Happy Day of Trumpets!

I wrote up this invitation for a few of my friends outside of our assembly. I thought you all might want to make use of it. Feel free to send to whoever you feel led to and you're welcome to use my name if you don't want to claim it as your own.

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Hello friends,

I am sending this to a few of my friends as an invitation. It's a bit long, but if you have the time, please consider this.

Today my church celebrates the Day of Trumpets. I wanted to wish you all a happy day, but I figured it might be a bit confusing without some context. Here's that context. In the First Letter of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians Paul tells us that one day we will all be changed at the last trumpet.

"Behold! I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed."

1 Corinthians 15:51‭-‬52 ESV

After studying the Old Testament, our church has come to see a connection between this glorious day, and a festival God commanded the Israelites to celebrate.

"And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation."

Leviticus 23:23‭-‬24 ESV

And after this Day of Trumpets comes another day where liberty is proclaimed and slaves are set free throughout the land.

"You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan."

Leviticus 25:8‭-‬10 ESV

These are days for us of introspection and anticipation. Introspection as we watch ourselves and evaluate whether we will be found to be faithful servants of Jesus Christ as he commanded us in Matthew Chapter 24. We watch and anticipate the return of King Jesus when he will set free the dead from their graves, and when he will turn the hearts of the Jewish people back to their God.

"For if their (The Jews) rejection (of the gospel) means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?"

Romans 11:15 ESV

Pertaining our current situation, I pray that our nation also would be brought to repentance from its many sins. The broad acceptance of usury, sexual immorality, idol worship, sorcery (drugs), and baby murder requires God to judge our nation and avenge those wronged who cannot avenge themselves. I pray he will grant our nation repentance and purify our hearts so that he might leave us a blessing.

" "Yet even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people."

Joel 2:12‭-‬16 ESV

As such, I would like to ask you all to join my church in fasting for the repentance of our nation and the nation of Israel ten days from now. In accordance with the Bible, we will begin the fast on the 17th at sunset and end the fast the 18th at sunset. You can fast however you feel led by the Holy Spirit, but if you can abstain from both eating and drinking you will be keeping ancient tradition.

"And it shall be a statute to you forever that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict yourselves and shall do no work, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you. For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever."

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Shalom!
James