The Last Trumpet - The Last Shofar Sound - Day 65 Through the Bible

Many of the small towns along the NC Blue Ridge Parkway have these memorials in honor of local sons and daughters who died in the wars of the United States - some remain year-round; some are displayed on memorial days.

My Contemplations/Lessons/Applications from Today's Readings

Keeping the Passover / The Presence and Leading of God - Numbers 9 continues with the importance of the Israelites keeping the Passover - to remember.  Under the New Covenant, Jesus is our Passover (1 Cor.5:7), and the Passover Seder is replaced by the Lord's Supper/Holy Communion/The Eucharist/The Breaking of Bead - to remember.  One (the OT Passover Seder) looks back to remember God's intervention on behalf of His people to free them from the bondage and oppression of Egypt - the miraculous Exodus.  The other (the NT Passover Lord's Supper) looks back to remember God's intervention on behalf of His people to free them from the bondage and oppression of sin - the miraculous Atonement of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, on the Cross.  By cloud and by fire God led His people through the wilderness wanderings and journey in the OT.  Through His Holy Spirit - Christ within us - God leads His New Covenant people through the wilderness of this world in our pilgrimage and sojourn.

Importance of Shofar (Trumpets) in OT and NT Gathering/Awakening - Numbers 10 - The Trumpet Call (the blowing of the shofar) in the OT was to gather the people as a congregation or as leaders for journey, war, and feasts.  Shofar was miraculously used in Joshua to bring down the walls of Jericho - destroying fortresses.  In the second coming of Christ, these trumpets will also signal the destroying of fortresses (of satan and his dominion) and the gathering and awakening of those in Christ:  From Hebrew Roots.org: "Teruah means "an awakening blast". A theme associated with RoshHaShanah is the theme "to awake".  Teruah is also translated as"shout". In I Thessalonians 4:16-17 it is written:"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a SHOUT, with the voice of the archangel and with the TRUMP (shofar) of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." In I Corinthians 15:51-52 it is written:"Behold, I show you a mystery (sod = deeper spiritual meaning), 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 (shofar) shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed." The third significant shofar in the redemptive plan of God is called the GREAT TRUMP. The GREAT TRUMP is associated with and is blown on YOM KIPPUR.  In Matthew 24:29-31 it is written:"Immediately AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days ... and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven ... and he shall send his angels with a GREAT SOUND OF A TRUMPET (this is the GREAT TRUMP or the Shofar HaGadol) ..."Therefore, the literal second coming of Messiah AFTER the tribulation is idiomatically shown to us by Yeshua/Jesus to be associated with YOM  KIPPUR."  And from revach.net: "The Shofar, since it is a ram's horn, reminds us of the binding of Yitzchok (Issac), when Hashem (God) provided a ram to be sacrificed instead. Thus we are called upon to be as faithful to Hashem (God) as Avraham (Abraham), and be inspired by his example of sacrifice and love of Hashem (God). The Shofar will be blown in Messianic times to announce the redemption of the whole world, when all nations will recognize that Hashem (God) is One."

Lesson/Application - the necessity of studying the OT to better understand the NT.  Charles Stanley on Symbolism in the Last Supper"

Foundational Teachings of Christ for Discipleship - Mark 9:30-50 - 1) the greatest in Christ's kingdom will be last of all and servant of all 2) there will be dire consequences of misleading or causing children (or new believers?) to stumble 3) it is essential that we remove sin from our lives, 4) there is a reward for doing good works for others in Jesus' name - for love of Him.

Lesson/Application -  Examine myself to see whether I am in the faith; test myself.  2 Cor 13:5

The WORLD awaits His return - from IBC Renacimiento - Last Trumpet - Last Shofar Sound