There is no other feast with more FUTURE prophetic overtones than the Feast of Trumpets! It’s interesting to note that Rosh Hashanah actually does not commemorate any historical events of Israel’s past, yet portrays all events YET in the future for both National Israel AND the church. The next great event on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church when the Trump of God shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise FIRST, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord and be with Him forever and forever.

By Chris McDonald

TEXT: Zech. 9:9-14 - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. [10] And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from river even to the ends of the earth. [11] As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water. [12] Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope: even to day do I declare that I will render double unto thee; [13] When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up thy sons, O Zion, against thy sons, O Greece, and made thee as the sword of a mighty man. [14] And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

There is no other feast with more FUTURE prophetic overtones than the Feast of Trumpets! It’s interesting to note that Rosh Hashanah actually does not commemorate any historical events of Israel’s past, yet portrays all events YET in the future for both National Israel AND the church. The next great event on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church when the Trump of God shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise FIRST, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord and be with Him forever and forever.

1 Thes. 4:14-18 - For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

As stated, Israel's four springtime holidays (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost) were fulfilled in connection with Messiah's first coming. As we write this study in the late summer of 2006 Israel in engaged in one of her most deadliest conflicts since the Six Day War of 1967 with the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas. On June 26, 2006, Hamas kidnapped and killed Israeli soldiers which sent Israel into the Gaza Strip seeking to root out terrorists and bring back the kidnapped soldier. On July 12, 2006 Hezbollah raided a Northern Israeli post and did basically the same thing, this time however, kidnapping two soldiers and killing 8 in the process. Rev. 21:8

We are seeing a dress rehearsal for a time on earth known as the Great Tribulation period when Israel will be plunged into an even greater time of darkness than she is engaged in now as not just terrorist groups, but entire nations will come against her

There is no other feast with more FUTURE prophetic overtones than the Feast of Trumpets! It’s interesting to note that Rosh Hashanah actually does not commemorate any historical events of Israel’s past, yet portrays all events YET in the future for both National Israel AND the Church. The next great event on God’s prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church when the Trump of God shall sound, the dead in Christ shall rise FIRST, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord and be with Him forever and forever.

Israel's three autumn festivals, which begin with the Feast of Trumpets, followed by the Day of Atonement (YOM KIPPUR) and the Feast of Tabernacles, SUKKOTH, are prophetic foreshadowing of the Lord’s SECOND COMING, beginning with the Rapture of the Church that will herald the beginning of Jacob’s Trouble, or the Great Tribulation period on Earth.

The Great Tribulation period is in type foreshadowed by the Day of Atonement when, according to Leviticus 17 and God’s instructions to Moses in the Jewish Torah, justice was rendered in one day for sins committed by the nation through the offering of a paschal lamb and the offering of the scapegoat. In a sense, the nation was “redeemed,” in shadow for one year, yet her sins were not removed, just “covered.”

Israel’s darkest hour is coming when she will be brought through one of her most perilous moment’s enroute to being redeemed back to God in one single day at the Great Battle of Armageddon. The Feast of Tabernacles foreshadow the Millennium Reign and Rest of Christ that will take place after that great battle when Christ will destroy the Antichrist and False Prophet by the brightness of His coming.

The Feast of Trumpets takes place next on Israel’s prophetic calendar after a three to four month period of “waiting,” during the summer months in Israel after the Feast of Pentecost, which takes place in early June or late May.

We as the Church are currently living in this same “waiting” period as the outpouring of the Holy Ghost has come and is orchestrating events leading up to the advent of the day when the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a SHOUT and with the VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, and the TRUMP OF GOD SHALL SOUND!

One of Israel’s greatest feasts we fell like is about to be fulfilled in prophetic fashion! We’re living in the greatest generation known to man, yet also the most perilous times in all history. Paul said that “perilous,” or “dangerous” times would emerge as we near the last of the last days. Neighbor, we are living in such times as we write these words.

Israel's Dark Days

According to Rabbinic Tradition, the Feast of Trumpets is Israel's darkest day on her normal Calendar, occurring at the New Moon, when the primary night-light of the heavens is darkened. Israel's prophets repeatedly warned of a coming day of judgment for the nation and for the world called "the Day of the Lord,” which will be marked by great darkness both physically and spiritually at the end of this age.

This time on earth, also known as the Great Tribulation period, will be a time when the Lord will pour out His fiery judgments, not only upon Israel's enemies, but upon Israel herself in measure, to bring her to repentance and into the New Covenant as a nation.

Isaiah 66:7-9 - Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. [8] Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. [9] Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? Saith the Lord: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? Saith thy God   

The ancient rabbis held a similar view of the prophetic redeeming nature of Tishri 1 as it relates to national Israel:

"In the month of Nisan (at Passover) our ancestors were redeemed, and in Tishri (Rosh Hashanah), they will be redeemed in the time to come." (Rosh Hashanah 11a).

The ‘time to come’ will not take place before Israel experiences the darkness of the rule of Antichrist, severe natural plagues and disasters, and the greatest time of bloodshed EVER in her history. As we write this in the late summer of 2006, Israel is currently engaged in fighting the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip respectively.

This is just a dress rehearsal of things to come when she will be faced with greater conflict not just from terrorist groups but entire nations, whom the Lord promises to bring “against Jerusalem.” These events will serve two purposes – drive Israel back to God and two, judge the wickedness of a sinful earth in rebellion days without end against God.

The prophet Amos speaks of the day of the Lord as being “darkness, and not light.” He underscores this coming terrible time upon earth as he repeats this statement in the last sentence of verse 20:

Amos 5:18-20 - Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. [19] As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. [20] Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

In relation to Amos’ warnings, Zephaniah penned similar ominous warnings concerning the last of the last days and the revelation of the day of the Lord:

Zeph. 1:14-16 - The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hastens greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. [15] That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, [16] A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.

Zephaniah calls the day of the Lord “a day of the trumpet and alarm,” against the fenced cities and the high towers meaning that Israel will have no protection from the invading Antichrist who will seek her total destruction during this horrible time on Earth.

There are several other scriptural references to the day of the Lord:

·         Isaiah 2:12 -For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

·         Isaiah 13:6 - Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as destruction from the Almighty.

·         Isaiah 13:9 - Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.

·         Jeremiah 46:10 - For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.

·         Ezekiel 13:5 - Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.

·         Ezekiel 30:3 - For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen.

·         Joel 1:15 - Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

·         Joel 2:1 - Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

·         Joel 2:11 - And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executes his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?

·         Joel 2:31 - The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.

·         Joel 3:14 - Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

·         Amos 5:18 - Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! To what end is it for you? The day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.

·         Amos 5:20 - Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?

·         Obadiah 1:15 - For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen: as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head.

·         Zeph. 1:7 = Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.

·         Zeph. 1:14

·         The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.

·         Zech. 14:1 - Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.

·         Malachi 4:5 - Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:

·         Acts 2:20 - The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

·         1 Thes. 5:2 - For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

·         2 Peter 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Even as the darkening of the moon in the night heavens annually announce the Feast of Trumpets, so, too, the heavens will be soon be divinely darkened in a future day as the church is caught up to be with the Lord Jesus, Israel as a whole will be plunged into great Tribulation against horrendous odds of survival as the man of sin seeks to remove the Jewish race as well as the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob from the vestiges of humanity.

Joel cries:

Joel 2:31 - The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 

Joel 3:15 - The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. 

 

Isaiah wails:

Isaiah 13:9-10 - Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. [10] For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 

Isaiah 34:4-8 - And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine and as a falling fig from the fig tree. [5] For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment. [6] The sword of the Lord is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea. [7] And the unicorns shall come down with them and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. [8] For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion. 

Within Peter’s great sermon on the Day of Pentecost were warnings of horrible events “before,” that great and notable day of the Lord come, speaking of Israel’s travail during the Great Tribulation period.

Acts 2:20 - The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

The apostle John also described the cosmic disturbance and darkness that will announce the Day of the Lord.

Rev. 6:12-17  - And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; [13] And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. [14] And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. [15] And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; [16] And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: [17] For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 

The day is coming in which the Lord will literally switch off the natural lights of heaven. He will then pour out His wrath with relentless fury upon this wicked world as the Messiah returns to set up His Kingdom. It will be Israel's darkest day, her "DAYS OF AWE." (The Tribulation) This wrath of the Lord will prepare her for repentance, even her national DAY OF ATONEMENT or Yom Kippur!

The mention of the day of the Lord in Zeph. 1:17-18 indicates that this section of the prophecy is to be fulfilled in the future, at the second coming of Christ.

Zeph. 1:17-18 - And I will bring distress upon men that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. [18] Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.

In summary, the Bible states FOURTEEN things about this awful and dreadful day the Feast of Trumpets speak of:

1.   It is the day of the Lord's sacrifice. This definitely refers to the destruction of the multitudes at the battle of Armageddon (Zeph. 1:7-8; Isaiah 34:6; Jeremiah 46:10; Ezekiel 39:17-21; Rev. 19:11-21).

2.   His bidden guests in that day are to be the beasts and fowls who will eat the dead bodies—those slain at Armageddon (Ezekiel 39:17-21; Matthew 24:27-28; Luke 17:34-37; Rev. 19:17-21).

3.   Princes, king's children, robbers, merchants and all other classes will be destroyed in that day (Zeph. 1:8-18).

4.   It will be a day of desolation and destruction of houses and vineyards, and especially of men who should have enjoyed their homes and crops (Zeph. 1:13).

5.   It will be a great day of the Lord (Zeph. 1:14).

6.   It will be a day of wrath (Zeph. 1:15).

7.   It will be a day of trouble and distress.

8.   It will be a day of waste and desolation.

9.   It will be a day of darkness and gloominess.

10. It will be a day of clouds and thick darkness.

11. It will be a day of trumpet and alarm (Zeph. 1:16).

12. It will be a day of distress upon men so that they will walk like blind men (Zeph. 1:17).

13. It will be a day of bloodshed.

14. It will be a day of the Lord's wrath which men will not escape (Zeph. 1:18).

The Last Trump

The Bible often speaks of men and angels blowing trumpets, yet only twice is it recorded that GOD blows a trumpet. In both instances it is the shofar.

The FIRST occasion was at Mt. Sinai when the Lord revealed Himself from Heaven and prepared to bring the nation under the OLD COVENANT. The Shekinah glory of the Lord descended with a fiery tempest and with the sound of the shofar:

Exodus 19:18-2 - And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. [19] And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice. [20] And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.

The SECOND occasion on which the Lord will blow the SHOFAR (Ram's horn) will be at the Messiah's physical return. At the rapture, it does not state the Lord Himself will blow the trumpet, only that “the trump of God shall SOUND.” At the rapture, the Lord Himself will descend with a SHOUT and the VOICE OF THE Archangel. At the Second Coming, the Lord will once again descend from Heaven with the whirlwind, the clouds of His glory, fire and the SOUND OF THE TRUMPET. The prophet Zechariah declares:

Zech. 9:14 - And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south. 

The ancient rabbis repeatedly quoted this verse in connection with the coming of the Messiah:

"And it is the ram's horn that the Holy One, blessed be he, is destined to blow when the son of David, our righteous one, will reveal himself, as it is said: 'And the Lord our God will blow the horn.'" (Tanna debe Eliyahu Zutta XXII)

When the Day of the Lord is revealed, which we believe will take place at the Battle of Armageddon, the Messiah will reveal Himself in great wrath, the Lord God shall BLOW the trumpet, and He will prepare Israel as a nation to be brought into the NEW COVENANT:

Jeremiah 31:30-31 - But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eats the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. 
[31] Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 

Ezekiel 20:35-38  - And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. [36] Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. [37] And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant: [38] And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me: I will bring them forth out of the country where they sojourn, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. 

Zech. 13:9  - And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. 

Ancient Jewish tradition says that the resurrection of the dead for all mankind will occur on Rosh Hashanah, thus, Jewish gravestones are often engraved with a SHOFAR. Both of these great events - God's last trump and the resurrection of the righteous - are intricately connected to the RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH in the New Testament.

1 Cor. 15:51-52 - Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, [52] In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 

1 Thes. 4:13-18 - But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The day is coming in which the Lord who sits on Heaven's throne will again descend in the fiery clouds of His Shekinah glory. Jesus referred to this as His "coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30).

Matthew 24:30- And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Like Israel's ancient trumpets, the trump of God at the rapture AND the trump heard at the physical Second Coming of Christ will accomplish several purposes:

Ø       It will gather an assembly to the Lord what is known as "the Rapture of the Church." The righteous will be delivered "from the wrath to come" since God has not appointed the church to wrath:

1 Thes. 1:10 - And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

1 Thes. 5:9 - For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 

 The righteous dead will be resurrected, and the living will be gathered "unto the Lord."

Ø       The last trump will sound God's battle alarm against Satan and this wicked world as He begins "the great day of His wrath." This will draw the day of man's rebellion to a close. Finally, the LAST TRUMP will ANNOUNCE the coming and SOON CORONATION of the MESSIAH for He alone will be "exalted in that day!"

Isaiah 2:17 - And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. 

The Feast of Trumpets: A Call to Repentance Before Wrath

National repentance by Israel and her acceptance of God’s Messiah- Jesus Christ, Yeshua - is a prerequisite to the Lord’s physical return to Earth. Israel's King will not return until she is ready to receive Him and pressing her into national repentance is one of the chief purposes of the Great Tribulation period, known as the Day of the Lord. Daniel called it his “seventieth week “to make an end of sins,” to make “reconciliation for iniquity,” to “finish the transgression,” (speaking of the end of Antichrist), to bring in “everlasting righteousness,” and to anoint Israel’s ‘most Holy;’

Daniel 9:24-27 - Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. [25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. [26] And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. [27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The rabbis of old correctly understood the prophets when they declared:

"Were Israel to practice repentance for even one day, they would be redeemed, and the Branch of David (the Messiah) would come" (Song of Songs Rabbah 5:2)

Tragically, unrepentant Israel, along with the Gentiles will suffer the fury of God's wrath before she is willing to say, "Blessed is he (Jesus the Messiah) who comes in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 23:39 - For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord

Psalm 118:26 - Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. 

But the concept of repentance is far more basic to God's Word than just its connection to prophecy. Repentance is required of ALL MEN. Repentance is the LIFE AND DEATH principle in Scripture - "the soul that sins shall die...but if a wicked man turns from his sins...he shall surely live." (Ezekiel 18:20-21)

Known as “teshuvah” in Hebrew, repentance literally means to "return," that is to return to God. It involves a reversal in spiritual direction and is accomplished by TWO ACTIONS: 

Ø       It requires a turning AWAY from sin by forsaking it:

Ezekiel 18:30-31 - Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.  - [31] Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 

Ø       Repentance requires an individual to not just turn “from” sin, but turn TO God by putting complete faith in Christ and His redemptive work on the Cross

Psalm 2:12  - Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

It is to this same KING that "every knee shall bow and "every tongue shall take an oath." There is no other way to God.

Isaiah 45:23  - I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 

The day is coming when MESSIAH JESUS, the KING will come. Jesus will return to Jerusalem after the Tribulation period that we believe will last seven years. He will reign over all the earth. He will reign forever, even as the prophets foretold. But not all will enter His glorious Kingdom. When the Redeemer comes to Zion, he will come to "those who turn from transgression” and to those who "put their trust in Him."

Isaiah 59:20 - And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. 

Today is the day of repentance. We do not know how long it will be before the last trump sounds and the Rapture occurs ushering in the day of the Lord's wrath upon this earth known as the Tribulation. We must seek HIM NOW while the gates of repentance remain open, as the prophet implored.

Isaiah 55:6  - Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 

The Feast of Trumpets is the next great even on Israel's holiday schedule. It is a type of the Rapture, the next great event on God's prophetic schedule for the WORLD. Are you ready for the rapture? If not, repent today and BE READY! Jesus is coming!!

The rapture of the church is the next great event on the Lord's prophetic timetable! It's imperative we make our calling and election sure!