On Saturday, September 23, 2006, the Church of God fulfills God’s commandment for His people to celebrate a very special Sabbath–the annual Holy Day of the Feast of Trumpets, which falls this year also on a weekly Sabbath. It is interesting, when studying Jewish literature, how the ancient rabbis understood the meaning of this very important Festival. They associated several designations with this day. Let us review a few:

The Feast of Trumpets is also called the “Birthday of the World” (Rosh Hashana; literally, Head of the Years). It is believed that God created the world in the first week of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which corresponds to September/October according to the Roman calendar. It is also called the “Day of the Awakening Blast” (Yom Teruah, literally, Day of Blowing or Shouting). A trumpet was blown on that day. The trumpet was a ram’s horn or a “shofar,” which was associated with Abraham’s sacrifice of his son Isaac. God intervened and substituted a ram for Isaac in the incident of Abraham and Isaac.

In addition, the Feast of Trumpets is described as the “Day of Judgment” (Yom Hadin). It is understood that on that day, the righteous would receive eternal life.

Another designation is the “Day of Repentance” (Yom teshuvah). The trumpet blast includes the concept of awakening the spiritual dead to a life well pleasing to God. Paul echoes that understanding, when he writes in Ephesians 5:14: “Therefore He says: Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light!”

Further designations of the Feast of Trumpets are the “Day of the Coronation of the Messiah” (Ha Melech); the “Birth Pangs of the Messiah” (Chevlai shel Mashiach); and the “Wedding Ceremony” (Kiddushin/Nesu’in).

All these designations have deep meaning in relationship to the Feast of Trumpets.

But there are still more!

The understanding of the ancient rabbis includes the following additional concepts, as they pertain to the meaning of the Feast of Trumpets:

Israel will be advised of the advent of the Messiah with the sound of a shofar (Zechariah 9:14, 16). The shofar will be blown at the time of the ingathering of the exiles of Israel to their place (Isaiah 27:13). The shofar will be blown at times of war, and to signal the assembly of Israel during those times (Judges 3:27; 2 Samuel 20:1; Joshua 6:13, 16). The watchman will stand upon Jerusalem’s walls and blow the shofar (Ezekiel 33:3-6). The shofar will be blown to pronounce liberty and freedom (Leviticus 25:8-10). And, the blowing of the shofar will usher in the day of the Lord (Joel 2:1).

As we can see, the Feast of Trumpets is a very special annual Holy Day. It is filled with tremendous meaning for God’s people and for all of mankind. It culminates, of course, in the return of the Messiah–the God of the Old Testament–Jesus Christ.

Many of the reasons for Christ’s Second Coming–symbolized by the Feast of Trumpets–will be explained in detail during our morning and afternoon Holy Day services, which will be broadcast live over the Internet. If you cannot personally attend one of our local congregations, please listen to our live Internet broadcasts; or, if the time zone you are living in would prevent you from doing so, listen to our Holy Day sermons, which will be posted promptly on the Web after services. The Feast of Trumpets is a most holy and important annual Festival. Please don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about it.

Recently, my wife and I acquired a new puppy–an eight-week-old
Chihuahua. We already owned a thirteen-year-old miniature Yorkshire
Terrier, but as she was getting quite old, we thought a new arrival
might perk her up. This episode got me thinking about a number of
analogies to the life of a true Christian. Sounds strange, doesn’t it,
but we can learn lessons in everything we do and are involved in.

I
meditated about how reliant dogs are on their new owner; how much they
put their trust in him; how vulnerable they can be, particularly if the
owner doesn’t have their best interests at heart; how they need
training; and also, how they look to their new owners for leadership.

Notice
how these concepts can apply to us, spiritually. On a spiritual plane,
we are to be totally reliant on God. He created us and for those in the
Church, He has called us to His way of life and a wonderful future in
the Kingdom of God if we endure to the end. By putting our trust in
Him, we can have peace of mind, knowing that God has our welfare and
well being at heart.  We can be very vulnerable, but only if our
reliance and trust in Him is less than required. The great God does
have our best interests at heart–that is why He has called us into His
Family. Finally, with the leadership that He shows, we know that we are
in safe hands.

We should take very seriously the care that we can
have for our animals. But how much more care is God showing to all of
us who have the potential to be in His Family. To achieve our potential
will be the greatest prize of all!

In spite of what people think…
in spite of what people say…
in spite of what people do…

the following truths comprise a part of THE Truth which is God’s Word (John 17:17):

The 7th day Sabbath is still in effect;
We are to keep God’s Holy Days, not pagan holidays;
We do not go to heaven when we die;
Satan does exist;
We are not yet born again;
God is a Family — not a Trinity;
The Law is not done away;
Abortion and war are murder.

Though
some or even all of these may appear inconvenient, in actuality the
Truth is not nearly as difficult or burdensome as it may first seem. In
fact, the real inconvenience is in NOT keeping the Word of God. As we
look around the world today and honestly assess it; we see poverty,
sickness, perversion, unfairness, atheism, hatred and murder. The
reason for this is that most have a belief system grounded in either
personal scruples, politics, false religion, and/or science. There is a
direct causal relationship between obeying the Scriptures and contrary
behavior (Galatians 5:17-23).

Our foundation needs to be the
Bible, and we need to commit to living “by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). If we do this, we will no longer
be a slave to sin and its horrible consequences, but rather we will be
truly free (John 8:32).

The Truth is the Truth; no amount of
protesting is going to change that; and ignoring it, surely, will not
make it go away. Go ahead and put God’s Word to the test! You will be
better off for it, and you will find that it is not inconvenient after
all.

As we rapidly approach the time of year God has set apart for His
Fall festivals, how excited are we that we have been blessed with such
awesome knowledge; knowledge which reveals many details of God’s great
plan for all of humanity; knowledge of plans He will see completed
according to His faithful Word; events which will change forever the
course of the world and universe?

No doubt, when we first learned
of God’s intent of fulfilling His awesome plans–events which will
astound this world–it was difficult for us to contain this knowledge
within ourselves! We had an urgent need to tell all we had learned to
family, friends, and yes, even everyday acquaintances.

As time
passed and we all grew in the knowledge of God’s Holy Days, we came to
realize even more the significance of these precious days! Leviticus 26
reveals tremendous blessings for all who will walk in God’s Law, His
Statutes (which include God’s Holy Days), and His Judgments; while
revealing in the same set of Scriptures retributions which will surely
come on Israel and on all the nations of the world who fail to follow
these instructions! 

Deuteronomy 16 gives an outline of
all of God’s annual festivals wherein God instructs us to observe these
days and to rejoice therein! We observe these days for the purpose of
honoring our God, showing respect for Him and His instructions, and to
learn even more of Him and His Way–something impossible for anyone who
observes the holidays of this world ever to achieve.

Yet, with
many who once knew and observed these days, this enthusiasm has waned
over time, with the result that many of these no longer observe God’s
wonderful commands relative to His Holy Days! Many of these today are
no longer faithful in following God’s tithing laws (which include funds
to attend the festivals, funds to assist the less fortunate in
attending the festivals and funds to help in providing facilities
needed to observe the festivals, as God instructs in His Word). We
know, of course, that some do not have the financial resources to
attend God’s festivals.

Such lack of obedience to God’s
instructions demonstrates a total lack of enthusiasm in following God’s
Way, and in participating in His very important and significant Holy
Days.

How seriously do we take God’s commands relative to His festival season?

It was a warm summer morning in 1930, as the nearly destitute man
walked along the rail track. The sun was beginning to get hot as he
strolled slowly along, small beads of perspiration forming on his
forehead. He thought that the heat was nothing compared to the pangs of
hunger he felt from not eating for the last two days. As he walked
along, he thought how nice it would be to have a decent meal–something
he had not enjoyed for a long time. He prayed silently, “Lord, it would
sure be appreciated if you could somehow fill my need at this
time.” Something suddenly caught his eye, glistening in the
sunlight on the ground. Stopping he looked, then bent down to pick up a
brand new fifty cent piece that someone had dropped on the ground. A
lump swelled in his throat with gladness and joy at the thought of the
fine meal this could buy him in the town just a few miles ahead. As he
walked along, clutching his new found treasure, he came across a
trestle which crossed a river almost a quarter of a mile long. About
half way across he lost his footing. As he fell forward and opened his
hand to break his fall, the fifty cent piece bounced off the track and
fell between the rail ties. He watched as it slowly turned,
flickering sunlight as it did, then slipping into the river, lost
forever. The man looked up to heaven and said, “Lord I thank you that I
still have my appetite.”

Although this is just a story, it
reflects a genuine spirit of gratitude–something sadly lacking in this
day and age. Let us look at how Paul described this end time
generation, in 2 Timothy 3:2: “For men will be lovers of themselves,
lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
UNTHANKFUL, unholy…”

Even though this typifies our generation today, were people filled with gratitude in the past?

Let
us consider what happened in Christ’s time. Luke 17:11-13 tells us:
“Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the
midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village,
there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they
lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!'”

All
ten lepers were healed by Christ, but what happened? Verses 15-17
continue: “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned,
and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His
feet, giving Him thanks… So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not
ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who
returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?'”

The
foreigner happened to be a Samaritan (verse 16). The Jews looked down
on Samaritans as being inferior. However, only the Samaritan was
willing to thank God. This proves that not too much has changed in two
thousand years.

What about us?

Are we grateful for our
precious calling–the pearl of great price which has been bestowed upon
us by God through His great mercy–or do we just take it for granted?
Are we grateful for the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, making it
possible to enter that great future kingdom? In less than two months we
will be gathering together, where God has placed His name, to celebrate
the Feast of Tabernacles, picturing the wonderful world tomorrow and
our part in ruling with and under Christ, our beloved High Priest and
King. How grateful are we to be allowed this tremendous opportunity of
experiencing a foretaste of that future world? Let us never forget the
blessings we have and the opportunities we will have in the future, and
let us express daily a genuine attitude of gratitude for all God is
doing and will do in our lives.

When we wake every morning, is it with a heart that longs to seek
after God’s Will, or with an attitude that we merely TRY not to break
His Laws?  The American Heritage Dictionary states:  “Observe
stresses compliance or respectful adherence to that which is
prescribed…” and “Celebrate emphasizes observance in the form of
rejoicing or festivity…”

As growing and persevering Christians we
are required to observe God’s Laws and His Way of Life.  But what
has the day-to-day “grind” of continued observance done to our
hearts?  Does the “first love” attitude still resound in it? 
Or have we become so battle-hardened through years of enduring, that we
no longer see the joy that this way of life brings?

We live in an
age in which our lifestyle is becoming more and more disliked. 
It’s easy to quietly endure, show few outward signs and hope no one
notices our unpopular beliefs.  But in trying to stay a “quiet
Christian,” are we still reflecting the attitude of the Being we
profess to follow? 

Christ said of King David that he was
a “man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22).  One such example of this
attitude occurred when David returned to Jerusalem with the Ark of the
Covenant: “… And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David,
and said, ‘How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering
himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the
base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!’  So David said to
Michal, ‘It was before the LORD…. Therefore I will play music before
the LORD. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be
humble in my own sight…'” (2 Samuel 6:20-22).

David’s response,
when confronted with negative views of what he was doing, wasn’t to
quietly hide himself away.  On the CONTRARY!  He said he
would celebrate even more.

Likewise, we must strive to celebrate
this way of life more so, as the world around us darkens to God’s
truth.  When confronted with embarrassment because we stand out
from the crowd, we must know that God isn’t embarrassed. God isn’t
viewing us with disdain because of our perceived archaic beliefs. 
In fact, He might just be saying to you and me: “YOU are a person after
My own heart!”

WHY would someone cry?

There are many reasons–some cry for
great loss or for fear, and some cry in a crowning moment of joy! Jesus
Christ experienced this emotion, and we find a record of at least two
occurrences in His life when He, also, wept.

In one instance,
Jesus shed tears as Martha, Mary and their friends mourned the death of
their brother, Lazarus. In the record of this account, found in John
11, it is shown that Jesus was very close to these people–they were
His friends: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (verse
5). Even knowing that He would resurrect Lazarus through the power of
God, Jesus was deeply moved and felt empathy for those who were so
distraught over their loss (John 11:35).

Another time, the Bible
also records that Jesus wept: “Now as He drew near, He saw the city and
wept over it” (Luke 19:41). In this case, Jesus clearly understood the
horrific future that lay ahead for Jerusalem and its people. He knew
that His countrymen were about to face God’s punishment for their sins,
and even though He also knew that His fellow Jews would seek His death,
He agonized over what they were about to suffer.

In a similar
way, we who are ambassadors of Jesus Christ know what lies in store for
this world! We also know that our fellow citizens–even those who call
themselves “Christians”–may soon seek to kill some of us (Compare
Matthew 24:9-10). Nonetheless, we must do as Jesus did and that is to
deeply love and care for even those who would stand as our enemies
(Compare Matthew 5:43-48).

We live in the beginning events of the
end of this age–in a time of “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6).
As we watch unspeakable savagery and violence filling the earth, we
might become calloused and hardened to the barrage of news events that
report nothing but greater and greater turmoil all over the world, but
we must not!

Ours is the ONLY message of hope. It is the GOOD
NEWS of God–of the fact that He will intervene by sending Jesus Christ
to SAVE THIS WORLD! As we deliver this truth, some of us will face an
increasing onslaught of terrible trials both personally and in our
communities and nations.

Stay tender hearted! Care deeply!
Recognize, as Jesus did, that there does arise–even a time to cry
(Ecclesiastes 3:4; Romans 12:15).

When God calls us into His truth, He gives us a Work to do. As far as His Church is concerned, it is a collective Work–to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God and to feed the flock. But each of us is also responsible to fulfill, in this life, our individual Work. God has called you, not just for the purpose of receiving your own personal salvation, but also to fulfill the Work that He has given YOU! We read in Mark 13:34 that Christ, before He went to heaven, “gave authority to His servants, and to each his work.”

In order to fulfill your Work, you need to know what your Work is. For instance, do you know what your Work is within the Church? Do you know what your Work is in your personal life–in your relationship with God, and every time that you come in contact with other people?

God will have to show you what YOUR Work is. And once you accept God’s Will for you, God will help you to DO Your Work. God showed the apostles Paul and Barnabas what kind of Work He wanted them to do (Acts 13:2). And step by step, they completed the Work which God gave THEM (Acts 14:26). Timothy, too, did His part–His special Work–in the overall ongoing and never-ending “Work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 16:10).

Christ knew perfectly well the Work that the Father had given Him to do. His whole human life evolved around His desire to fulfill God’s Work for Him (John 4:34; 9:4). Just before His arrest, He said to the Father: “I have finished the work which you have given Me to do” (John 17:4). And with His last dying breath on the cross, He exclaimed: “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Christ, as a human being, finished HIS Work–the task allotted to Him at that time, while in the flesh. But God’s overall WORK was not over, of course. In the same way, even though the individual Work of some is finished, who died over the centuries, God has given all of us, who are still alive, a Work to do! What is your Work? And are you as determined, as Christ and the apostles were, to fulfill the Work that God has given YOU to do? You need to examine your own Work (Galatians 6:4). And if your examination shows that you are fulfilling the Work that God has given YOU, then you will receive a reward for your Work (1 Corinthians 3:14; 15:58).

You may not be called today for the Work of the ordained ministry (Ephesians 4:12), but you ARE called, for sure, for the Work of ministering to or serving others. And God will not forget your Work and your labor of love in that regard (Hebrews 6:10). We know that God will judge each one of us, without partiality, according to our individual Work (1 Peter 1:17).

Are you a DOER of God’s Work that He gave YOU to DO (James 1:25)?

God, who has begun a good Work in you, is determined to complete it (Philippians 1:6). Are you determined to complete the good Work that you have begun for God? What, then, is YOUR Work, exactly–and how are you DOING?

The amount of money owed by consumers in the UK broke through the symbolic £1 trillion barrier for the first time in 2004. The Bank of England said that consumers owe more than £1,000bn on cards, mortgages and loans. According to the National Consumer Council, about six million families are already struggling to keep up with credit commitments at a time when borrowing is rising. Students are now building up huge debts as they work their way through University. Debt is everywhere and continues to grow by the day.

But debt is not confined to the UK. Debt in the world is a massive problem. At a G-8 finance ministers’ meeting in February last year, the world’s richest nations agreed in principle to cancel up to 100 per cent of the debts of the poorest countries in Africa.

And yet, again referring to the UK, retailers have not been doing well and many businesses have been in serious trouble, some going into bankruptcy. Therefore, encouraging spending is usually part of the overall marketing drive throughout the year, but is particularly strong in the run up to Christmas, thus increasing even further personal debt.  It is a dichotomy. Retailers need sales but customers are up to their neck in debt.

As one expert stated: “The British economic recovery–heralded by Gordon Brown–is hanging by a thread. It rests on the fragile foundations of a consumer boom in Britain, and far more importantly, in the United States. Moreover the US economic bubble is keeping the world afloat at the present time. This is a fact recognised by all the economic pundits.” A very simple piece of Biblical advice is generally ignored by mankind–and to their hurt: “The borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Some debt may be necessary to buy a house or a car, but debt has become such an integral part of almost everyone’s life today that it has spiralled out of control.

Personal situations, and the economy in general, are hanging by a thread. The global economy is so inter-dependent that it could fall like a house of cards. Massive spending fuels personal debt; not spending means that businesses will go out of business. The economy is so fragile that it could fail at any time. Let us make sure that our own house is in order.

In a recent article about an Associated Press-Ipsos poll, just over
half of those who took the survey said lying was never justified, YET
in the same exact poll nearly two-thirds said it was OK to lie in
particular situations.  One “noted ethicist” even proclaimed that
he was a proponent of lying and we have a moral obligation to lie.

The
most dumbfounding aspect of this was that most would say that lying was
necessary at the most ludicrous of times:  when asked about their
age; whether they were very sick; how someone looked in a dress;
etc. 

Hopefully we can see how ridiculous this is, and
these things would not be an issue for us.  But, what about the
tougher predicaments? What if we were faced with something of a more
dire nature?  Is it OK for us to lie to save someone’s life or in
order to spare our own?

This is where some are more likely to go
off the rail.  The short answer is no.  We do not have the
prerogative to decide when we can lie.  The Bible does not say
that it is OK to lie if a situation warrants it in our mind.  To
believe that the Great God did not conceive of the dilemmas that we
would face when He asked us not to lie is to discount God and to lack
faith in Him.

It is a necessity to worship God in truth (John
4:24), and if we lie, it should go without saying that this is not of
the truth (1 John 2:21). If we consider ourselves to be followers of
what God instructs us in His Word, the Bible, we cannot lie to anyone,
at any time, about anything (Colossians 3:9).

If we are of God,
then we will keep His Word, the Truth.  If we believe that we have
to lie, then we follow the originator of lying, the devil (John 8:44,
47). If we love and believe God and His Word, then we can rest assured
that all will work out for good (Romans 8:28).