How thrilling to read about the Son Of God shouting as He approaches the Midair where we will meet Him. As I write I believe Heaven is preparing for our arrival. Welcomimg indications will be everywhere. I suggest a great Angelic choir is preparing to sing the welcoming reframe. The Last Trumpet is the one hundreth blast that concludes The Feast Of Trumpets. Its a Ram’s Right Horn that calls to memory the Hand Of God that stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son Isaac. Its was moving time for this father, his son and their servants to return to the father’s house. The “Feast Of Trumpets” was a great celebration to the Jewish families and was the foreshadow of the next earth shaking event, “The Saints Going Home”.

The Rapture and the trumpet are beautifully related in the prophetic truths of the Holy Scripture. From the moment that Abraham saw the ram caught in a thicket by his horns on the mountain, the right horn of that ram has signaled this hope of the future Rapture. Every type that the Holy Spirit uses in the teaching of God’s truth in the Bible always relates back to the moment of first mention. If a type or symbol is removed out of context, the message becomes marred. There are silver trumpets that relate to worship and the temple, but the Shofar trumpet always seems to relate to the calling of the people for movement. The ultimate trip for His saints is into His presence for the celebration of the Wedding Supper.

Look at Apostle Paul’s statement to the Corinthians about this mystery that we call the “Rapture” or the “Catching Away.” “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:50-52).

Paul called it a “mystery” or something which cannot be understood except by Divine inspiration. Uninterested souls will never understand the Rapture. Neither will undiscerning or antagonistic persons. It is God’s divine secret for His chosen saints, clearly revealed to anyone who will “desire the sincere milk of the Word.”

The Apostle Paul formed these verses in I Corinthians 15 by the Holy Spirit to capture the essence of this event. Since flesh and blood cannot enter into His presence, something called a mystery must occur. It will be signaled by the “Last Trump,” which was a designated trumpet blast on a specific day. It does not suggest the last of all trumpets to sound, but a named event on a celebrated occasion. We will see that picture shortly in this article as we discuss the “Feast of Trumpets.”

When this trumpet blast is sounded, the dead saints will be resurrected and the living saints will be changed from mortal to immortal. The corruptible will put on incorruption. Our frail bodies will suddenly be like His own glorified body for He was our “Firstfruit” of the Resurrection. When this change occurs, we will then be “caught up” or “raptured” to His presence just like He promised to His disciples as He prepared them for His death.

Jesus had said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:1-3).

No wonder the Bible calls this a mystery; it defies all human limitation. This event will remove us out of harm’s way so that the Lord Himself can finish His judgment of a rebellious and rejecting world and prepare for His reign of one thousand years on this earth. Let’s look at the specific “Feast of Jehovah” that is a prophetic picture of this triumphant Day of the Lord.

The Feast of Trumpets! The Lord instituted seven major feasts and gave them to Israel to rehearse yearly. Scripture calls these feasts the Feasts of Jehovah. They are not the feasts of the Jews, although the Jews were the chosen people to share in their celebration; they are the Lord’s Feasts. He celebrated His redemption drama every time these feasts were celebrated. The fifth feast, which is yet future in prophetic fulfillment, was this exciting feast, the Feast of Trumpets. I believe it is a foreshadow of the Rapture of His saints of the ages and those living saints when He shall appear. Study carefully with me as we relate this Feast of Jehovah and the impending Rapture of His saints.

The main element of celebration in this feast is the blowing of trumpets. There is said to be one hundred trumpet blasts in the course of this celebration. The first blast is with the left horn of the ram; the last blast is with the right horn of the ram. It is a long “tekiah gedolah” blast that ends abruptly. It is specifically called “the last trump” in the Jewish writings. When Apostle Paul used the term “the last trump,” it was a Jewish statement clearly used by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of revelation was uniting the Feast of Jehovah with the declaration of its future fulfillment.

Jehovah God was Celebrating the Future Rapture! The Feast of Trumpets was Jehovah God Himself celebrating the glorious rapture of His saints. The entire Old Testament is filled with mysteries hidden from the undiscerning and blinded unbelievers. These mysteries are revealed in several Old Testament passages, but literally explodes in Paul’s writings and in the book of Revelation.

Isaiah clearly describes this rapture event in his great addition to the first writing of the prophets. He stated, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” (Isaiah 26:19-21).

The word “come” points directly to Revelation 4:1, where it says, “Come up hither.” Then he describes this chamber, called “thy chambers” or a secret place, where the saints met the Bridegroom and are hidden while the “indignation” is overpast or passed over. As these resurrected saints are hidden in a “prepared place,” the Lord comes out of His place (Heaven) to punish the wicked on the earth.

Malachi, also, gives us a small peep into this spectacular day. He stated, “Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” (Malachi 3:16-18).

It is clear that this is a unique group of saints, not the run of the mill crowd. Three distinct features characterize them: they feared the Lord, they thought on His Name, and they spake often one to another. These are the jewels in the kingdom of God and are spared the wrath and indignation that immediately follows them being exalted into His presence. He said “They shall be mine,” and then added, “I will spare them as a man spareth His own son that serveth Him.”

The context continues by showing immediately after the wrath, which they are spared from, that they will return to judge the earth. The new translations leave out the words, “Then shall ye return . . .”, which does great damage to this mystery of revelation. Malachi is clearly revealing the pre-Tribulation Rapture to be followed by wrath and then the return of Christ with His saints to judge and establish His kingdom on earth.

The Ram’s Horn! There are no accidents in Holy Scripture. Every act, every event, and every circumstance was placed in this Holy Book to communicate His message to the saints. When God informed Abraham to go and sacrifice Isaac his son, the entire event became a drama of future glory. He was told to travel to a mountain, which the Lord would show him. For three days they traveled, during which Isaac was as good as dead in Abraham’s heart. Then the two, Abraham and his to be sacrificed son, climbed the hill together just as Jesus Christ with His Father would climb a future hill. Isaac asked his father, “Where is the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb…”

Just before Abraham could sacrifice his son, the angel of the Lord spoke. Immediately, “…Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns…” (Genesis 22:13). Abraham named the place Jehovah-jireh, which means, “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.” The sacrifice prefigures the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” The horn of the ram goes even further and sets a type for the final triumph of that sacrifice. Listen to what the angel said, “Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” (Genesis 22:17). This seed is Christ and the possessing of His enemies will begin in full when the “Last Trump” (the ram’s right horn) sounds on that triumphant day. The Feast of Trumpets is on the first day of the civic calendar. Everything has meaning in this celebration and the first day of the New Year certainly suggests the first day when God begins the process of His new government. The Rapture of the saints out of harm’s way must occur so that the wrath and its resulting cleansing can begin, This is the beginning of the “Day of the Lord.” It is in preparation for His new government with His saints reigning with Him on this earth.

The Day the Lord Shouts! To even imagine a day so triumphant and glorious, so fulfilling of heaven’s design that the Lord Himself shouts, must suggest something glorious indeed. The Holy Ghost filled Apostle Paul makes it absolutely clear that when the Rapture of the saints comes to fulfillment, the Lord Himself lets out a divine shout. Let’s read this passage in context, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

I love these words, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout.” He could call to us from the balcony, but He comes to meet us in the air. It is my belief that He comes into the midair because Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). Satan has resisted every triumph of every single saint and he will certainly put up a master show to hinder this escape out of his net. Could this be some of the reason for such a show of unidentified flying objects our world is presently witnessing? I personally believe they are fallen angels manifesting their diabolical powers.

Remember Jude telling us of Michael and Satan disputing over the body of Moses? (Jude 8). God sent a chariot of fire in a whirlwind to get Elijah and came Himself to walk Enoch across the divide. There is no question in my mind but that the Lord comes as the “Lord of Hosts” with His mighty angels to lead a procession right through the devil’s domain and makes a show of him (Satan) before the powers of the universe. He does not just come down into the midair. He comes down “from Heaven with a shout…” The Lord has been celebrating this event for at least 3,800 years since Abraham offered that ram on the “Holy Mountain.” Remember that the Feast of Trumpets was called a Feast of Jehovah. The Bride has been wooed from the nations of the world and, by great sacrifice, has overcome ten thousand obstacles. Many of her choice saints were burned at stake, sawn asunder, and torn to shreds by lions. The world has hated this crowd of “blood-washed saints” and now her Bridegroom has finished the bridal chamber. He is traveling through the clouds to rescue her from her sworn enemies. As Heaven recedes and earth comes into view, the Son of God shouts for His chosen.

Joseph Chambers

jrc@pawcreek.org

Harold Camping and his false prophecy has caused Lucifer to dance with glee. This kind of fancy error is clearly Satan’s design to make fun of the Rapture. The Post-Millenniumist, Amillenniumist and the Mid- Tribulation and Post- Tribulation crowd are laughing at the fun the Media has had at our expense. We Pre-Tribulation Believers are scoffed at when these false alarms about the Rapture are fed to the multitudes. The whole purpose is to make truth look foolish.

But there is another side to this story. The devil does not waste his time fighting falsehood and false doctrines. This entire attack is all another proof that the Rapture is on schedule and will occur before the “Seven Years Of The Great Tribulation.”When Satan induces his false prophets to attack truth in a false show like Camping’s attention receiving Expose, he only proves the wonderful truth being laughed against. Satan never makes a false show of all the error doctrines being taught. They do him no harm and he pays them no attention. Thank you Harold Camping for your back-handed attention to the great “Catching Away.”

The anger of Satan against the Rapture of the saints is because this event will be his final defeat. Calvary, the Resurrection, and all the victory of Jesus’ death and life were certainly Satan’s greatest defeat. It has been downhill for him since he was cast out of Heaven. The Rapture will seal his doom forever. From the time that he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, he has attacked the family of God. When Jesus descended into upper Sheol, Satan lost his hold on the First Testament saints. He could not damn them nor could they escape the prison house of the righteous dead. Jesus took the keys of Death and Hell and led this victorious company out of their prison into His resurrected presence. Their spirit and soul are with Him in Heaven, but the majority of them are still awaiting the Rapture and the Resurrection to receive their glorified bodies. Matthew records that a firstfruits number were resurrected and caught up when He arose from the dead.

There are complexities to the Rapture and the Resurrection that must not divide us. I personally believe that not one Blood-washed and Holy Ghost Oil soaked Saint (Old or New Testament) will be left in the grave when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture occurs. The earth must be free of the Godly dead before the traumas of the seven years of judgment can begin. The judgments of Jesus Christ will shake this earth to its very core so that nothing of sin will be left to defile or destroy in all of creation. The wicked dead will be in Death and Hell until the Seven Years of Tribulation and the Millennium are finished. Then they will be resurrected unto damnation to be judged.

Satan has waged war against the saints for six thousand years. His very thought of the dead in Christ being resurrected with glorified bodies forever out of his reach is terrifying to him. Add to that the Rapture and Resurrection of the living saints that he has pursued since the moment they were born again being removed totally beyond his reach. But the Rapture and Resurrection of the righteous is only the beginning of his future troubles. The saints that he has terrorized will become the Lord’s Elders during the seven years, and we will be used of the Lord to direct the judgments against him and his false trinity. We will be glorified saints; and the Bible says that we will judge the angels, and Satan is one of them.

Let’s begin by contemplating the defeat for Satan that will occur in the first heaven as the saints are removed to the presence of the Lord. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2) This is the area of his stronghold, where his kingdom of fallen angels is organized and operates. From this realm, he rules as the god of this world. He is called the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air. He affects everything that constitutes the world system, nature, and especially the weather patterns. God created a perfect world. There was no destruction until the destroyer deceived Adam and Eve. Satan usurped his way into control of the world system. Nature is out of control today because it is greatly affected by the devil and his princes of destruction.

The Bible warns us of the struggle that this horde of evil personalities will create for those that serve the Lord. Apostle Paul stated, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Notice those terms the Holy Ghost inspired Apostle Paul to use, “rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is an epic struggle, and natural men and women are absolutely no match for these great and strong spirits of evil. Every spiritual victory we win must be by the Blood, the Word, and the Spirit

Understanding these strong, experienced, and wicked angels operating under the leadership of Satan; we can see the battle that is developing to hinder God’s Prophetic program. When the Rapture occurs, we must travel right straight up through the middle of Satan’s stronghold. Hearing many strange stories about unidentified flying objects is not so strange when you know what is about to occur. The devil will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and to defeat the saints of God.

Victory is already assured because “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Ps 119:89). Apostle Paul said, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)

We will not need to fight our path through Lucifer’s stronghold. The Lord comes down to meet us in the midair, and with His Heavenly Host (multitudes) He leads us back right through Satan’s horde. The event of the saints being Raptured up out of their graves, joined together with the Raptured living, following the Lord of Hosts back to the Banquet Hall in New Jerusalem is too grand to consider. There has never been an army marching from some great victory back to the fatherland to match this picture. Satan has got to know that this is soon to happen, and he certainly has a counterattack planned.

His great defeat at our victory right through his stronghold will leave him vulnerable to the heavenly host of angels. He will never recover from seeing“ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands,” (Revelation 5:11)pass untouched through his hands into the presence of the Heavenly Father. A multitude of angels led by Michael will then engage Satan to finish his reign as the “prince of the power of the air.” Weakened by his losses, the angels of Jesus Christ will cast him down to the earth never to appear in Heaven again.

John recorded the future scene of Satan’s great heavenly defeat.“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:7-10)

His territory will now be restricted to the earth and he will know that he has but a short time. This loss for Satan is incredible. He has accused us to God throughout human history. The defeat of Adam and Eve gave him legal right to act as an accuser to every saint of God. He has been the world’s persecutor for six thousand years. The reason for many great defeats in the church has been man’s failure to stand solely on truth in their battles with evil powers and dark spiritual authorities. Our only rights against evil are those legal truths of Scripture contained in our blood covenant.

Now, ultimate truth prevails and Satan’s reign as persecutor is over forever. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)Satan finally understands that he is losing and his last efforts will be efforts of desperation. By the end of the seven years, no creature on earth will doubt that he is a serpent, unquestionably corrupted, and a loser.

The victorious saints will be elevated to Elders during the coming Great Tribulation. We are never called the church again after Revelation Chapter Four. We will be to the Father and the Lamb, Elders participating in all the events of righteousness and righteous judgment. Too often we think only of judgment during these dark seven years but more than judgment is redemption. The Elders will share the glory of cleansing this earth from every curse of sin until righteousness springs forth when we return with Him to reign on this earth a thousand years.

Joseph Chambers

jrc@pawcreek.org