The Feast of Trumpets

Wayne Matthews

September 14, 2015

Welcome, everybody, to this Feast of Trumpets.

The title of this sermon is called, The Feast of Trumpets.

We'll start by looking at the command to keep this very High Day, this Holy Day, which is found in Leviticus 23. We'll start with Leviticus 23:1—We're going to start in verse 1 just to get the overview before we go to verse 23. Verse 1—And the Eternal spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: The feasts (the appointed times) of the Eternal, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My appointed times. Here we can see that God is now letting Moses know which days are to be kept as days to Him. These appointments with God, or appointments of God. We, as spiritual Israel, have the same appointments.

Now let's look at Leviticus 23:23—Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, of the first day of the month, you shall have a Sabbath (rest), a memorial of the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Eternal. From this we can see, brethren, that this Feast is a memorial, a memorial of blowing of Trumpets. What is a memorial? Well, it's a reminder or a remembrance. We are to remember this particular day and what this day really stands for. This day is about a reminder of the blowing of trumpets, the time the trumpets were blown. We're to remember these things.

This day is about a remembrance of the blowing of trumpets. What are the blowing of trumpets? What is the blowing of trumpets all about? What is it we are to really remember? Now, there are some key points to consider before we go further in this sermon. The blowing of trumpets were about announcements to the tribes of Israel. Now, these were to do with rejoicing or moving camp, and many other things, but there's also another element to this which we'll look at today.

We are here today to remember with joy and rejoicing the deliverance God provided for us. Because in scripture God says that He delivered Israel, and we should rejoice about that. We're spiritual Israel today, therefore, we should be rejoicing on this day about our deliverance and how God did it. We are to remember how we are delivered. We are here today to be reminded of the blowing of trumpets and what they announce, the various spiritual components that God has announced on the Feast of Trumpets.

The blowing of trumpets reminds us that God is the one to deliver us physically and spiritually. The greater component of that is spiritually. The Hebrew word that is used there, that is translated, comes from a particular word which said in English is "terooaw," which is "trua." How you pronounce that, exactly, I'm not sure. This word is interpreted as "shout, shouting, alarm, sound, blowing, joy." So it's about alarms, which is about warning signs because by that warning sign people can be delivered from it. It can be a signal, "It's time to move." It can be the sound of a tempest or shouting, shouting at battle, shouting at the blast of war or an alarm. And it can also be for joy, about rejoicing, a shout of joy. It can be, really, about remembering to be rejoicing. So this is about a Day of Trumpets. And the trumpets have many sounds and have many meanings. Those sounds have many meanings.

Well, brethren, we'll now look at the command again, just quickly, in verse 24—Speak to the children of Israel: In the seventh month, which is this month we're in, on the first day of the month, which is today, the Feast of Trumpets, you shall have a Sabbath (you'll have a rest), a memorial (remembering) of the blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation. So this is a commanded assembly. We are to stop and gather together before God. Not just in a meeting place where brethren come together. If we're at home by ourselves, we are still having this holy convocation. We're still having this meeting, this appointed time with God, because this is about having an appointment with God. We have been called to have an appointment with God on this day for the purpose of remembering, remembering certain things of our calling and what God has done, what God is doing in our life.

You shall do no customary work on it. We're not to work on this day. We wouldn't do anything physical in the way of work, and we wouldn't do anything mentally on this day where we would be working, like planning for tomorrow, if it's a work day, or planning things on a physical level, all the physical things we're going to do. This is day to stop, to remember the impacts or the announcements of the blowing of trumpets. ...and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Eternal. Now, this is about giving an offering of ourselves. We're sacrificing ourselves on this day, but also, as the Church as outlined, there are three seasons in a year (which Deuteronomy talks about) and we are to give an offering on those three seasons of the year. Well, this is the beginning of the third season and we should give an offering as the Church has administratively decided, and that is to give one on each High Day. And this is a High Day so we would give an offering, an offering to the Eternal, an offering "by fire to the Eternal," because it comes from us, it's from our inner thinking, and it's us sacrificing ourselves. It's us sacrificing to give to God.

Let's look at Psalm 81:1—Sing aloud to the Eternal our strength. The key here is to rejoice to God, rejoice to Yahweh Elohim because He is our strength. This points us back to our calling. Because of a calling, God has given us the opportunity that He can be our strength. He's our strength if He lives and dwells in us, if His thinking is in us. So we should "sing aloud," we should rejoice at our calling. We're to rejoice to God. We are to be thankful to God, express our appreciation to God because of our calling. The key to this is a calling, really, is a part of being delivered, which is what happened to physical Israel. They were delivered out of Egypt. Well, we've been delivered spiritually out of Egypt, out of the bondage and the captivity of our mind. We, then, can rejoice before God because of this calling. Sing aloud to the Eternal our strength; Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Now, that one there, that word "shout" is "ruwa." So we're to make a joyful noise. We can do that within our thinking, which is about rejoicing, which is about celebrating, which is about remembering our calling. "Make a joyful noise to Yahweh Elohim."

Verse 2—Raise a song and strike the timbrel, more than one instrument, not just the trumpet, there's the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute.

Verse 3—Blow the trumpet at the time, which is the appointed time, of the New Moon. Now when is this? Well, it's the Feast of Trumpets. It's the first day of the seventh month, which is the New Moon. At the full moon, on our solemn feast day, at the appointed times. So here we see this command about blowing the trumpet on the Day of Trumpets, which is the new moon, the first day of the seventh month. We are to rejoice. We are to rejoice before God on this day because of God being our strength. How does that happen? Because of a calling. The calling is about being delivered. So we're to rejoice in the fact that God is delivering us. God has announced how He is going to deliver us.

Verse 4—For this is a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob. We understand that this is a commanded assembly as Leviticus 23:23-26 outlines. It's about the first day of the seventh month, then we see what God is going to do for Israel.

This He (Yahweh Elohim, God) established in Joseph for a testimony. So Yahweh Elohim did it (God did it) for Israel. The purpose is it's for a testimony, it's for a witness. And we're going to look at some components of that. When He (God) went throughout the land of Egypt. So we're to remember God intervening into the life of Israel (this is all on a physical level), and delivering them. We are now to look at this on a spiritual level. This day is a day to rejoice before God. So why do we have trumpets? This is about rejoicing because of our deliverance, because of us being delivered.

Verse 5, continuing on...Where I heard a language that I did not understand. We speak a different language now, brethren. If people speak to us, we have a language that they don't understand. When we say we're going to the Feast of Tabernacles and we're keeping the Feast of Trumpets, they just don't understand what we're talking about and they think we're in a foreign land speaking a foreign language. Well, the reality is we are foreigners, we're sojourners in this land because we think differently and we speak a different language. We have the thinking of God, therefore, we speak things that are different, that man can't understand.

Verse 6—I removed, this is God speaking, I removed his shoulder from the burden; His hands were freed from the baskets. This was about them working, Israel working and being delivered. They were delivered from the burden that they were under, under the bondage, and they were freed from having the baskets, having to go to work collecting bricks, making bricks and all the other things they did. Well, it was God that delivered them, that freed them from that. Same for us, brethren. We have been called out of spiritual Egypt. We have been freed. So on this day it's a day to remember that we are being freed – it's a process – and this announcement is about us being freed. On this Day of Trumpets we should rejoice because we are being freed.

Verse 7—You called in trouble, "You called in tribulation," and I delivered you; it's God that's delivering us. I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah, which is the waters of "strife." God does this now on a spiritual level. He did this physically, well, He's doing this with us on a spiritual level. God is delivering us. He delivers us out of the bondage of this world and He places us into the Church because the Church is a place of protection on a spiritual level. We're being protected by God because He has shown us mercy and He's called us out and He's placed us in the Body of Christ, the true Church of God so that we can be protected on a spiritual level if we remain close to Him, if we stay with the truth.

Feast of Trumpets is about announcements. Feast of Trumpets is about remembering, having a remembering of what God has done for us in our life. "I answered you in the secret place with thunder." Yes, there has been a great shaking that has taken place because it's within our mind. The secret place is within our thinking and God has shaken our thinking and He has answered us and He's given us eyes to see on a spiritual level. "I proved you at the waters of Meribah," which is this testing that is taking place within our life. We, brethren, have been tested. Now, we're tested often with different things in life, about attitudes (see how we will respond), what attitudes we will choose in life, but we're also tested when it comes to doctrine. We are tested with doctrine, because when new doctrine comes into the Church, new understanding, new truth, our minds are tested. God tests us on a regular basis.

Now, we'll stop here and we'll just divert a little bit to the 50th Truth. Because the 50th Truth was given on the Feast of Trumpets of 2008. This was a testing. This was actually a testing. Most passed the test, some didn't. Some did not endure to the end having a relationship with God.

"The Feast of Trumpets had long been understood to be plural (a blowing of trumpets) and not the blowing of a singular trumpet, all of which announce and work to lead closer to the fulfillment of Christ’s return as King of kings. God reserved the Feast of Trumpets of 2008," a day we're celebrating now in 2015, some seven years later, "to be the day that is the time for the official announcement," this was the 30th of September, and this official announcement was really about the timing of the return of Jesus Christ. The announcement really is about, that Jesus Christ was not going to return on the Feast of Trumpets but He was going to return on the Feast of Pentecost. Now, this announcement was an incredible thing, if we can stand back and look at this announcement. It's an amazing thing! Because God could have revealed this truth at any time, but there was a reason why God made this announcement on the Feast of Trumpets in 2008. Well, it was all for a reason. It was part of the continuing process to make a distinction in the Church, the actual physical organization where the spiritual Body of the Church is being nurtured and led by God, where God is actually working, and the distinction is: This is where God is versus all the other organizations who were scattered from the Church where God is no longer working.

Now, that is a huge key, because this is the distinction. This is a move in thinking. This is that shaking that is taking place, because there is a shaking of the mind that takes place when new truth enters the Church, because we are set in our ways as humans and we believe what we believe. Well, over time God has worked with His people all for the purpose of developing their mind, changing their thinking. So today we still don't know all of the truth by any means. Well, the 50th Truth was announced on the Feast of Trumpets of 2008 for a purpose, and one of them is this distinction, that God's people would now move where God was leading them, where God was delivering them (delivering their thinking) to believe Him. They were going to now believe Him that Jesus Christ was going to return on a Feast of Pentecost and not on a Feast of Trumpets.

One other component of this particular Feast of Trumpets is with regards to the understanding about the sealing or the final sealing of the 144,000. Because from this day, the Feast of Trumpets 2008, God was working in the final stage of sealing the 144,000. That is the day it began. And it had its completion 1335 days later on Pentecost of 2012, which was May 27, 2012.

We can see from this that the Day of Trumpets, the Feast of Trumpets, the appointed time that God has set aside for us so that we can learn is about being delivered. From that period of time of the Feast of Trumpets of 2008 to that Day of Pentecost in 2012 there was a deliverance taking place. It's part of God's plan because He was delivering those that were going to be part of the 144,000, because during that period from that day (where some were sealed on that day) to the very end, there were those that were being sealed, which means they were being delivered. God was delivering Israel, spiritual Israel for the purpose of making up the count of 144,000. So over the 6,000 years of man God has now sealed 144,000.

God chose on this Day of Trumpets of 2008 to make some announcements. One of the biggest announcements was the declaration that Jesus Christ will return on a Pentecost. Another one was about an announcement of a sealing of the 144,000.

Back to Verse 8—Hear, which is "receive what I'm saying," O My people, so we are God's people, we are God's people now. Hear O My people, and I will admonish you! "I will restore you." "I will charge you." "I'm giving you this instruction. I'm giving you this encouragement." O Israel, if you will listen to Me! Which is to listen to God on Sabbath's, to listen to God on His Feast Days. There shall be no foreign god among you. So God is saying, "Well, listen to what I've got to say. There shall be no foreign gods (no strange gods) among you," which is "with you" or "in you." There shall be no foreign gods in you, because it's all to do with the way we think. Nor shall you worship any foreign god, which is have this false relationship or relationship with falsehood. So if we have any of these relationships they need to stop. If we have got something that is strange going on within our thinking, we need to stop and turn away from it and flee it now. So this is the encouragement from God, "O My people." God is encouraging us, "O Israel," spiritual Israel, Church today. Will we listen to God? What God has? "Flee idolatry," flee those things that are polluting our thinking. "Nor shall you worship any foreign god." We're not to have anything before God. We're not to place anything in our relationships between us and God. God is first no matter what.

Verse 10—I am the LORD your God, "I am Yahweh Elohim," who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Now, we know that's physical, but for us, brethren, we have been called or awakened out of spiritual bondage, which is out of sin. "Who," God has, "brought us out of the land of Egypt," who's brought us out of sin. Now, we come out of sin by obedience and repentance that God has delivered physical Israel for the purpose of them coming to a point of worshipping Him. Well, we're the same, brethren. We have been brought out of spiritual Egypt for the purpose of worshipping Him in spirit and truth.

Continuing on, verse 10—Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Now, God feeds us on a Sabbath, and God feeds us on this day, on His High Days, and this is one of them. The Feast of Trumpets of this year is a High Day where God will fill our mouth if we are willing to hear, if we're willing to receive the truth, if we're willing to open our minds in a spiritual way to hear what God is telling us, what God is feeding us. Spiritual food from God is given on Sabbaths and High Days, on Holy Days. And God says, "I will fill it." If we're willing to listen, if we're willing to open wide our thinking, God says He will give us spiritual food and we'll be able to consume it. Because God has brought us out. He is bringing us out of sin. So this day is about announcements of the way to come out of sin, which is through a relationship with God based on obedience and repentance.

Verse 11—But My people would not heed My voice, which, Israel did not listen to God. They did not open wide their thinking, and they didn't obey Him, and they weren't repentant. They were repentant when they got the affect of sin, which was a punishment, which was the reward for their rebellion. They then listened for a little while, changed their behavior for a little while, but they soon went back to their natural way of thinking. Well, brethren, we are to stay in obedience and continued repentance because we will heed God's voice, what He is telling us. ...and Israel would have none of Me. Israel rejected God and didn't want to have a relationship with God. Well, we're different. We're here today to hear what God has for us because we want to obey God, we desire to obey God because we've been called to it, because we have God's holy spirit that enables us to obey Him and enables repentance.

Verse 12—So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, which is their own natural thinking, their own desires. In Romans 8 it covers all of that about the natural mind and what it does. Well, God said, "Well, I'll let you to yourself. You do what you think is right in your own eyes." And what did they do?

To walk in their own counsels, which is all based on pride. Oh, that My people would listen to Me. Well, Israel wouldn't listen to God. Well, spiritual Israel needs to listen to God, and we have been through a period where Israel, spiritual Israel, did not listen to God and they walked in their own counsels, which is to do with becoming Laodicean, which is about thinking that we are better than what we are on a spiritual level.

Verse 13—O that My people would listen to Me. Well, God is saying the same to us, brethren. "Oh that My people would listen to Me." We have a choice here whether or not we want to listen to God or not. That Israel would walk in My ways! Because if we listen to God we will then walk in God's ways. We need God's holy spirit to be able to do this, to be able to walk in His ways, so it's the key that we yield our spirit to God, so that we listen to the instructions that God has on a spiritual level, and then we alter the way we think, and therefore, because we think differently, then we walk a different way because of it. We walk a different way because we have changed the way we think, because now we agree with God.

We're keeping the Feast of Trumpets this year because we are now listening to God. We've heard the instructions from Leviticus 23, and then our thinking has changed, knowing that we want to obey God and we repent of our actions, and therefore, we yield to God and now we obey Him. Therefore, Israel, the Church of God, walks in God's ways. If we are keeping the Feast of Trumpets we are walking in God's ways.

Verse 14—I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries. So this points to God's power. God is the one that can control and subdue any enemy that we may have on a physical level, but more importantly, on a spiritual level, that God can put His hand, His power against anything. We've been through a sermon series where we have seen God's power and what God can do. God is the creator of all things. He has this power. And God has said to us that He will lead us and guide and direct us all on a spiritual level.

Verse 15—The haters of the Eternal would pretend submission to Him, which means they're acting something out, it's untrue. They're living a lie and it's not true. They're not yielding because they hate God and they're just pretending, they're acting something out, which is to be a hypocrite. They're not actually doing it in spirit and truth. The haters of the Eternal would pretend submission, which is to be a hypocrite, submission to Him. It looks like it's right but it's not, it's all untrue. They're living a lie and they are deceived, but their fate would endure forever. So there is a time of judgment that is coming, because nobody escapes anything. There is a time of judgment for all.

Verse 16—He (God) would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you. God is saying that if we listen He will provide, but if we go into rebellion God can't be involved in our life. And if we're not obedient and we're not repentant, well, God says He can't feed us the fine things (which are spiritual). He can't give us the "honey from the rock," which is pointing to Jesus Christ. But God can feed us. God can feed us if we yield to Him. And we will be satisfied with the truth if we yield to Him.

Numbers 10:1. These are the instructions that were given with regards to moving of the camps and other things. And we'll look at this on a physical level, but also on a spiritual level. Numbers 10:1—And the Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: Make two silver trumpets for yourself; you shall make them of hammered work; you shall use them for calling the assembly and for directing the movement of the camps. Now, these were about having these sounds, these silver trumpets, and they were to be a clear sound to give clear instructions. There couldn't be any confusion with regards to the sound. They had to be blown a particular way for the purpose of assembly, assembling before God, "Blow the trumpet in Zion." Well, we can see this, brethren, "a calling to assembly." We have been called by God because of an announcement that God made in Leviticus 23. We are being called to assemble before God on the first day of the seventh month, the Feast of Trumpets. So we hear the sound, because they're not just physical trumpets blowing, this is about spiritual matters. We hear God's voice. We hear the sound of God's voice. We have been called to assemble. We have been called to assemble before God. Whether we're in a group or whether we're by ourselves in our home, we are assembling before God for the purpose of worshipping Him on this day, the Feast of Trumpets.

And we gathered, why? To hear the announcements. To hear the announcements of God, what God is giving us, what God is feeding us. God is saying to us, open wide our spirit so that we can receive His holy spirit, so we can receive His commands, we can hear His instructions, so that we can take on more of His nature.

"...for the calling of assembly, and for the directing of the movement of the camps." So this movement was physical, but there is spiritual movement to take place within our life, spiritual movement to be taking place within our life, because we have to move our thinking. We have to change the way we think. We can't think with the natural carnal mind, as Israel did, and they wouldn't listen to God and they went back. Well, spiritual Israel listens to God and we are being directed to move our thinking. Every time a new truth comes to the Church, every time a greater understanding or a deeper explanation of the truth is given, this is a direction being changed. There's a movement within our thinking! Because our thinking is being changed, we're thinking differently. This comes from an apostle powered by God's holy spirit. We have our direction changed, "for the directing of the movement of the camps," for the directing of the change of thinking that is to take place within us.

Verse 3—When they blow both of them, so both of the silver trumpets, all of the assembly shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So this was to do with, for example, a Sabbath gathering, that both would be blown and they would gather together. "All the assembly would gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting." So this is like a Sabbath service where everyone would come to Sabbath, everyone should keep the seventh-day holy as outlined in Leviticus 23.

Verse 4—But, so something different, But if they blow only one, then the leaders, the heads of the divisions of Israel, shall gather to you, which is referring to now it would be the ministry, that instructions could be given to the ministry about various things, like the minister's lectures or the elder's lectures. Well, they're instructions that were given by God for the purpose of developing the leaders or the heads of the divisions of Israel, or the ministry, which is a "type."

Verse 5—When you sound, now, this is the High Day sound, When you sound the advance, so this is the "trua," which is that same one, which is from the word. That word "advance" there comes from that same word that we looked at before, which can be interpreted many different ways, "an alarm," or "a sound," or "a blowing," or "a joy." It can mean many things. But it says here, When you sound the advance the camps that lie on the east side shall then begin their journey. So they were the first ones. They were the first to be moving. And it's a group that were to move on a physical level. Well, we, brethren, we understand that this advance is about advancing on a spiritual level. We are to continue to advance at the sound or the announcing that God does within His Church. We're to continually to move, to follow.

Now, if we look at it, the reason this would happen would be that the cloud, or the pillar of fire, would move. It would actually move, and therefore, they had to pack up and they had to follow. Well, it's the same for us, brethren. There's an announcement that takes place within God's Church, for example, like the one that was done on the Feast of Trumpets of 2008. We're either going to pack up camp and follow or we're not. Now, there's always announcements that come in God's Church, and we're entering a time where further announcements are going to be given to God's people. Are we going to pack up camp and begin to follow, to be on this spiritual journey where God is leading us?

Now, this brings us to many things. It brings us to the point of, one, do we really believe that this is God's true Church? Do we really believe that? Well, if we do we would then be willing to pack up camp and to follow, to be on this journey where God is leading us. Now, we don't really know in great detail where God is going to lead us over this next period of time. We have a rough outline of where and things are being written that give us an overview, but the exact detail of what announcement will be made when and when these things are going to take place, we don't know. We just simply don't know. Well, when God announces through an apostle that these things are going to take place, will we follow? When we hear the sound of the advance, what will we do? What will we do? Will we pack up camp, which means to change our thinking, looking at that physically now to the spiritual component? Will we change our thinking and move where God is leading? Will we follow the pillar? Will we follow the cloud? Will we follow where God is leading us? And that's the key to this day. Will we follow what the announcements give? Will we follow what God announces to His Church?

Well, the question is, will we? And the answer is the decision is ours. The decision is ours all based on what we truly believe. Because after the 50th Truth was placed in God's Church on that Feast of Trumpets of 2008, not everybody followed. Not everybody packed up and began their journey. Some stayed still... some stayed still. And if somebody stays still and remains in the camp, instead of packing up and moving, if they remain there, in the end, they grow further and further away from God. And if you look at that on a physical analogy, the camp packs up and some stay back. As the camp moves, as the cloud and the pillar of fire move and God's people follow the truth, they follow God, in the end the ones that stayed still are regressing. They're actually moving backwards because God is moving forward always. God demands growth. God's spirit demands growth, increased spiritual knowledge, increased spiritual understanding, increased wisdom. That's why we're in the Church. That's what we've been called to. Well, as we grow in those things, as we believe God, as we obey God, as we remain repentant, we grow further and further away from those that are standing still.

Another way to look at this is if we consider what has actually happened since the Apostasy. At the time of the Apostasy God then worked over a period of time to re-establish the true Church of God. Well, we see from that time that there is this separation that has taken place, because God's people have continued to move forward, and the people that are asleep still, those that are still part of the Apostasy in the sense of "remain behind in the camp," well, they, brethren, are now further and further away from us. So when we get to Trumpets of 2008 there is an announcement that is made. This is a major announcement! This is the fulfillment (part fulfillment) of the blowing of trumpets, the Feast of Trumpets being fulfilled in our very eyes. Because from that announcement, from the blowing of that trumpet, from that very announcement that Jesus Christ would return on the Day of Pentecost, therefore, this separation takes place because those that are back in the camp remain there. We are now further and further away. And since then, since that announcement, seven more major announcements have taken place (seven more major announcements have taken place), seven more advancements have taken place, which takes us to 57 Truths. Those seven truths separated us further and further and further away from those that are remaining in the camp, that are not following the cloud, they're not following the pillar, they're remaining still. They're in the camp. They haven't heard the sound of the trumpets. They haven't heard the sound of the "call to move." They just haven't heard it. And they have stayed behind, they haven't obeyed God, and they're not in a state of repentance, therefore, they are now further and further away from the truth, and therefore, they are further and further away from us, brethren, who are moving where God is moving.

Verse 6—When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey, so now this was a group that were required to follow. Because everything is done in an order. God is not disorganized. Could we imagine that if one trumpet sounds and everyone says, "Ah!" Their interpretation is, "Ah, we have to move," and everybody packs up at the same time and everybody tries to move with all the animals and everything else. It would be confusion! God is not the author of confusion, therefore, these commands that God has given Moses was for physical Israel. It's also for spiritual Israel, brethren. When we hear an announcement we are to make the journey. We are to pack up our old thinking about the matter and move to the new way of thinking, where God is leading us. Now, we hear the sound, it's time to move. And things are done in a time-order. God does everything in an order.

Verse 6, again, When you sound the advance the second time, then the camps that lie on the south side shall begin their journey; they shall sound the call for them to begin their journeys, because it's all done in an order. And when the congregation is to be gathered together, you shall blow, and not sound the advance. This is about coming together, an assembly. The sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow the trumpets, the two silver ones, and these shall be to you as an ordinance forever throughout your generations. So this was about the ministry and what the ministry was to announce. Now, we understand how truth enters the Church. Truth enters the Church through an apostle, and therefore, the ministry follows the truth, what God has placed in the Church. So the ministry would provide the announcements. Well, God does that through a particular way in the New Testament, which is outlined in scripture very clearly, that first are apostles, second, prophets, etcetera. We understand that this trumpet is about spiritual food. It's about moving spiritually.

Verse 6 [9]—When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppress you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets. Now, if we just stop there, we won't finish the rest of that scripture but stop there. "If we go to war." Well, we are at war, brethren. So "when," it's not a matter of "if." "When you go to war," when we go to war spiritually – not physically, spiritually. Well, we're at war all the time within our minds. We're fighting against self and we're fighting against the thoughts that Satan often places into our thinking. Well, we have to then change our thinking, we have to turn to God.

And the rest of the scripture gives us the answer. We are at war and we are in the war "in your land," which is the land, which is our minds, "against the enemy who oppresses you." Well, we understand that Satan and the demons are the ones who oppress us. This world's system oppresses us, but it's to do with Satan's world, "the prince and power of the air," "the god of this world." "Then you shall sound the alarm," which means, be ready for war, "with the trumpets." And what will happen? So if we're on guard spiritually, if we see temptation, if we see tests and trials, if we see wrong thinking, of course, when I'm saying "seeing," it's, of course, it's in the mind, it's something spiritual that we "see," we know what's going on. It's a thought process powered by God's holy spirit so we can see spiritually. We see something's wrong in our thinking. Well, what happens? If we hear the sound, if we "see" what is going on in our minds, and you will be remembered before the Eternal your God, and you will be saved from your enemies. If we fight! If we fight against ourselves, we'll be delivered. God's speaking here about physical Israel, that if they hear the sound of the trumpet and once that trumpet has sounded that God would intervene into their life and He would be the one who would save them from their physical enemies. God will intervene into our life if we turn to Him.

The sound of the Trumpet has to be within our own thinking. The alarm must be within our thinking. Because we have a choice – we "see" sin, what do we do? It's our enemy and we know there's an enemy approaching (which is this thought process), the alarm must go off within our thinking. The alarm must go off within our thinking. What does the alarm mean? So we say, "Ah! This is wrong thinking!" What should we do? We should turn to God because God wants to save us. God wants to save us. And Satan and the demons are out to destroy us; God wants to save us. Well, if we raise this alarm in our thinking and turn to God, He will remember us (the battle we're in) and He will save us from our enemies. He will save us from sin. He will save us from sin because we're fighting against self, we're fighting against sin.

Verse 10—Also in the day of your gladness, in your appointed feasts, and at the beginning of your months, so this is the time. We understand that the first day of the seventh month is a Feast day. So it's both. It's an appointed time. It's an appointed Feast. "And the beginning of your months," which is this one here. This is the only Feast where it is the first of the month. So here we see the trumpet being sounded at the appointed Feast, and we see the trumpets being sounded at the beginning of a month. So this is a very particular day; it's a special day. This is the day of announcements. This is the day of blowing of trumpets. ...you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, which is what we give of ourselves, what we give of our thinking, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be a memorial for you before your God: I am the Lord your God. "I am Yahweh Elohim." So this is a day, brethren, that we are to rejoice. This is a day we are to remember our calling...remember our calling. Remember that God is the one that delivers, as it says in verse 9, "You will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies." Well, who are our enemies? Satan and the demons are enemies, and sin, and pride (which is sin), is our greatest enemy. Well, if we're willing to sound the alarm within our own thinking we will, brethren, overcome sin through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ because we're turning to God, we're relying on what God has established in His word as the way to overcome sin.

And on this day, this appointed time at the beginning of the month, the trumpets were to be sounded over our sacrifices, over what we offer. Not just physically, but on a spiritual level. Because a physical offering that we give today, really is something that is spiritual. Our offering that we give today physically, the money that we have allocated, really started in the mind. It's the spirit of the matter. It's why we gave the amount we did based on the spirit of why we did it. "And over the sacrifices." Well, what are we sacrificing? We're sacrificing our selfishness. We want to get rid of our selfishness. And this is a memorial before God because of what we're doing. So God remembers this day. He established it, all for the purpose of us remembering our calling and to remember how things happen within the Church, remember how truth enters the Church, remember the 57 Truths, remember the announcements that God has already placed in the Church.

Now, every truth that enters the Church really is an announcement. Well, we're to remember those and to keep them close to us because they are our strength. The word of God (the truth) is our strength. The truth is what separates us. The truth sanctifies us. It says God's word is truth, and we're sanctified by the truth, we're set aside by the truth.

These announcements, all 57 announcements that have been made to God's people over time – we have 57 announcements – we are to remember these announcements. The Feast of Trumpets is about a memorial, about a remembering. Remember the truth, brethren. Remember we're being delivered by the truth. We're being delivered by the truth, all powered by God, all powered by Yahweh Elohim.

Exodus 19:1. This takes us up to the children of Israel coming out of Egypt and they've come to Mount Sinai. In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came to the Wilderness of Sinai. Now, we understand also, brethren, that this is actually in Arabia.

Verse 2—For they had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the desert of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness. So the children of Israel camped there before the mountain. This is the period where we're leading up to God giving Moses the law. And Moses went up to God, and the Eternal spoke to him from the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel (this is what they were to be told): You have seen what I (God) did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. We'll go over this because this is about spiritual deliverance. We see this all on a physical level, but we'll look at it spiritually.

"You have seen what I," what God has done, "what God did to the Egyptians." Well, God has left the Egyptians where they are. They haven't been called, which is the world today, which is spiritual darkness. They're in darkness. They can't see the truth. But we can "see" what God has done. God has left them to themselves, to the natural carnal mind, and they don't have the choice to come to know the true God. So God has done it. We can "see" what He has done. And when the instruction is, "Come out of her, My people," which is come out of spiritual Egypt. "Come out of sin," is what we're being asked to.

Well, we have seen what God has done. God has left man to himself for 6,000 years. Now what has God done? "And how I (God) bore you on eagles wings," which is about protection. It's not physical, it's about spiritual protection. We've been delivered spiritually. "And brought you to Myself." We have been called to God. We've been called into a relationship with God and we've been delivered by God. He's the one who has brought us out of sin. He's the one who's brought us out of Egypt. We are being protected. We are being delivered. We are being protected by God. It is God that is doing it.

Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, this is what was required of us. If we will once we've been called and once we go through the process of being baptized by a true minister of God, If, therefore, "If you," if each one of us, brethren, "will indeed obey." Because we looked at it before. God's way of life is about obedience and repentance. "If we will indeed obey My (God's) voice." We have to indeed obey God, what God instructs. We have to obey the announcements of God because the Feast of Trumpets is about these announcements.

All 57 Truths are about obeying God's voice, which is about believing God, obeying God, and being in a state of repentance. Because repentance is changing the way we think. So we, brethren, have been called to change the way we think, to learn to obey God, and learn to hear the announcements of God and believe the announcements of God. Because we're going to see here God makes announcements. He's making announcements here to Moses. He's giving instructions to Moses about what he is to announce to Israel. Well, we're the same. We are to hear and obey the announcements.

"Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice," so it's obey, "and keep My covenant," the agreement. Now, we understand what the New Testament agreement is. It's spiritual. The agreement is we accept the new agreement, and the new agreement is based on the death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ died and covered our sins, based on this obedience and repentance. We're now keeping the new agreement because we accept Jesus Christ as our Passover sacrifice for sin. And the new agreement is that we will obey in spirit and truth, and we will be repentant, we will fight against sin. The new agreement is about us fighting against our selfishness, fighting against sin.

So if we will indeed obey God's voice and keep His agreement, based on obedience and repentance, then you shall be a special treasure to Me before all people. Physical Israel was going to be separated so that they were special, because God was dealing with them and God would guide them and protect them if they obeyed and if they kept the agreement. And the agreement was, basically, obedience to what God said.

Well, we're the same, brethren. We are a special people of God now. We're a special treasure to God above all people on this earth... above all people. Not because we're better than others. It's just that God has called us into a relationship with Him and we will obey His voice (because of God's holy spirit) and keep His new agreement. We will always be in a state of repentance. Well, if we do that, if we obey and continue to repent, if we listen to the announcements that God gives to His Church through an apostle, if we follow the truth, if we live the truth, implement God's way into our life, then and only then "you shall be a special treasure," to God, "to Me above all people." And we're only above all people as a treasure to God because we've been called to it. They haven't been called. We're not better. There's nothing we can do to be better, just that we're being called to be better. We're being called to be better because God makes us better. God makes us different...God makes us different. We are a special treasure above all people because it's God living and dwelling in us that makes us above all people and makes us a special treasure. Where God's spirit is, is what makes us a special treasure, someone special to God.

...for all the earth is Mine. Because God controls it all. Everything belongs to God. We did nothing. It's only because God called us to obey Him and we accept the new agreement. Then, because of that, because of this acceptance of this agreement we are now something special to God above all the peoples of the earth, and therefore, God can live and dwell in us out to the benefit of others. Because? God is in control of all things, for all the earth is God's, "all the earth is Mine." It's what God has willed. It's God's will and purpose that will be achieved.

Verse 6—And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, which is talking about the Church, spiritual Israel today. We are a special people, brethren, because of God's holy spirit living and dwelling in us.

Let's look at 1 Peter 2:7—Therefore, to you who believe, those who believe the truth, those who believe the announcements of God, He is precious, Jesus Christ is precious because of what He achieved, what God established in Him to be achieved, but to those who are disobedient, those who are lawless, those who do not believe God, The stone which the builder rejected, talking about Jesus Christ, He has become the chief cornerstone, and, A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. From this we can see, brethren, we have to believe the truth. We have to believe the very announcements of God. The Feast of Trumpets is about these announcements. It's about the truth, the announcing of the truth, and we have to believe the truth. And the truth comes through Jesus Christ to the Church. So if we don't believe the truth we do not believe Jesus Christ. We are now "stumbling at the stone," that God the Father established, which was Jesus Christ. "The stone," Jesus Christ, "which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone." It's all done through Jesus Christ, "a stone of stumbling." So if we stumble at the truth, if we stumble at any of the 57 Truths that God has placed in the Church through Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is now the "stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence," because we no longer believe the truth.

They stumble, they stumble at the truth because they have made a decision to choose to stumble. They stumble because they no longer believe God, they no longer believe the announcements that God is placing in the Church. They stumble—how?—being disobedient, they no longer believe the truth. Because if we don't believe the truth we stumble...we stumble. And if we don't believe the truth we're not going to obey God, we're not going to obey Jesus Christ, we're not going to believe and we're not going to obey the word of God, being disobedient to the word, disobedient to the word of God, to which they also were appointed. They were placed in the Body of Christ, the Church of God, to believe God. Well, they stumble at the word and they leave God's Church. And when they stumble, what do they do? They go back to the world. They go back to the world.

But you, brethren, who stay in the truth, who believe the announcements of God, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him, of God the Father, who called you. So it is about a calling, it's about the calling that God has given us we are to remember our calling, we're to remember the truth, and by this remembering on this Feast of Trumpets we remember we're on a path of salvation, and we are to remember what is taking place in our life, what God is doing. God is delivering us. We are to remember the blasts of those trumpets and what they did, about the moving. The moving of the camp is about this spiritual moving in the mind, about moving to follow the truth to where God is leading.

"But you," brethren, that have been called out of this world, being obedient, being in repentance, "But you are a chosen generation," which is the Church of God today. The Church of God—PKG is this chosen generation, "a royal priesthood." We're set aside for holy use and purpose. "A holy nation," we're separate from the world because we have God's holy spirit. "His" (God's) "own special people," because God makes us this way. Nothing that we did. We're not better; we can't do anything that makes us better. It's His own special people because He's called us. He's called us to obey and to remain in a spirit of repentance, to believe the announcements. And where we are in disagreement with the announcements, we repent of that and come into full unity and agreement with God. "God's own special people, that we (that you) may proclaim the praises of Him." All the glory goes to God. It's God that's delivering. It's God that makes the announcements. It's God that gives us the ability to hear the announcements. We proclaim the praises; the honor is all given to God, who called us, who called you out of darkness, we came out of sin, we came out of this world where we were, and God in His mercy has done it, and we've been called out of sin, into His (God's) marvelous light. What is the light? The truth!

Verse 10—who once, in times past, were not a people, we weren't of God, we were of the world, but now the people of God, we're now in the Church for a reason. We are in the Church of God for the purpose of obedience and repentance, to hear the announcements of God, to remember all of the past announcements of God (all 57 Truths), to remember what God has done for us, remember our calling, remember being delivered from this world, being called and then placed in the Body of Christ through baptism and the laying of hands by a true minister of God, through the receipt of God's holy spirit. That's how we are now separated. Now we are a people of God, but now we're a people of God who had not obtained mercy, because we were in the world, but now have obtained mercy. We've obtained the favor and the mercy of God. This is an incredible scripture, brethren, that tells us why we're set aside. We're set aside for holy use and purpose because God's called us to this point. We've been set aside because of God's great mercy. We've been set aside to hear the announcements of God. We are to remember all of the announcements that have taken place. We are to rejoice, to rejoice within our spirit about what God is doing for us, that God is giving us the truth for the purpose of delivering us out of Egypt, "out of the darkness into His marvelous light," into the truth that He has placed in the truth. And the truth is what sets us free. And the truth is what makes us different, because we believe the word of God.

This Day of Trumpets is an incredible day. This Feast of Trumpets, this appointed time is an incredible time for us to stop and remember what God has done for us, to remember all of the announcements of God.

Back to Exodus 19:6—And you shall be to Me, to Yahweh Elohim, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. We're separate, brethren, because of a calling and because we believe the announcements of God, we believe the truth. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. Now, Israel was going to be given it; the children of Israel were going to be given this. It was going to be given to Moses who was then going to give it to Israel.

So Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all the words which the Eternal commanded him. Then all the people answered together and said, All that the LORD has spoken, "All that the Eternal has spoken," we will do. Now, this is this agreement. Everything God has said is now being agreed to at this point. "All that the Eternal has spoken, we will do." Now, this is what we do at baptism, brethren, we make this same commitment. We commit to a covenant. Because when something is given by God, which is this new covenant, which is the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Passover sacrifice, and the fact that we will be obedient and stay in a state of repentance, that's what we have agreed to. We have agreed to accept the announcements of God that He places in the Church through an apostle. We said that that's what we will do; based on the New Testament scriptures, that's what we should do, be obedient and then continue to repent. "All that the Eternal has spoken, we will do." That's our commitment on a spiritual level.

So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Eternal. He's gone back up to the mountain and now he's giving Him what the people said. "The people have said all that You have said, they're going to do it." And the LORD said to Moses, Behold, I come to you in the thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak to you, and believe you forever. What He's saying there is basically that He was speaking to mankind through Moses, because Moses had been called to this purpose that He would talk to Moses directly but that the people would hear through Moses about what God was saying. "And believe you forever." So it was giving Moses some level of credibility before the people. The fact that God would only deal with Moses and the people knew it, therefore, the people should turn and believe where God is working, believe where God is working and who He's working through, which was Moses at that time.

So Moses told the words of the people to the Eternal. Then the LORD said to Moses, Go to the people and sanctify them, which is now to set them aside, sanctify them today and tomorrow, so it was over two days, and let them wash their clothes. This points to spiritual repentance. They did it on a physical level so that they would be clean. Well, washing the clothes, they became clean.

For us, brethren, we are to wash our clothes by repentance. We are to continually repent, which is this washing that takes place, the washing of our minds so we're in a state of repentance, so God's spirit can live and dwell within us.

And let them be ready for the third day, now this was, of course, pointing to Pentecost, which is the day the law was given on Mount Sinai. For on the third day, which is on the Day of Pentecost, the Eternal will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. They were going to see something. You shall set bounds for the people all around, saying, Take heed to yourselves that you do not go to the mountain or touch its base. Now, this is a clear announcement, it's a clear instruction: This is what you're to do and this is what you're not to do. You're to wash your clothes and you are to come before the mountain, but don't touch it, don't handle it, and don't come to its base, don't touch its base, just stand there and hear the announcements that God is going to do. Make sure you're clean and just listen. The outcome would be, if you don't do this: Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. They'll be put to death because they didn't follow the instructions, they didn't listen to the announcement. And if they did disobey, they touched the base of the mountain, well, they would sin and they would pay the penalty of sin, "the wages of sin is death." They would pay that penalty. So we're not to touch the unclean thing. We are not to be disobedient, is what it's pointing to. We are not to be disobedient. We have to stay in a state of repentance all the time.

Verse 13—Not a hand shall touch it, which is talking about the mountain, now there's a penalty. If they do: But he shall surely be stoned or shot with an arrow; whether man or beast, he shall not live. The death penalty would be placed on them because of disobedience, because they're failing to repent. Now, we can learn from this, brethren. Failing to repent has a problem. Failing to repent means we're going to face the death penalty. Because an unrepentant sinner will face death, the second death. "Whether man or beast, he shall not live."

When the trumpet, when the "yowbel" sounds long, so this is now the trumpet. So we should remember the sound of this trumpet because it's about the law, it's about obedience and it's about repentance. When the trumpet sounds long they shall come near the mountain. So this is the announcement, this is the instruction. It's the same one that is blown at the Jubilee. It's the same trumpet. Now, this "yowbel" that is blown is about how freedom is delivered...how freedom is delivered. It's through obedience and repentance. "Follow the instructions," is another way to look at it. "When the trumpet sounds long," follow the instructions, "they shall come near the mountain," well, that requires: 1. Hearing the sound, which is hearing the announcement. Then, 2. Obeying the instructions, obey what God has said.

Verse 14—Then Moses went down from the mountain to the people and sanctified the people, which was this setting aside, which was this process about getting themselves clean, which is pointing to us being repentant. Because when we go through the process of the beginning of repentance and we're baptized by a true minister of God, which is genuine, sincere repentance, we're sanctified, we're set aside, we're washed clean. ...and they washed their clothes. So we're set aside, we are then immersed in water (we're fully immersed) for the purpose of covering sin. We become clean on a spiritual level – not physically – clean on a spiritual level. Then we understand from that point that we need something else, because our sins are forgiven to that point in time, we're washed clean. We now could approach God, but to approach God we need something else. We need the power of God's holy spirit. We need to begin to think differently. Has to be powered by God's spirit. Normally, under most circumstances, once baptism takes place, within minutes then we have the laying of hands for the receipt of God's holy spirit which empowers a person to remain clean. It empowers a person to remain clean. It's about the impregnation of God's holy spirit. Because prior to that point God's holy spirit was with the person, bringing them to a state of repentance, bringing them to baptism, to the accepting Jesus Christ as our Passover sacrifice. All sins are forgiven at baptism, a person raises out of the water to walk anew, a new man, a new way of thinking. But it needs something. It needs the gift of God's holy spirit.

So here we see the people physically being washed clean. Well, it points to, symbolically, repentance and water baptism where they are clean. Then, for us, brethren, we need God's holy spirit so that we can stay in a state of repentance, so that we can obey. Because without God's holy spirit it's impossible to obey the law of God and it's impossible to stay in spiritual repentance. We need God's holy spirit.

Verse 15—And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day; do not come near wives. Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there was thunderings and lightning's, which is all demonstration of the power of God, which is all about sounds and sights, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud. So here we see this trumpet really blasting, because something is going to be announced. It's God going to announce His way of life, how man should live their life. The sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. It created a fear. There's this piercing sound that continued, and the people were becoming fearful, they were trembling. This is an incredible sound. It's very loud and it would be very unsettling on a physical level.

For us, brethren, we should hear the sound of the trumpet. It should be very loud in our minds. It should be very loud in our "ears" – talking spiritually there, with regards to the sound of the trumpets—the sound of the trumpets which are about these announcements that God has done for His people. He has made great announcements in the Church and one great announcement, one that was enormous, really, and it did create trembling in the camp and fear, which was the fear of God in God's people, was the 50th Truth, this announcement about the return of Jesus Christ on a Day of Pentecost. It was an incredible event and it did shake God's people, it did cause fear within God's people. Some didn't stay with the truth. Others feared and stayed with the truth, they listened to the announcement, they obeyed God, and they repented. They repented of what they believed before; they changed the way they think.

Verse 17—And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. This is about being teachable, to come to follow Moses. To follow the leadership, to follow the lead of an apostle in God's Church is the same thing. We come to "the foot of the mountain," the mountain of God. Now, "the mountain of God," we understand is about Church government. We follow Church government. We yield to Church government. We are teachable. We are humble and teachable because we've been brought to a point to where we can hear God, we can hear the announcements of God, we can listen to God, we can obey God.

So here we are, brethren, standing before God on this Feast of Trumpets of 2015. We stand before God. We are teachable. We are teachable. We are standing, listening to God's government, God's government in the Church.

Now, we're talking about this on a spiritual level, which is God's holy spirit that is in God's people. And it's the power of God's holy spirit in God's people that enables us to "hear" the announcements that are going to take place, which is the 10 Commandments. Well, we "hear" the announcements that God places in the Church through an apostle.

Verse 18—Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire. Now, this would create fear. It would create an aspect of humility and "teachability" because they would then learn to fear God because of the awesome power that is taking place. With the trumpet sounding and now we see this complete dark cloud, there's fire in the cloud. It's an incredible sight. People, on a human level, would be looking at that and realizing that they are nothing. They're pretty pathetic, really, and they have no power compared to the power of God. And they would be quite teachable at this point, and therefore, they would be more in a spirit of, "Everything You have said, we agree. We agree." Only because of fear. Because, "Everything that has been spoken, we will do it... we will do it." Because of what they're seeing and what they're hearing and the affects of all that is taking place.

Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. Now, this would have been a fearful thing. And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice. So this incredible sound was about these announcements that are going to take place, because we connect the trumpet with announcements. We connect the trumpets, the sound of the trumpets with God's voice.

Verse 19, again, And when the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder...  The more truth that God has placed in the Church, 57 Truths in total, it's becoming louder and louder that this is God's Church! This is God's Church! God is working in His Church! And Moses spoke and God answered him by voice. God speaks to us through the truth. God speaks to us by the truth and through the truth. God's the one who's speaking to His people through an apostle, through the truth, to the Church. Incredible things that we have, brethren, incredible things that have taken place in our life. This day is a day to remember our calling, remember the incredible things that God has announced to His people, remember the incredible things that God has done for His people.

We can remember things here on a physical level, what God did through Moses and for the children of Israel. Well, on a spiritual level we can remember more. We "see" the truth. We "see" the spirit of the law because of a calling and because of the power of God's holy spirit. And the trumpets sound louder and louder as we go longer in the Church and we yield to God's holy spirit. If we stand at the foot of the mountain and stay in fear, the fear of God, we stay humble and teachable, we will "hear" the sound of the trumpet more and more and we will "see" God in the Church. We will "see" God in the Church and we'll "see" God in His people, and we will "hear" the voice of God, which is through the truth.

Verse 20—Then the LORD came down upon the mountain, on the top of the mountain. And the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

Verse 21—And the LORD said to Moses, Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Eternal and many of them perish. This points to Church government. God is now saying to Moses, "Well, go and warn the people that they need to obey Me and they need to control themselves, and they need to yield to the announcement." And the announcement was? "Don't touch the mountain, otherwise, you'll die. Stay down there. Don't come up here. Stay there." God's saying to Moses, "Go down and warn the people. Tell them again that they're not to come up to look at God, because if they do they will pay the penalty for rebellion, they'll pay the penalty for their disobedience."

Verse 22—Also, let the priests who come near to the Eternal sanctify themselves lest the Eternal break out against them, which is to go against them and to destroy them, because God would intervene into their life because of their disobedience. And Moses said to the LORD, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned them, saying, Set bounds around the mountain and sanctify it. Then the Eternal said to him, Away! Go down and then come up, "Just listen to Me. Go down there and tell them because I'm warning them again. Because if you don't warn them again, basically, they're going to come up because that's the natural carnal mind. They're inquisitive and they want to find out more, they want to know what's going on." So "Go down there." Go down and come up, after you've gone down and told them, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Eternal, lest He (God) breaks out against them. God is warning them obedience is required; obedience is required when it comes to the announcements of God.

Then we see God giving the law, the 10 Commandments, which were all about a way to obey God, a way to have a relationship with God. And in Exodus 20:8 it says, Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. So this is a remembering. This is about a memorial. It's about reminder, remembering to keep the seventh-day holy. Well, this is one of the announcements, brethren. "Remember the seventh-day, to keep it holy," keep it separate, set it aside for holy use and purpose, separate yourselves from the world, separate yourselves from mankind, have a relationship with "Me" (God the Father, Yahweh Elohim). So keep this day, remember, have it as a memorial. Remember to keep the seventh-day holy. Keep it separate from all other days. We're to remember to set those appointed times aside. The Sabbath is one of those appointments, an appointment with God. So we're to remember.

The Feast of Trumpets is about remembering the blowing of trumpets, to remember this memorial is a reminder to remember about these things, about what God has done for us. It's about all the announcements. And Exodus 20 is part of these announcements. This was one of the major announcements of God to the people of Israel. When we're called we "see" these Commandments in spirit and truth. We "see" these announcements differently.

Exodus 20:18—Now all the people witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet, so this was the Day of Pentecost, but it is about these announcements, and this day is about remembering the sound, remembering the blowing of trumpets. ...the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood afar off. So now they're actually in a state of true fear. They see such an incredible event. They see a marvelous announcement that is taking place. Well, it creates fear. And all announcements within God's Church regarding truth should create a fear of God within us. We should respect God more. We should understand God more because of these announcements, because they're all done for our benefit. They're all done for God's people.

The 57 Truths are for God's people, so that they can learn to fear God, they can learn to obey Him and stay in a state of repentance.

Verse 19—Then they (the people) said to Moses, You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die. So they didn't want to die. They saw the power of God at this time and they just wanted the law to be given to them via Moses so that they didn't have to deal with God, because they were in great fear.

We can look at this on a spiritual level, because God speaks to us through the Church, through an apostle. These announcements, like the 10 Commandments, were given to us by God through Jesus Christ to His Church through an apostle. Now, all of these announcements, like the 10 here that were made, well, these announcements, it is important that we listen. And we looked at Psalm 81. It's about this listening. It's about choosing to obey and choosing to stay in a state of repentance, which is choosing to continue to change the way we think...to continue to change the way we think. We have God speaking to us in the Church from Sabbath to Sabbath, from Holy Day to Holy Day, and God allows truth to enter the Church through an apostle.

Now, we know these things, brethren. We know these. How incredible is this that we know it? Many a people over time have forgotten how they hear the announcements of God. How did they hear them? They were called into a relationship with God and they "hear" the truth; they heard the announcements of God because God in His mercy allowed it. Well, people forget how they heard the truth and they lift themselves up and they go against God. They then approach the mountain. They do not listen to God and they break the barrier, and in fact, they think they're replacing Moses. They think they're replacing Moses! The break the bounds, they go over, they touch the mountain, they don't follow the instructions, they don't listen to the announcements, they want to hear the announcements themselves directly from God and they reject what God places in the Church through an apostle. The reject it. They place themselves above God's servant. It's like the people here placing themselves above Moses, where God was dealing with Moses one on one, giving the inspiration, telling Moses, "These are the announcements you are to place in the Church." Well, now here is, the people say, "Oh no, we're going to go up to the mountain." Well, God says if you do that you will die. "You shall surely die if you touch the mountain or you break the barriers. And you'll be stoned or you'll be shot through with an arrow." "Every man, when they hear the trumpet long, you are to stand still and listen. Stand still and listen, but don't come up and try to do things your way."

Same on a spiritual level today, brethren. We are to stand still and hear the announcements of God. We are not to lift ourselves up to think that we know more than the announcements. We're not to add to or take away. We are to stand in fear, stand in humility, stand and be teachable and hear what God has for His people. And He works a particular way. God has established in the New Testament the way He works. We know it. We understand it. Therefore, brethren, we should always remember, always remember the announcements of God. We should always remember how we heard these announcements. We should always remember where we heard the announcements. We heard the announcements standing at the foot of the mountain. We heard the announcements, we heard the truth standing at the foot of the mountain, at the foot of God's government (knowing that mountains point to God's government or to governments). We heard the announcements of God while standing at the base, which is a sign of yielding or submitting and being teachable to God's government. Standing at the base of the mountain, washed clean. We have had a baptism, we have repented of our sins, we have the receipt of God's holy spirit, we've had time to prepare (just like the children of Israel did when they washed their garments and they weren't to touch something to become unclean; they were to be clean). We're the same. To hear God, to hear God's government, to hear the announcements of God we have to be clean. We have to be washed clean at baptism, then we have to be in a state of ongoing repentance, which is a state of being clean or being made clean.

Verse 20—And Moses said to the people, Do not fear; for God has come to test you, which is "to try you," and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin. So this is what the Commandments are about. It's about God giving us the truth, about these announcements which we are to remember. And we are not to fear the wrong way. We're to fear God, to respect God, to hold Him in awe. We're to fear to sin, but we're not to be afraid of God, because God loves us, God is working with us. He's called us and placed us in the Body of Christ for a purpose, for the purpose of salvation. We should not fear God in the wrong manner. We're to fear God in the sense of respect Him for what He's doing for us.

"For God has come to test you." When the announcements are given, 57 Truths are placed in the Church, they do test the spirit in man. They test our thinking. So the Commandments of God, the announcements of God test us. And what is the test? "That His fear," God's fear, the fear of God, "may be before you." We respect God for all that He has done for us. We should fear God. We should fear to go against God; that we would always have His fear before us because we don't want to go against God. We want to yield to His announcements. We want to remember all of the announcements that He has done. We want to remember the blowing of trumpets. "So that you may not sin." The purpose of the law is to help us to know what sin is. When we understand what sin is, when we "see" these things, we "see" the spirit of the law, we understand the motive and intent behind all of these things, well, we will learn it, therefore, we will not sin. We'll be fighting against our own selfish thought process. Therefore, we won't sin because we'll be teachable, we'll be humble and yielding to God. We will be learning to fear God. We'll be learning to fear to go against God.

Verse 21—So the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. God was working with Moses.

Psalm 47:1—Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Which is about rejoicing. It's about rejoicing about God's way of life. Shout to the Eternal, which is this rejoicing, this "ruwa." Ruwa! Shout to God. We can do this internally within our thinking. Give praise and credit to God for all He has done, for all the announcements He has done, for our calling, for the gift of repentance. Let's give God the glory! Shout to God! Make it loud! Make it rejoicing! Make it joyful! ...For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is incredible! What He has done for us is amazing! So we should fear God, we should respect God, and we should give all praise and glory to Him because He is awesome, He is almighty, and He has called us out of the world. Out of all of these billions of people, He's given us the opportunity to have this Feast of Trumpets this year. How amazing is God!

He is a great KING over all the earth. Yes, He is almighty. He will subdue the people under us, referring to the 144,000, that the Eternal did this, it's God's hand that will do it. And the nations under our feet. He (God) will choose our inheritance for us, because it's all done by God's great power. It's all part of God's plan. ...the excellence of Jacob whom He loves, which is referring to Israel, which is referring to the Church of God, the Church of God. "...the excellence of Jacob whom He loves." God loves us. God dwells within us.

Verse 5—God has gone up with a shout, and this is "with a blowing of a trumpet." God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet, which is the shofar. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our KING, sing praises! For God is the KING of all the earth. Yes, Yahweh Elohim is the KING of all the earth and He has appointed Jesus Christ to come to this earth as King of kings. We can rejoice in this because this is the outcome of the blowing of the 7th Trumpet that Jesus Christ will return to this earth at the sound of a Trumpet.

Sing praises with understanding, with this spiritual understanding. God reigns over the nations. Well, He's going to do that through Jesus Christ. God sits on His holy throne. He sits as the righteous judge and He's allocated Jesus Christ to be the judge. All authority's been given to Jesus Christ.

The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted. God is the protector. God is the provider.

Brethren, we celebrate this Feast of Trumpets, this day of remembering of the announcements that God has done for His people. We have 57 Announcements that have been placed in God's Church. We have other announcements that we understand, which were given to Moses. And we keep those in spirit and truth. So this is a day to remember everything that God has done for us by calling us, by giving us the gift of a baptism, which is done with genuine repentance. Then the mercy of God to give us the power of His holy spirit.

So we remember all of these things because we give all credit and all glory to God, because only God can do these things.□

Table of Contents

Chapter 1