The sound of a trumpet seems to cut the air like nothing else. Its musical presence can alert, direct, and even pierce the soul. A favorite trumpeter of mine is Phil Driscoll, known for his breathtaking scales and magnificent performances. He has played for four U.S. Presidents and other world figures. At one time, he took out a shofar to play with such vigor that the entire White House gave a standing ovation. Then, I thought to myself that yes, the dead can truly be made alive. Hopefully!
But will the wicked be raised from the dead or merely awakened to the fact that judgment from Yah will be upon them?
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of Yahweh; and the dead in Messiah will rise first.” I Thessalonians 4:16
Israel themselves experienced the awful majesty of Yah’s presence at Mount Sinai, where the trumpet blasts from Heaven shook the mountain and caused rocks to split. Do you think an impact was made? Did the house of Israel proclaim the Name to be worshipped?
This type of awesomeness will once again occur on earth when the seven angels blow their trumpets to bring total destruction to those who worship other gods. One-third of the earth will be burned up, a huge mountain will be thrown into the sea, ships will be destroyed, the Wormwood star will bring havoc, and light will be thrown into darkness (Rev. 7). Though, during this time, government leaders will not be giving a standing ovation, but instead will be hiding from the face of Yah due to the wickedness of their hearts and actions.
At the seventh trumpet—the most awesome trumpet of all, YHWH will reign again with His people and set up His Kingdom of righteousness.
Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of YHWH and of His Son, Yeshua Messiah; and He will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying,
“We give You thanks, YHWH, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm. Revelation 11:15-19
The city of Thessalonica was in many ways similar to our current state in America. It was situated on key trade routes and controlled major finance exchanges. And like us, it was predominately pagan in its cultural practices. The Jewish leaders within the city had made alliances with the government to practice their rituals, similar to our churches who bow before government edicts. Consequently, neither group was overly accepting of the gospel message being spread by “The Way.” Amid this struggle, many Jewish and Gentile people accepted the testimony of Yeshua as given by the Disciples.
Why is it important to bring up the city of Thessalonica during the feast of trumpets? It is in this city that Paul delivers the hope-filled message of a trumpet call to any who is being persecuted due to their faith in Yeshua. And, like those early believers, we too need direction as a pagan world seeks our destruction in areas of family, education, property, ownership, and freedom.
So, what is Paul’s advice to those waiting for Yah’s Kingdom to descend? His straightforward guidelines are found in First Thessalonians chapter 4. In reading this chapter, I believe we will find practical worthwhile advice in preparing ourselves for the great and awful day.
- Abstain from sexual immorality and possess your own vessel with honor
- Do not transgress or defraud your brother
- Seek the Holy Spirit to love your brother
- Live a quiet life and attend to your own business
- Behave properly to outsiders while showing no need for them.
My friends, the winds of destruction are upon us. Now is not the time to believe that everything go back to “normal.” We are to practice our relationships with family and friends. We are to practice living by our commitments. We are to practice dedication to YHWH and our assembly. We are to practice faith in the workings of the Holy Spirit. When we do these things, the sound of the trumpet call will be a blessing to run towards and not a curse to run from.
I just know the archangel will be will be given a bigger ovation than good ‘ol Phil. What do you think? All I know is that I can hardly wait.
Be Blessed,
Rollyn