of My book.’” – Exodus 32:32-33.
Besides Exodus, Psalm 69:28 talks about being blotted ‘out of the book of the living,’ Daniel 12:1 mentions those whose names are written ‘in the book’ shall be delivered, Malachi 3:16 refers to ‘a book of remembrance’ for the faithful, and Isaiah 4:3 alludes to a list of those ‘who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem.’
My heart swells with great joy knowing that His mighty prophets of old weren’t just guessing ── they heard the LORD God speak of a heavenly book, the “Book of Life,” long before we ever heard of it. They spoke of it in visions and writings, marking the righteous for all eternity.
Our beloved Prophet Moses knew that his name was written in the Book of Life.
Additionally, the Book of Life could very well be mentioned in three other Psalms ──
“Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8) I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.’” – Psalm 40:7-8.
“You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” – Psalm 56:8.
“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” – Psalm 139:16.
God’s word clearly shows us that those who reverently fear the LORD our God have their name written in the Book of Life, but those who do not and are not righteous don’t have their name written in the Book of Life.
True Christians who are inscribed in the Book of Life will be born-again at the glorious resurrection which occurs with the blowing of THE SEVENTH TRUMPET BLAST spoken of in the Book of Revelation. Eternal life will be given at the time of the LAST TRUMPET to the LORD God’s chosen people.
The Prophet Isaiah appears to be referencing this LAST TRUMP, the one that signals the glorious and powerful return of our Savior Jesus Christ and the calling ‘with a great sound of a trumpet, gathering together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other’ ──
“So it shall be in that day: The great trumpet will be blown; They will come, who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, And they who are outcasts in the land of Egypt, And shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” – Isaiah 27:13.
CHOOSE LIFE
Our Holy Father and our Holy Savior want all people to choose life ──
“’ I call heaven and earth as witnesses TODAY against you, that I have set before you LIFE and DEATH, BLESSING and CURSING; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.’” – Deuteronomy 30:19.
Now, I’ve spoken of this before, like in my recent Personal From… Christ’s Coming! There are physical laws, and there are spiritual laws, and every single one of us must choose as to whether we will accept and follow the LORD God’s spiritual laws or not. Because if we neglect so great a salvation, as the LORD God has offered to us, we are turning our back on the LORD God, and we will find only death. The penalty of sin. We must choose LIFE, and we must choose LIFE of our own volition, voluntarily. Our OWN FREE WILL! No one can choose it for you ── no armchair televangelist, no door-to-door preacher, no minister, rabbi, no Imam. And it doesn’t matter how much they promise you salvation, a heavenly paradise, or seventy-two virgins! They can’t save you!
You know, I can’t help but think of my sister-in-law’s friend that was visiting our home once, and I was asked about ── why I don’t believe in the rapture ── and after my brief biblical teaching on this subject, and explaining and solemnly testifying of the kingdom of God, teaching Jesus and of eternal life, she laughed and said, “Everybody is a savior.” I couldn’t save her. I just taught the truth. Our whole private relationship with the LORD is between you and Him! And it is true that we are often brought into certain circumstances, and that the LORD God can bring about certain circumstances that bring a person to a place where a decision must be made, a decision is offered ── to choose life or to choose death. Sadly, my sister-in-law’s friend died about 2 weeks later. The LORD God will never force you to accept His living word. Now, she’s not “lost” or “burning in a hellfire.” She will be resurrected among those of the “Great White Throne Judgment,” and ‘books will be opened for her. And another book will be opened, which is the Book of Life, and she will be judged according to her works, by the things which are written in the books.’ – Revelation 20:11-15. I have placed her name among my “list.” And I pray to our heavenly Father and Elder Brother that I will have the great pleasure and honor to speak with her once again the glorious testimony of the kingdom of God, teaching Jesus and of eternal life.
Let’s go back to verse 17, “’ But IF your heart turns away so that you do not hear, …’” You see, the LORD God allows us to turn away, He allows us to rebel, when He says, “IF” ── because if He was forcing us to obey Him, then He couldn’t say, “IF.” So, IF “ …’ your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18) I ANNOUNCE TO YOU TODAY THAT YOU SHALL SURELY PERISH; …’”
Our Holy Father is the great Ancient of Days ── the Supreme Ruler of all that is. And the LORD God says here, “‘I have set before you life and death [the second death], blessing and cursing; therefore CHOOSE LIFE.’” He desires us to choose life, yet the LORD allows us to disobey “’ that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for HE IS YOUR LIFE …’” And how wonderful it is when you see and hear clearly what His Spirit has to say regarding this! The kingdom of God is the family of God. And if you choose life, you will be begotten of God and later born-again into the family of God! More on the PLAN OF GOD… FROM THE BEGINNING can be found in our message “God’s Master Plan… From the Beginning!”
Trumpets in the New Testament
An ancient Greek warrior blowing a salpinx
God’s living word in the New Testament frequently speaks of the blowing of trumpets.
Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us ──
“’ And He will send His angels with a great sound of a TRUMPET, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’” – Matthew 24:31.
The Greek word here is salpinx, meaning an ancient Greek trumpet used for military and ceremonial purposes.
The Apostle Paul teaches the same ──
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the TRUMPET OF GOD. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17) Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
So, both our Savior and the Apostle Paul taught that His saints would be gathered together when the TRUMPET OF GOD is sounded. And that our Lord Jesus will return upon the LAST TRUMPET BLAST, which is after ‘the tribulation of those days’ (Matthew 24:15-29). Therefore, those who are “pre-tribulation rapturists” are in error. Check out our message, “Is There a ‘Secret Rapture’?”
THE LAST TRUMPET is the RESURRECTION TRUMPET ──
“in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, AT THE LAST TRUMPET. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead [in Christ] will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. … 58) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” – 1 Corinthians 15:52, 58.
Our beloved Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69–155 AD), a disciple of the Apostle John, also wrote about and looked forward to the blowing of this LAST TRUMPET ──
“Wherefore, girding up your loins,”“serve the Lord in fear” and truth, as those who have forsaken the vain, empty talk and error of the multitude, and “believed in Him who raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, and gave Him glory,” and a throne at His right hand. To Him all things in heaven and on earth are subject. Him every spirit serves. He comes as the Judge of the living and the dead. His blood will God require of those who do not believe in Him. But He who raised Him from the dead will raise us up also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, …” 3
Our Lord Jesus teaches us ──
“’ But those WHO ARE COUNTED WORTHY to attain that age[the age to come], and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; 36) nor can they die anymore, for they are equal[in this regard]to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
37) But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 38) For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.’” – Luke 20:35-38.
Let us always PRAISE THE LORD OUR GOD ── the resurrection from the dead brings one back to life!
Our Lord Jesus also teaches us ──
“ … ‘if you want to enter into life, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS.’” – Matthew 19:17.
“’ And as Moses LIFTED UP THE SERPENT IN THE WILDERNESS, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15) that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM should not perish but have everlasting life. 17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED.’” – John 3:14-17.
Moses placing a bronze fiery serpent on an old wooden pole (Numbers 21:8-9) (ChatGPT-generated illustration for COJCOM)
Let us also notice the living words of our Savior ──
“’ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. 25) Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.
26) For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, 27) and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.
28) Do not marvel at this: for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29) and come forth ── those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of[judgment].’” – John 5:24-29.
There is a resurrection to life for those who ‘have done good.’ And there is a resurrection to ‘judgment for those who have done evil.’
Returning again to the beloved Apostle Paul ──
“Now IF Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection? …” – The Sadducees were a Jewish sect that denied the resurrection of the dead, and, sadly, there are a great many peoples today that continue to deny the truth concerning the resurrection of the dead. 13) But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14) And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
15) Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up ── if in fact the dead do not rise.
16) For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17) And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18) Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19) If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
20) But now CHRIST IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21) For since by man came death [the first death here], by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23) But EACH ONE IN HIS OWN ORDER: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24) Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom of God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
25) For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26) The last enemy that will be destroyed is death [the second death].” – 1 Corinthians 15:12-26.
We do not know upon what day or hour that this LAST TRUMPET BLAST will be blown, but it will announce the glorious and powerful return of our Savior, Jesus Christ! (Matthew 24:36, 44).
Does God’s living word teach us whose names are in His Book of Life?
Indeed, it does!
Our Lord Jesus alludes to the Book of Life in the Book of Luke here ──
“And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19) Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions[symbolize evil, danger, deception, and spiritual adversaries], and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20) Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice BECAUSE YOUR NAMES ARE WRITTEN IN HEAVEN.’” – Luke 10:18-20.
So, all true Christians have their names written ‘in heaven’ ── which surely is in the Book of Life.
The Apostle Paul implored “Euodia and … Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” And I, like the Apostle Paul, implore you, my beloved and longed-for brothers and sisters in Christ, my joy and my crown, to stand fast in the Lord, and continue having your name written in His Book of Life! (cf. Philippians 4:1-3). Let not your name be blotted out and removed.
Also notice ──
“But you have come to MOUNT ZION and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem [see: Revelation 21:2], to AN INNUMERABLE COMPANY OF ANGELS, 23) to the general assembly and Church of the firstborn WHO WAS REGISTERED IN HEAVEN, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect.” – Hebrews 12:22-23.
Our Lord Jesus Christ says to His Church ──
“’ He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.’” – Revelation 3:5.
We are warned within the Book of Revelation that those who worship the ‘beast’ and its mouth piece, and partake of the ‘mark’ of the ‘beast’ (Revelation 13:1, 8; 17:8), and those who are involved in abominations (Revelation 21:27), and those who ‘adds to the living word’s written in the Book, or takes away from the living words of the Book and its prophecies, He shall take away your part from the Book of Life, and from the holy city of God, and from any blessings spoken of in the Book (Revelation 22:18-19). □
Sources:
1 Harris L. R., Archer, L. Gleason, Jr., and Waltke K. Bruce. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 1980, #2135b, pg. 839.
2 Chabad.org, “Rosh Hashanah” What Is Rosh Hashanah? Retrieved 25 Aug 2026.
Blessings from the LORD God to you all, Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers in
Christ. Now, this article is going to be on the Feast of Trumpets, which will soon
be here for this year of 2025. And it may take me a couple of days to type this
article up ── and I’m sure that sometime down the road it will become notes for a
sermon. The Feast of Trumpets and the Church.
Greetings to all this beautiful, holy Sabbath. A day that is set aside for man to keep
holy and to remember always the fact that we do have a rest day today, and that we
are looking forward to a time when all the Earth has a beautiful rest day. Hello, here in Spring Hill, Florida. And, as I just posted on our Facebook page, I had a
great Labor Day weekend. My dear brothers and sister-in-law who live here in
Florida visited over Labor Day weekend, along with my dear Sister from North
Carolina, and we had a wonderful Sunday get together. A good meal and good
fellowship.
Well, I am so happy to be able to come to you from my desk here in our office,
publish this online, and it goes to all of you throughout the world! What a
wonderful century we do live in! I do all my work, typing, along with audio and
video recording, here in this office. As I was telling my Sister, I’ll soon begin
recording new sermons. And I hope and pray that the COJCOM can grow with
many new servants of God within this year.
Truly, the LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God – which at this time consists
of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) has opened a most wonderful door for
us, brethren ── and, I’m speaking for all of us brethren. The ability to see and hear
in this 21st century God’s living word. And, it’s not just hearing God’s truth from
just the COJCOM, but from the LORD God’s servants that are throughout the
United States and abroad. Because each of our members may be teaching in their
own style, but we are all of one body. Something that I thought about this last
Sabbath service that I had with my dear Sister from North Carolina. Watching and
studying Minister Stan Roberts ── Transcending the Ordinary. It was wonderful to
know that ICG is teaching the same as us in regards to Matthew 24:14. Speaking of
the end-time prophets – the Two Witnesses spoken of in Revelation chapter 11.
The Purpose of the Feasts of the LORD
Each year, God wants us to remind His people of His Holy Days and their purpose.
To remind us every year of the awesome meaning that these days picture.
Officially, here in Florida, fall began this last Labor Day, and we are officially in
the fall Holy Days season. The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall Holy
Days of 2025. In fact, the SEVENTH MONTH of the year begins this year on the
Feast of Trumpets! September 22nd in the evening till September 23rd in the evening. This holy feast has great meaning: the Feast of Trumpets. This
Holy Day should indeed remind us that the blowing of trumpets symbolizes
WARNINGS.
Sir Winston Churchill ── who was a great leader and stateman for Britain, during
World War II, once gave a statement as he spoke to the Senate, and of the House of
Representatives of the United States in 1941, “If you will allow me to use other
language, I will say that he must indeed have a blind soul who cannot see that
some great purpose and design is being worked out here below of which we have
the honor to be the faithful servants.” Well… certainly God Almighty is working
out a purpose here below. Truly, whatever the LORD God does is dual-in-nature.
As an example, there was a first Adam who was physical, and there was a second
Adam who was a quickening spirit. Everything is done dually. Another
example, there was a first Antiochus IV Epiphanes, and there will be a second ──
a final Catholic-led European civic leader (Daniel 11:39-44).
God ── and by “God” I mean Elohim, the family of God ── are reproducing
themselves. Yet, there is another great purpose, both being dual in nature. One
physical and the other spiritual. They are reinstituting the government of God upon
the planet Earth. The government of God, at one time, was to have been
established upon Earth, but it was not. It is not established as yet upon the Earth,
but the Lord GOD is in the process of reinstituting it through His Church.
I gave a sermon four years go now, the title, “God’s Master Plan… From the
Beginning.” In that sermon, I take you through ── from the time when there was
only the LORD God (John 1:1), to the time when the “morning stars” sang together
at the creation of the Earth. Then to its ultimate destruction (Genesis 1:2), to
Earth’s renewal (Psalm 104:30) ── and these festivals of the Lord’s were brought about from the material harvests, the physical harvests in Palestine. And in God’s
view, Palestine will be the future Headquarters of the Earth when New Jerusalem,
the holy city, comes down out of low Earth orbit, prepared as a bride adorned for
her husband (Revelation 21:1-2). Ancient Israel’s headquarters was there ── and
thanks be to President Donald Trump, as of December 6, 2017, the United States
officially recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel! And of course,
our Lord Jesus Christ was there in the holy city of Jerusalem when He started the
Church. So, in other words, the physical harvests are used to picture a future
spiritual harvest. The duality again. The physical and the spiritual.
My whole life, I have known of the Lord’s festival seasons that the LORD God has
that no other churches know anything about. And if they have heard of them, they
are to them but “Jewish feasts.” Yet we know that the LORD God clearly tells us,
“’ The feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations,
these are My feasts.’” (Leviticus 23:2). They are not the ‘feasts of the Jews’! Of
course, Earth’s seasons begin in the spring. And so does the LORD God’s. It begins
in the spring with the LORD’s Passover. In the Old Testament, the LORD’s
Passover pictured the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt through the LORD God’s
intervention. Now prophetically this pictured, of course, looking towards the time
when Jesus the Christ - the MESSIAH - would come and be the Passover Lamb (1
Corinthians 5:7), sacrificed for all mankind for the sins of the world (John 1:29; cf.
John 3:16-17).
It's quite a solemn festival; the fact that it pictures for us our Lord
Jesus Christ has paid our penalty in our stead should bring us great humility, hope,
and love ── and joy in knowing what He has done for us all.
Let us continue focusing on this article, the Feast of Trumpets.
The Feast of Trumpets certainly, along with warnings of trumpet blasts,
announces the powerful and glorious Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ
── along with our heavenly Father, all the righteous angels, and the saints. In fact, let’s go back to the Book of Leviticus, chapter 23, and read for ourselves concerning
the Feast of Trumpets ──
“Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 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.’” – Leviticus
23:23-24.
They blew a shofar on this holy day ── well, in fact, on the first day of every
month, and I’m speaking of God’s sacred calendar, not the Gregorian calendar we
use, named after the Catholic Pope Gregory XIII. A sacred calendar that truly
begins in the spring, around March/April. It begins when life begins anew – and
new life is born. The beginning of a new life!
This sacred calendar begins when the LORD God created life to begin ── in the
spring. The fourth festival, which is the first day of the seventh month. It pictures
our Lord Jesus’ Second Coming.
The Trumpets Revealed by Jesus Christ
The Book of Revealing – the Book of Revelation – outlines the LORD God’s
future use of trumpets. And this dire warning Message is for the entire world, and
concerns tribulations which will occur just before the glorious and powerful return
of our Savior, Jesus Christ!
“When He [Jesus Christ] opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for
about half an hour” – Revelation 8:1.
Again, this Feast of Trumpets ── the first day of the SEVENTH MONTH.
Now, we believe that the first four of these trumpets are in conjunction with the
prophesied “end time prophets” which are spoken of in the Book of Revelation
chapter 11, which finalizes with the “Two Witnesses” – Revelation 8:7-12.
Then, there comes the FIFTH TRUMPET BLAST – Revelation 9:1-11.
That ‘fallen star’ being Satan the devil, and his demons being thrown into the
‘bottomless pit’ just before the glorious and powerful return of Jesus Christ, His
saints, and His angels! – cf. Revelation 20:1-2. Back in the 1st chapter of the Book of Revealing, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that “stars” can represent angels –
Revelation 1:20.
Then comes the SIXTH TRUMPET BLAST – Revelation 9:13-19.
The SEVENTH TRUMPET BLAST – “but in the days of the sounding of the
seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished,
as He declared to His servants the prophets” – Revelation 10:7.
The LORD God is speaking about a time here when there is NO MORE DELAY.
SEVENTH ANGEL, SEVENTH TRUMP! THIS IS THE RESURRECTION
TRUMP! And you can turn to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 and 1st Corinthians
chapter 15, and we can read about this very event! – “The mystery of God would be
finished.” In fact, this is the culmination of the event which is depicted by all of
God’s prophets down through history. Certainly, all of the prophecies we read
about that are yet to be fulfilled, such as in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 2, Micah
chapter 4, and even in the Book of Habakkuk, where it says, “For the earth will be
filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea.”
All of God’s prophets have looked to this moment in time! And here it is about to
unfold!
“Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven [the
atmosphere], saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of
our Lord [God the Father] and of His Christ [our Lord Jesus Christ], and He shall
reign forever and ever!” – Revelation 11:15.
The BLOWING OF THE SEVENTH TRUMP is that event where the saints of
God – living and dead – are resurrected and brought into full-time eternal
membership in the family of God!
Again, the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ ── along with our heavenly
Father, all the righteous angels, and the saints, the Church of God.
What is the Church of God?
So, the Firstfruits of God ── the Church ── is coming down from low Earth orbit
to the Earth along with Father God, our Lord Jesus, and all the holy angels. And
the Church is being prepared for the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus, when we
will co-rule with Him on Earth.
But why the Church? We certainly need to know. Because the LORD God is
coming with the Church, and we need to know just what the Church is, why the
Church is, and what its purpose is.
Multiple millions of people go to a church every Sunday, yet do not know what the
Church is, why, or for what purpose. WHY IS THERE A CHURCH? When my
wife and I took a trip to Bryson City, North Carolina ── an absolutely beautiful
small town ── but on nearly every street corner, a church building. You ask the
average churchgoer, “What is the Church?” Often, they will answer that the church
is a building with a steeple.
And, not to change the subject, but back in 1984, during Y.O.U. class, one of the
boys in class gave a report on why church buildings have steeples. Look it up sometime. It’s fascinating!
A steeple on top of buildings pointing to heaven, and then there’s a cross on its
façade. They claim that a church is a building where people of the same faith
gather together. “People go to church.”
Yet, that is not what we find in God’s living word. We find that the Church went to
a building ── usually someone’s home. They didn’t have a building at all when
the Church started out.
Ginormous Cathedrals sprang up from a false church ── the Mother of Harlots
and of the Abominations of the Earth. Our Lord Jesus’ original Church didn’t have
anything of the kind at all! They met wherever they could. Today, the LORD God’s
called and chosen begotten people follow this. We do not have a building; we hold
Church services in homes or rent accommodations ── such as hotel meeting
spaces.
The very word “Church” in God’s living word is- the word church is
mentioned in the 7th chapter of the Book of Acts. That word is ekklēsia, meaning
“congregation, assembly; a group of people gathered together.” Notice verse 38 –
“This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness …” – referring to the
Prophet Moses. “ … with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, …” The
church in the wilderness that was back on Mount Sinai with the Prophet Moses. It
was a church, but usually it’s called “the congregation of Israel” and not the
“church of Israel.” Yet, the word church in Greek means the same as congregation.
They were a called-out group of people in the Old Testament. The church, or rather
the congregation of Israel. Understand, they didn’t have the glorious Holy Spirit
within them. The Church in this present age has God’s Spirit. We are called the
begotten of God – the children of God. They, however, were only the physical
children of Israel; we are the spiritual children of God. There is a great difference.
The Church Began A.D. 33 – the Day of Pentecost
The Church of God received the glorious Spirit of God on the Day of Pentecost,
A.D. 33. That is when the Church began. Our Lord Jesus Christ had prepared the
Church for 3 ½ years. He taught and trained His disciples to become apostles. He
trained them and taught them of the glorious gospel of the kingdom to’Go
therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever He
commanded.’
Again, what is the Church? Interestingly, what most of the people of these worldly
churches apparently don’t know is that, even if they read it, our Lord
Jesus was born to be a King. Even that small Sunday church that I had attended a
couple of times back in 2014 wasn’t teaching that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming
back to “execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly” (Jude 15). To be
a mighty and powerful King. O,’ they like to preach that He is King of kings and
Lord of lords ── I heard them announce that often. But do they truly know what
that means? They honestly don’t preach or teach that JESUS is coming as a King;
they simply say Jesus is a Savior. Or, they portray Him dead on a cross or a little
baby in a manger. They do not portray Him as He is ── having a garment down to
His feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. His head and hair white
like wool, His eyes a flaming fire, His feet as fine brass, as if refined in a furnace,
His voice sounding like many waters, His countenance shining like the sun in its
full strength! A powerful and glorious Creator God!
You see… the way these worldly churches picture it ── and I saw this live and in
full vivid color ── when I had to watch the 2004 film, The Polar Express. This
life, they picture, is a one-time train ride, a once-in-a-lifetime. Here, The Polar
Express train magically appears in the middle of the night to whisk away children
for a ride to the “North Pole.” At each stop, the “conductor” is encouraging children
to make a decision to board or choose not to. A metaphor for you going to heaven or not. Because if the train stops and “the conductor” beckons you to come aboard,
you say, “Alright, I accept Christ,” then the train, where it would end up all along,
drops you off in heaven. But, if you choose not to board the train ── then you’ve
missed your once-in-a-lifetime ride to heaven.
Well… of course, this is not at all what God’s living word teaches us. But a lot of
people believe that, and they’ve been deceived. Satan, the Devil, is the great
deceiver who has deceived the whole world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Our Lord Jesus
was born to be a King. And He came to announce a soon-coming kingdom. A
government. The Church of God teaches of this soon-coming government! You
certainly don’t hear these worldly churches teach about the Church of God and the
glorious government of God. And, that our Lord Jesus Christ ── the soon-coming
King of kings and Lord of lords ── that we, brethren (God-willing), are going to
co-rule with Him in His kingdom. They actually don’t believe this at all. They
don’t say anything about this ── because they are, for the most part, ignorant of
this living truth. They pretty much teach and believe that all you have to do to be
saved is live your life “righteously” – under whatever definition they have as
righteous, just accept our Lord Jesus Christ, and then you will be saved and will
spend eternity with Christ in heaven.
Turning the channels on the truck radio before, while traveling through
Mississippi, I literally heard a radio preacher announce in a southern accent, “The
Bible says… when y’all get to heaven!” Yet, nowhere in all of God’s living words
is there one mention of “man going to heaven.” And neither will y’all. God’s living
word says ── in fact, our Lord Jesus Himself, “’ No one has ascended to heaven
but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man …’” – John 3:13.
The Coming of the Second Adam
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus, was the second Adam. The LORD God, from the
beginning, had a Plan in mind. And they created first the physical man ── “He
created them MALE AND FEMALE, and blessed them and called them Adam
(Mankind).” – Genesis 5:2. The first man was called Adam. But then, the spiritual phase of the LORD God’s Plan begins with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as
the second Adam. It’s the spiritual phase.
So, why did our Lord Jesus come to Earth? Ultimately, for a dual purpose. First, He
came to qualify to be a King. We find this in the 9th chapter of the Book of Isaiah
── “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And THE
GOVERNMENT will be upon His shoulder. …” So, He came to be our Savior. His
name being called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince
of Peace, and Emmanuel ── which means “God with us.” He is truly the One
Seed in whom all families, nations, provinces, and countries on Earth are going to
be blessed, as their Savior. So, yes, He came to save us and to gift us eternal life,
but He also came to begin the establishment of the government of God upon the
Earth!
The government of God has not been established, yet, upon the Earth. The first
Adam had that opportunity to do so ── but he chose not to. And as I was saying,
the spiritual phase of the LORD God’s Master Plan began with the second Adam, who was our Lord Jesus Christ.
There were these two symbolic trees in the garden of Eden. One tree represented
mankind’s ability to learn on their own the knowledge of good and evil, and the
other tree represented the receiving of the glorious Holy Spirit of God. The
knowledge of good and evil ── meaning the taking to oneself the knowledge of
what is good and what is evil. And that’s certainly why, throughout this present evil
age, you see people have different definitions of what is good and what is evil.
A book in my library, “This Fabulous Century” under the title “A Meddle of
Matrons” has a photo of club members of the Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase,
Maryland in the 1940s. The opening of the text reading, “A ubiquitous and
powerful figure on the American scene in the ‘40s was the clubwoman, devouring
culture and cake, fighting Communism and overweight, preserving historical
monuments, sponsoring child welfare and playing a great deal of bridge.” 1 And, I
might add ── advocating for women's suffrage. But, “advocating for women’s
suffrage” began from the very beginning ── with Eve. Because Adam ── played,
just went along with his wife. And in this sense, Adam was not deceived. Yet,
Adam made the decision for the whole world.
The LORD God made that decision binding on the whole world, until the
government of God is to be established upon the Earth. Which means it is binding
for 6,000 years. And it has been binding, except that God the Father would call out
of this world a few to come to Him. Otherwise, the people of the world are cut off
from Almighty God. And we read of this in the last verse of the 3rd chapter of the
Book of Genesis ── “So He [the LORD God] drove out the man; and He placed
cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned
every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” – vs. 24. This, of course, represents
the fact that the LORD God did not want mankind, after having sinned and not
repenting of their sins, to then take of the tree of life and gain eternal life and live
forever ── in sin.
The LORD God desires that mankind should NOT have eternal life and live
forever in sin. Because sin is the breaking of God’s immutable Law (1 John 3:4),
and when you break God’s Law, it will bring upon you pain, suffering, and negative
consequences. God’s living word says that there are repercussions for neglecting
divine statutes, ordinances, and judgments. The LORD God says there will be
either blessings for obedience or curses for disobedience. And, because we were
created with Free Moral Agency, you have the right to live your life with curses for
disobedience unto the LORD God. The LORD God desires us to live forever in
love, joy, peace, longsuffering (which means, patience), kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).
Are you aware that back in the time of the great Flood ── which was a worldwide
flood-- there are many non-biblical and even pseudepigraphic writings that do point
to a worldwide global flood. Also, oceanic fossils are found on mountain tops
around the world. Cultures in all parts of the world have some form of flood
legend. The LORD God destroyed the people of the earth at that time, except for
the Patriarch Noah and his family. He saved them from the rapidly growing
wickedness, evil, and violence that was filling the whole world. A time when “the
sons of God” ── descendants of Seth, a son of Adam ── were intermingling with
the bloodline of Cain ── “the daughters of men.”
And God our Father has called certain men and women. As an example, He called
Abel out of the world, our Lord Jesus called him, “’ righteous Abel.’” Also, there
was Enoch, who had walked with God (Genesis 5:24), and Noah, who also walked with God and was a just man, perfect in his generations. Then there was Abram, in
whom God made all of the promises that we all have to rely upon to Abraham.
Then, the descendants of Abraham became slaves to Egypt, four hundred and thirty
years, and then God called them out and made the children of Israel His chosen
nation.
And of course, they were but one nation in the world. He gave them His Law ──
summed up in the Ten Commandments. And, they also had His civil laws for the
regulation of their nation and neighbors. Also, they had religious laws that were
temporary until the arrival of our Messiah. But the LORD God did not gift them
the glorious Holy Spirit. They were still cut off from God’s Spirit, but His holy
prophets were blessed with the Spirit of God. His prophets were kind of, founders
of the New Testament Church of God.
As God’s living word tells us, the “saints and members of the household of God,
having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
Himself being the chief cornerstone.” – Ephesians 2:19, 20. The Apostle Paul here
is not speaking of New Testament prophets. In fact, there were really only FOUR
PROPHETS spoken of in the New Testament, beginning with Simeon ── a just
and devout man, who waited for the Consolation of Israel, and having the Holy
Spirit upon him, having come into the temple by the Spirit. And when Joseph and
Mary brought in the Child Jesus, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God, and
spoke a prophecy, declaring that Jesus was the Son of God. Also, there was the
Prophetess Anna, who was of great age and served God with fastings and prayers, night and day, gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked
for redemption in Jerusalem (Luke 2:25-38).
“’ The time is fulfilled’”
So, the LORD God (the Elohim, the family of God) is reproducing themselves ──
which is a large part of God’s Master Plan… From the Beginning. And, the LORD
God must save all of humanity from the grave rebellion that Satan the Devil has
led humanity into ── and onto ultimate Death. And so it required a blood sacrifice
── it required a Savior to pay our penalty so that we won’t eternally die.
Again, except for a very few that were called by Father God, all of mankind was cut off from access to God’s Spirit ── the Holy Spirit ── until the second Adam.
Until ‘the time was fulfilled.’ Our Lord Jesus Himself plainly said, “’ No one
can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; …’” – John 6:44. So,
these worldly evangelists that preach up a storm, “whosoever may come!”
WHERE IS THAT IN GOD’S LIVING WORD? There is, in the last chapter of
God’s living words, in which “the Spirit and the bride [the Church of God; the
saints of God] say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who
thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” – Revelation
22:17. But this is not speaking of this dispensation. This is after the glorious
Millennial Reign of our Lord Jesus, after the “Great White Throne Judgment.” This
is not during this present evil age. Indeed, at this moment, “whosoever may come”
CANNOT come.
Why is the Church of God?
What is the Church’s purpose? Its purpose is that we are spiritually being trained to
be leaders in the government of God. And it is a matter of ‘government’ and nearly
none of this world’s evangelists understand this ── they don’t realize that it is all about
the government of God. We are to be spiritually trained to be leaders in the
kingdom of God, and to grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ
── to co-rule with our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s not to die and “go to heaven, and
have perfect communion with the Holy Trinity, i.e., the ‘beatific vision’” 2
Think upon this, brethren… when our Master, Elder Brother, Savior, our God
returns, He will not rule alone. Regarding the prophesied 144,000, they will be sort of like what we would call “the Cabinet” – advisors to the president. And I
think these one hundred and forty-four thousand have a similar role, but there are many more of them. They are with Jesus Christ; they go wherever He goes! When
you think about the president, when he takes a trip, he’s got all these people that
are on the trip with him. Some people protect him, some people advise him, some
people are his spokespeople. And, I just get the feeling that this hundred and forty-four thousand has the same type of role. That they are indeed pillars in the
Kingdom of God! They go wherever Jesus goes! Now, think about that.
We are to co-rule with our Lord Jesus. In the 3rd chapter of the Book of Revelation,
we see the Apostle John ── under divine inspiration ── that this co-rulership applies to the Church of God. Our Lord Jesus said, “’ To him[speaking of the
members of the Church of God]who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My
throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.’” And, in
the 2nd chapter of the Book of Revelation, He says, “’ And he who overcomes, and
keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations ── ‘He
shall rule them with a rod of iron; …’” We are going to co-rule the nations of the
world. We’re going to sit with our Lord Jesus on His throne.
So, again, we are being trained to CO-RULE with our Lord Jesus when He returns!
GOD THE FATHER AND OUR LORD JESUS ARE GOING TO ESTABLISH
THEIR GOVERNMENT ON EARTH WHEN THEY COME!
Spiritual Gifts
Turn with me if you will to 1st Corinthians chapter 12 ──
“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, …” – speaking to His chosen and
begotten people. “ … I do not want you to be ignorant.”
Verse 4 – “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.” There are a variety of
spiritual gifts, but they come from ONE SPIRIT.
Verse 5 – “There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.” So there are
ways in which the people or the ministries are dissimilar, yet are all led by the
same Master.
Verse 6 – “And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works
all in all.” So, there is a range of different things, but the same God is working in
all.
So, this false concept that the LORD God is only working in one man at a time is
not correct! The LORD God is working in many people all at the same time.
Verse 8 – “for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the
word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to
another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to
another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of
[languages], to another the interpretation of [languages]. But ONE AND THE
SAME SPIRIT WORKS ALL THESE THINGS, distributing to each one
individual as it wills.”
We, brethren, do not all have the same abilities to do the living work of God. The
LORD God blesses certain individuals with the abilities to perform certain
operations within the Body of Christ. These different abilities are for the glorious
work of the Church of God. The same Spirit is working in each and every one of us.
He has blessed me to do one thing, and He has blessed you to do another, and so
forth and so on.
The Church of God Is ONE BODY
Verse 12 – “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of
that one body, being many, are ONE BODY, so also is Christ.”
So, it’s not many churches ── it’s ONE CHURCH, ONE BODY.
In other words, it’s not the Church of the East, Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern
Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism, or Restorationism. It’s not the Baptists,
Lutheranism, Methodism, Moravianism, Quakerism, Pentecostalism, etc. It’s not
the Latter Day Saints, Jehovah's Witnesses, La Luz del Mundo, and Iglesia ni
Cristo, etc. The Church of God is but ONE, as Christ is One. One body. “For as the
body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being
many, are one body, …” WE ARE ONE.
Verse 13 – “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into ONE BODY …”
How
many churches? ONE.
How many different bodies? ONE.
How many churches are
you baptized by the Holy Spirit into? ONE. ONE BODY.
Verse 18 – “But now God has set the members, EACH ONE OF THEM, in the
body just as He pleased.” So, the LORD God has set you in the Church of God.
We will never go out into our cities and towns, knock on your door, and ask if
“you’ve found God? Would you like to be converted?” God’s begotten children have
never done that! We simply preach and teach the gospel of the good news! We
announce the good news! But no one can come to Jesus unless the Father calls
them first. So says God’s living word!
Verse 20 – “But now indeed there are many members, yet ONE BODY.”
Again, not many churches. Only ONE!
Verse 22 – “No, much rather, those members of the body which to be weaker ARE
NECESSARY.”
We don’t all have the same spiritual strengths. Some may look at me and say, “You
should be doing more!” Well… It’s possible that God placed me in this position to
do less important things ── yet, it is important to the overall Plan of God. It could
be.
Verse 25 – “that there should be no schism in the body, …” – meaning, split or
division. And, you might have noticed that the Church of God is gravely divided
── due to apostasy and the introduction of false doctrines, and certain leaders
lusting for wealth and power. (See: THINK ABOUT THIS... The Nicolaitans). “
…but that the members should have the same care for one another.” Again, sadly,
we are not seeing this as we get closer to the end of this present evil age. (See:
“You're Not Welcome Here!”).
The Church of God is not to be divided. Because there are not two churches, or three
churches, or a whole plethora of churches of God. There is only ONE CHURCH.
Verse 26 – “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one
member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”
In truth, spiritually speaking, if one member of God’s true Church suffers, all
members suffer. “ …’ you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love
one another.’” – John 13:34.
Verse 27 – “Now you are the BODY OF CHRIST, and members individually. And
God has appointed these IN THE CHURCH: first apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties
of [languages].”
Now… this is explained more explicitly in the Book of Ephesians chapter 4, where
the Apostle Paul says that our Lord Jesus Himself “gave some to be apostles, some
prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” I speak of what an
“apostle” is in the article Personal From… Armstrong Religion. And, to say that
there are no “prophets” within the living Church of God in this dispensation would
be a mistake ── because we do know that toward the end of this present evil age, there will come on the scene, end-time prophets.
Some great revelations were given to Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong. Almighty God
and our Lord Jesus Christ did use him mightily at various points in his life to restore and recapture certain major truths of God's Word; however, since 1980,
with the enormous growth of God’s grace and knowledge, we do indeed understand – as we get closer to the end-time, that we will begin to realize just how close we
are. We don’t know when Jesus Christ is going to return. The only advice we have
is ‘watch and pray.’ Keep an eye on world news, keep an eye on world events, keep
an eye on things that are happening.
Mr. Armstrong was not given the revelation that God is not and will not be relying
on the often half-hearted efforts of humans to fulfill the prophecy of Matthew
24:14. But that Almighty God and Jesus Christ will soon rise upon the scene
possibly twelve ‘end-time prophets’ – who will indeed proclaim the gospel
Message of the soon-coming Kingdom throughout the world as a WITNESS TO
ALL NATIONS – a final WARNING – and they will be ‘delivered before
synagogues and prisons, before kings and rulers for Christ’s namesake’ – (cf. Luke
21:12) – and shall be martyred!
But anyhow ── “He Himself gave some” within His Church … 12) for the
equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, …” – and that work as we saw
earlier is the preaching and teaching the gospel of the good news, along with the
LORD God blesses certain individuals with the abilities to perform certain
operations within the Body of Christ ── all for the edification of the body of
Christ. So that we continue to grow in God’s grace and in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ to help co-rule the entire world when He returns.
Verse 13 – “till WE ALL COME to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of
Christ.”
That we be no more divided in faith, doctrines, or the preaching of the gospel ──
“children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the
trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.” WHEN WE ALL
COME, BRETHREN, TO THE UNITY OF FAITH, WE WILL ALL BE
SPEAKING THE SAME THING!
And, sadly, at this moment in time, we are gravely divided.
We Are ‘Children of God’
Turn with me a couple of pages to Ephesians chapter 2 ──
Notice verse 19 ── “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.”
Whether you have the outstanding blessing to have the ability to gather together
with brothers and sisters in a local congregation or you do not ── the
congregations are too far away, we are all in the household of God. We are all members in the family of God, as we also read in the Book of 1st John chapter 3 ──
“Beloved, now we are children of God; …” We are not yet born again, we are only
begotten. But, we are already children of God. “The Spirit itself bears witness with
our spirit that we are children of God.”
Verse 20 – “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”
And I speak of this glorious cornerstone in our article THE LIVING STONE. Our
Lord Jesus Himself is the whole foundation, because the apostles and prophets are
all built upon Him.
Verse 21 – “in whom the WHOLE BUILDING, being fitted together, grows into a
holy temple in the Lord.”
“God’s Word clearly states that a third temple will be built! One of the last
messages our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ gave in His human life, He talks about
the ‘abomination of desolation,’ or the ‘abomination that makes desolate,’ spoken
of in the Book of Daniel several times. And, Jesus said, “’ Therefore when you
see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, STANDING
IN THE HOLY PLACE’ … ” – talking about a temple – in Jerusalem.”
Now, of course, we understand that there is no temple in Jerusalem today. For over
forty-four years of my life, I have heard servants of God ask the question: Will
there ever be a third temple built in Jerusalem? Because this speaks of a time when
a final European ‘beast’ power and a final ‘false prophet’ stand in what has been called the holy place, where the Jews are and will be doing government-granted
animal sacrifices once again. They will come in and set up an abominable idol that
will be a complete desecration of this temple, just like Antiochus IV Epiphanes did
when he sacrificed swine in the temple of God.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is not coming with a physical temple. He is coming with His
holy saints ── for we are, brethren, His spiritual temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1
Peter 2:4-5). We are building His spiritual temple with God’s Spirit within us.
Again, our Lord Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone.
Notice here the 4th chapter of the Book of Ephesians ──
Beginning in verse 15 ── “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all
things in Him who is the head-- Christ ── 16) from whom the whole body,
joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, …” So, again, ONE
CHURCH. ONE BODY. Not many churches. But, rather we are joined by the Holy
Spirit and knitted together by the Holy Spirit, “ … according to the effective
working by which every part does its share, CAUSES GROWTH of the body for
the edifying of itself in love.” So, notice, the true Church of God ── many
members, one body ── are joined together by the Holy Spirit.
His wife has made herself ready.
Alright now, in closing, let’s turn to chapter 19 of the Book of Revelation.
Let’s begin with verse 6 ── “And I [the Apostle John, in vision, on the island that
is called Patmos] heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of
many waters as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord
God Omnipotent [which means, having unlimited power] reigns!”
Our Savior Jesus Christ is coming! That, brethren, is what we are truly celebrating
this holy Feast of Trumpets! And the bride must make herself ready!
Verse 7 – “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the
Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
