Letter to the Brethren: September 22, 2022

Dear Brethren and Co-Workers in Christ:

Greetings from Grover Beach, California.

Our recommended sermonette video for this week, 5 Red Heifers and Year 5783?, has done well with over 6,000 total views on our internet platforms, such as YouTube, Brighteon, etc. since it was released on Sunday.

While we are being shadow-banned (made so we are hard to find) by Google and YouTube (otherwise that video may have had ten or more times that number of views), we have about 6,000 subscribers on the YouTube channel that would have received some notification and apparently most viewed it.

By the way, to see if we were still being shadow-banned, yesterday I did that a search which showed our video in the number 2 spot and a related article on the number 3 spot of the first page of Duck-Duck-Go. Yet, we do not come up until the sixth page with a Google search of the same search terms, even though our YouTube video had more views than all but the first search result on the first page of Google.

Big Tech is working to suppress our messages, which, as mentioned before, we are looking more at other media, like radio. Yet, Matthew 24:14 will be fulfilled.

The Feast of Trumpets

Statue of a man blowing a shofar trumpet

The Feast of Trumpets is almost upon us. This year it starts at sunset September 25th and runs through sunset September 26th. Basically, with the exception of offerings, it is observed like a regular weekly Sabbath.

Most of the Greco-Roman churches do not keep the biblical holy days that occur in September/October on the Roman calendar. Yet, these Holy Days portray many pivotal events in God’s plan.

The Feast of Trumpets not only pictures the coming of Christ to resurrect the firstfruits from the dead, it also pictures the terrible time of devastation just ahead and the intervention of Jesus Christ to save the living from total annihilation and to establish the Kingdom of God on earth.

Let’s understand how this festival fits into God’s great master plan.

Consider that there is a major time gap between the Day of Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets.  Since the New Testament church began on Pentecost and basically ends when Jesus returns at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-57), in a sense the period of time between Pentecost and the Feast of Trumpets can be considered as representing the church age.

The fourth Holy Day, the Feast of Trumpets, is observed in “the seventh month, on the first day of the month” (Leviticus 23:23-25).

The number seven in God’s plan signifies completion and perfection. The seventh month of God’s calendar (occurs in September and/or October) contains the final four festivals, picturing the completion of God’s great master plan for us. The festival that falls on the first day of this month marks the beginning of the final events in God’s plan.

It is another annual Sabbath of rest from one’s regular work, and it was to be a memorial of blowing of trumpets (Leviticus 23:24-25). It is also a time to learn God’s ways (Nehemiah 8:2-3; cf. Ezra 3:1-7). Much of what happened to the children of Israel was written for our “examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).

It is from the blowing of trumpets that the Feast of Trumpets draws its name.

There is a great deal of symbolic meaning tied in with the blowing of these trumpets, especially with regard to the end times in which we’re living. It should be noted that the modern Jewish name for this date, Rosh Hashanah, is not biblical nor even original for the Jews. It was something that they adopted centuries after God gave it to them and after the Old Testament was written (Kramer, Amy J. Rosh Hashana Origins. Copyright © 1998-1999 Everything Jewish, Inc.).

The Bible teaches that Trumpets were blown to announce God’s feasts, as well as to call people to assemble (Numbers 10:1-3, 10).

Interestingly, Jewish scholars have tied the Feast of Trumpets in with the ‘Book of Life’ (Peltz M, Rabbi. What is in a Rosh Hashanah greeting? Haaretz, September 17, 2012). Why is that of interest?

Well, the Bible teaches that those who are listed in the ‘Book of Life’ (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5) will be resurrected (Hebrews 12:22-23).  When? At the seventh and last trumpet:

⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed —  ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

The Book of Revelation clearly teaches that seven trumpets will be blown (8:2), punishment comes upon those who are not protected by God (9:4), and then God’s kingdom and judgment will come (11:15-18). Finally it teaches that those whose names are not written in the Book of Life will experience the second death (Revelation 20:14-15).

Furthermore, consider that the Bible shows that during Israel’s history, which was heavily punctuated with conflicts and rebellion, trumpets continued to be used as warning devices, to call to arms or as preludes to important messages — always to mark an event of tremendous import to the whole nation.

God also used the prophets, among them Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea and Joel, to warn Israel about punishments He would bring upon them for their constant rebellion against His laws. These prophets were to use their voices like trumpets to blare their warnings to God’s people.

¹ Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)

We in the Continuing Church of God are working to do that today. We boldly tell of the sins of society and how world events are aligning with properly understood prophecy–which we also strive to explain.

But there will also be literal trumpet blasts coming in the future as the Book of Revelation teaches (Revelation 8:1-13, 9:1-18).  But most will not heed those warnings.

Many are blown in the Book of Revelation, and a lot were to be blown on the Feast of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24)–hopefully many can see the connection.

But the most important trumpet, in a sense, could be the last, the seventh one. Here is what Revelation teaches about that:

¹⁵ Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” ¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, ¹⁷ saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. ¹⁸ The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.” ¹⁹ Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:15-19)

The Feast of Trumpets pictures the future blowing of trumpets and the reality that Jesus will come and establish the Kingdom of God on the earth. The good news of coming Kingdom of God is a big part of what Jesus wants His servants to proclaim now (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20), and then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The Feast of Trumpets points to Christ’s victory over this world.

Greco-Roman historians, such as Jerome and Epiphanius (Catholica Omnia Tabulinum De Ecclesiae Patribus Doctoribusque Materia Migne JP Argumentum Patrologia Latina Volumen MPL025 Ab Columna ad Culumnam 1415 – 1542A, pp. 922, 930 and Epiphanius (Ephiphanius. The Panarion of Ephiphanius of Salamis: Book II (sects 1-46) Section 1, Chapter 19, 7-9. Frank Williams, editor. Publisher BRILL, 1987, p. 117-119), recorded that the ‘Nazarene Christians’ continued to keep the Fall Holy Days into the fourth and fifth centuries. They were also kept by the faithful Christians in Jerusalem who claimed the original Christian building in Jerusalem into the fourth century until they were stopped by Imperial authorities (Pixner B. Church of the Apostles Found on Mt. Zion. Biblical Archaeology Review, May/June 1990: 16-35,60).

The anti-Semite John Chrysostom specifically attempted to stop people from keeping the Feast of Trumpets in the late fourth century (John Chrysostom. Homily I Against the Jews I:5;VI:5;VII:2). However, those trying to be faithful continued to do so throughout history. The Continuing Church of God does so now.

Feast of Tabernacles, Tanzania, and Rwanda

The Feast of Tabernacles for 2022 is fast approaching.

Services for the Feast of Tabernacles are to begin the evening of October 9th and continue until the Last Great Day which is October 17th in 2022.

God commands His people to observe it, so if you have not already done so, please email the appropriate person for the site you want to attend.

For information on CCOG sites, check out the article: Feast of Tabernacles’ Sites for 2022.

On Monday, evangelist Evans Ochieng sent the following:

Pastor Dr Bob,

Greetings from Kenya.

I’m back from Tanzania.

The burial was well done. The body arrived home on Monday night and was burred on Tuesday. Martin has got a problem that needs more prayer.  One of his daughters was paralysed and is a great problem to him.  Because he is the only person who is looking after her. She becomes abnormal and needs more attention. So let’s pray for Martin always so that his daughter can be healed.

I’m planning to travel to Rwanda next week and I’ll try to take a banner to our brother Moise. I will also carry some books with me and song books.

I’ll give more details about them after meeting them. Though I used to talk with him through WhatsApp.

Evans.

Please pray for Martin Wanga, whose wife was just buried as well as his paralyzed daughter.

Please also pray for the success of the visit to Rwanda. I had suggested to Evans Ochieng that he bring a CCOG Feast of Tabernacles banner to give the Rwandans on this upcoming trip and he is now planning to do so, presuming he is convinced on their intention to truly be part of the Continuing Church of God.

From then on, you should receive the updates. The updates are basically the headlines and first paragraphs of the news items at the COGwriter Church of God News page, with links so you can see the entire posts of those you wish to see.