Feast of Trumpets ~ Part 2

Feast of Trumpets ~ Part 2

By Pastor Gary Wayne

The last 3 feasts point to end time events.

We are living in-between the first 4 feasts fulfilled by Jesus, and the last 3 feasts.
The Fall Feasts point to the future when God will fulfill those promises.
The rapture of the church, and the day we will “live” with Him in Heaven.

Feast of Trumpets begins with a ceremony of the blowing of trumpets.
Which got people’s attention to turn from their everyday activities, and focus on what God was up to. The sounding of trumpets always caused anticipation.

This week I want to take a look at Hebrew marriage customs and how they coincide with the Feast of Trumpets.

Text: Mathew 25:1-13, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,

In Hebrew culture, it was the father that chose a bride for his son.
When it came time to purpose marriage, the son would go to her house, sit down with the young lady and her parents and they would go over the marriage contract.
He would pour a cup of wine and set it before her and if she wanted to enter into this marriage covenant, she would pick up the cup and drink.

This was the sealing of the contract, and they were now as legally bound to each other as they would be later on after the wedding.

Before he left he would give her a gift or a pledge so she would know that He is going to return. He would leave enough assets that she wouldn’t have any needs in his absence.

2Co 1:21-22 “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (NIV)

2Co 5:5 “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (NIV)

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as the guarantee (earnest money) that He will return, and in His absence the Holy Spirit supplies everything I need to thrive during this waiting time.

The young man would then leave and go to his home and begin to prepare a place for them to live. How long he would be gone was not known – it often depended on how good a builder he was - it could be months or even a year or more.
This is exactly what Jesus said in John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

During this waiting time, the groom would be preparing a place for them, but it wasn’t up to him when it was time, it was up to the father. Given the nature of a young man, anything would be ok to bring his bride to, but only the father could say when it was ready.

Remember in Acts 1:7 when the disciples asked Jesus when this would all happen – what did Jesus say? "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”

While she waited the bride would make every possible preparation she needed to be ready at a moment’s notice for the time the groom would return.

She would gather her wedding dress, and everything else she might need for that time. She would choose some friends to come and help her with getting ready. They would also be ready so at a moment’s notice so they could come to her house and do the final preparations needed at the last minute.

This is the place the Church is today – we the bride of Christ are watching and waiting for the return of Jesus, and we are making every effort to ready ourselves for His coming.

Eph 5:25-27 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”

(1 Thess.4:13-18) The night would arrive for the wedding to take place and the Father would say to the son, “go get your bride.” (Feasts of Trumpets started at sundown)
The son would then call his friends and together they would begin a grand torchlight procession, blowing trumpets to announce and precede his coming.

By-standers would begin to shout, “Behold the bridegroom is coming. Others would pick up the shout on ahead so the bride would have a little bit of notice.

She would then send word for her close friends to come and help her get her thing together.

When the bride adorned for her husband was ready, she and her bridesmaids would leave her parent’s home to join the groom and his party outside.
The procession would return to the groom’s home and the wedding party would go in for the celebration, and the doors would be shut.

Mt 25:13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

Re 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready."
Jesus is coming back for a bride who has made herself ready, not having “spot or wrinkle or any such thing – holy and without blemish.” Eph.5:27