Our new “little” book is now available at Amazon.com. Go to the site, hit “books” in the drop down menu, type in my name and you will be able to find the book. We priced it as cheaply as we could having no interest in making money. The sharp rise in suicides especially among young people is the reason for writing the book. We believe that this piece might make a difference in someone’s life.
Chapter 22
Perhaps we were trying to cast ourselves as New Testament disciples. One of my favorite Bible passages was then and still is Acts 2:42-44:
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
We began to think we were living the same life as the early church experienced close after the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. And it began to produce in us a dangerous, indeed a cultic-like notion, that we were more spiritual than other Christians.
After all, we were seeing miracles. We saw people healed of real disease and medical problems. We saw many dramatic conversions. Our meetings were jammed with people. We were speaking in tongues and seeing other gifts of the Holy Spirit. We were witnessing on the streets when no one else was, just like Jesus, Peter, and Paul. All of these things were real and apparent, leaving us with a view that the “churches” were being by-passed. We were the elite, and we started being treated as such.
How I was living from 1967 to 1972 was nothing like what I had known at First Baptist Church of Fairfield or the Excelsior Baptist Church in Bryon. Even at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, where I was a student, I heard of no reports of great workings of God among the students. Sad to say, I developed an elitist attitude, a silly arrogance that I regret now.
Without the influence of the wonderful folk of Evangelical Concerns, it might have been worse. Real life would eventually be a teacher also, but we were blinded by what we thought was God’s favor, a favor bestowed on us because we were, of course, so sold out for Jesus.1
1 Actual favor or grace is a sovereign work of God independent of any merit on the part of the recipient of the grace. For instance, Mary, the mother of Jesus, found favor with God, which had nothing to do with her personally.And although we had no personal wealth, our needs were continually being met, either by our own labor or by unexpected and large gifts. It was, without doubt, an unusual time.
Awakening vs. Normal Times
Not until I read Iain Murray’s book, Revival and Revivalism, did I understand the difference between “awakening” and “normal” times. At no time in my ten seminary years did I run across the concept, and that was much to my detriment, indeed the detriment of so much of the JPM. Murray, who inherited the mantle of David Martin Lloyd- Jones as a world-class expert on revival and awakenings, pointed out that in awakenings God pours out His Spirit in special and powerful ways. During normal times, however, although Christians pray, prepare, and plan, there are few conversions and miracles.
Without knowing it, what I had previously experienced were normal times, and now in a time of awakening I began to actually judge others who were not “walking in the Spirit” as somehow failing. We commonly said, “Well, they are not Spirit filled.” This was the language and the mentality of the Pentecostal/charismatic folk, and the Jesus People quickly adopted it. Another of our statements was, “They are not flowing in the move of God.” And it actually got more ungracious than that, but we were full of ourselves and saw ourselves as special and thus without need of correction. We were moving in the Spirit and no one could tell us anything different.
Going over this chapter for the last time prior to handing it off to the editor, I am reminded of Dr. Fred Fisher, a renowned professor of New Testament at Golden Gate Seminary during the early days of that institution. He called me sometime in 1970 and asked me to visit him in his office at the seminary. The next day I arrived, and he spoke kindly to me but warned me of the trouble I was heading for. I listened patiently to my former teacher, but when I walked out of his office, I left behind all the good counsel I had just received. After all, he was not baptized in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues like I was.
The fruit of this mentality was undermining me and my ministry at the time and would bear much worse fruit in the years to come. Little by little, I will recount that process.
Essay Seven
Islam is rarely critiqued by journalists because it can be dangerous to do so. This has been less true since September 11, 2001, because people are interested in Islam and are searching for answers.
However, it is still risky to write anything that may impugn Islam and especially the founder, Muhammad. This is one reason why I call Islam a cult. Muslims often treat opponents with something less than kindness as they seek to defend the honor of “Allah.”
What Is a Cult?
My working definition of a cult is non-theological. Traditionally, Christians apply the term to Bible-based groups that have departed significantly from the mainstream and historical creeds. Such cults frequently deny the full deity and humanity of Jesus; His atoning work on the cross; His bodily resurrection; and His return at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead.
However, here I employ a secular definition of a cult: “any group that uses psychological or sociological techniques to recruit, motivate, and retain adherents.”
Cults are not necessarily religious; they may be political, commercial, educational/therapeutic, or economic in nature. They may be large or small, named or unnamed, known or unknown.
Cults may have a leader or be without a leader. The common feature is the use of control mechanisms that violate the individuality of participants in the three areas stated above: recruitment, motivation, and retention.
Is Islam Cultic?
Many would deny that Islam has the characteristics of a cult. But why is Islam not a cult when in many Muslim-dominated countries it is a capital offense to hand Muslims a Bible or explain Christianity (or any other religion) to them?
Saudi Arabia, the guardian of Islam’s most holy shrines at Mecca and Medina, is a highly restricted society where Christians are not allowed any public expression of their faith.
Why is Islam not a cult when it is virtually impossible for a Muslim to leave the religion, even if he merely wishes to become an atheist or agnostic?
Why is Islam not a cult when Muslim warriors force their religion on people? The history of Islam is full of that kind of “proselytization.”
It is true that the Roman Catholic Church has in the past forced “pagans” to adopt Catholicism. However, that church has acknowledged that it was both wrong-headed and anti-Christian to do so and has terminated the practice.
As a Baptist, I can say that in 500 years of our history we have not engaged in such tactics and neither have any of the traditionally Evangelical, Protestant denominations.
Satanic Verses
A vivid illustration of the cultic nature of Islam is the case involving the novelist Salman Rushdie. Rushdie had a death contract issued against him for writing his book, The Satanic Verses and supposedly impugning the character of Muhammad. Yet novelists, journalists, commentators, filmmakers, and television producers routinely blaspheme Jesus of Christianity and the Creator God without reprisals made against them by Christians.
Of course, the fatwa against Salman Rushdie is blamed on “fundamentalists” and “extremists,” exonerating most Muslims who live in Western countries as peace-loving citizens. But the loyalty inculcated by Islam runs deeper than allegiance to any nation. Muslims will change political affiliations if needed, but their commitment to the defense of Islam easily becomes fanatical.
A Contrast
How insecure and weak must Islam be when Muslims threaten those who oppose it with violence rather than use reasoned defense. Such paranoid behavior renders Islam resistant to self-evaluation and exposes its internal deficiencies.
Biblical Christianity thrives in a free, pluralistic, and democratic society. It neither needs nor benefits from the support of a nation state. By contrast, Islamic control in many countries is totalitarian, dictatorial, and oppressive.
In countries ruled by Sharia Law, minor infractions may be punished by the loss of a hand, a foot, or life itself. Muslim women have been stoned to death for inadvertently exposing an ankle or forearm in public. The much-touted “mercy” of Islam is hard to detect.
Disillusionment with the religion simmers under the surface in Islamic societies. Many Muslim immigrants to Western countries, if not pressured by the local Muslim community to tow the line, either moderate or abandon Islam altogether. Others go through the religious motions, but their hearts are not in it.
The Cost of Defection
Today there is a “rallying to the cause,” as many Muslims believe the war against terrorism is between “Christian America” and Islam. But many Muslims would prefer to be free of such influences if they could. Of course, Muslim clerics in the West realize this and do not hesitate to isolate their constituents from non-Muslim influence. Isolation is a typical cultic mechanism—defections are treated most seriously.
In lands dominated by Islam, the rule is “once a Muslim, always a Muslim.” Like the Mafia, Islam is difficult to leave, and any who defect do so at a great price. Most cults ostracize defecting people, cutting them off from family, friends, and even employment. Muslims sometimes assassinate people who leave their religion. How very cultic!
World Rule
Cults are dangerous—they control and manipulate those under their sway. Islamic leaders may issue a declaration (fatwa) or call for a holy war (jihad). Muslims are expected to obey these calls despite their individual feelings. As with the fatwa against Rushdie, Muslims remained under a theoretical obligation to kill him even though restrained from doing so by the law of the land.
If Islam were not so fractured into sects and splinter movements, the non-Muslim world would face a more serious enemy than it does today. Islam sanctions the murder of infidels and, of course, I am one, and so is anyone who is not a Muslim. It is no secret that Islam’s goal is world rule. This is not some right-wing conspiracy theory; it is the stated aim of Islam.
On the other hand, while Christians seek to share the Good News of Christ worldwide, they are not intent on forcing people to accept Christianity, much less eliminating those who reject the message.
Spiritual Process
Conversion to Christ is a spiritual process, not the recitation of a formula such as, “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet.” Biblical Christianity is about grace, which is God’s gift of faith and forgiveness.
Christianity is grounded both in the sacrifice Jesus offered for sin on the cross, and upon His resurrection that declares that those for whom He died are “justified.” No one becomes a Christian on the basis of his or her works or actions. Rather, conversion is something God brings about. This is why the New Testament uses the term “new birth” to describe it (see John 3: 1-15). Humans do not control their physical birth, and with the new (spiritual) birth it is the same. Salvation is accomplished through God’s power, not man’s. No public or private declaration will ever make a Christian out of anyone.
Revised Religion
Islam is classed with those religious groups that have “revised” Christianity. Some of these are The Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In these groups, including Islam, Jesus is acknowledged and honored as a prophet. He may even be worshipped to some degree. Yet Jesus’ teachings are declared to be incomplete and outdated. They must therefore be replaced or superseded by the teachings of ________ (insert name of group or prophet).
The Christianity Muhammad knew in the sixth and seventh centuries in the Arabian Peninsula was far different from New Testament Christianity—which had radically deteriorated. Observing the deficiencies in Judaism and a degenerate Christianity, Muhammad replaced them with his own concepts. This is understandable. The result, however, is not an improvement; it is simply another failed revisionist effort.
Downgrade
It is patronizing, too, for Islam to say it respects Jesus as a prophet while denying or altering what He said about himself and what the New Testament writers said concerning Him. I am thinking of such Scriptures as John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:15-20 among many others. Of course, the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses do the same. Revisionist cults must downgrade Jesus so that the “new, improved prophet” (or “truth”) can be presented as a replacement.
If Jesus is God in the flesh—Emmanuel, as the Christian Scripture proclaims; and if Jesus is the Messiah prophesied by the great Hebrew prophets; and if Jesus is the only Lord and Savior who will return to judge the living and the dead, then it is impossible to replace him.
Revelation and Misunderstanding
The Qur’an declares that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is a revelation from God. But it then proceeds to reject the clear message of the Bible! If the Bible is accurate about Jesus, there is no need for the Qur’an or Muhammad.
So, was Muhammad using flattery or attempting to patronize Christians when he seemed to honor Jesus? Or did he simply not understand? Essentially, Muhammad rejected a Christianity vastly different from the teaching of the New Testament.
Another sign of a cult is the way it keeps its adherents in the dark about other faiths. I doubt whether Muslims today know much about the message of Jesus and His Gospel. They know only what they have been told by their religious teachers. How accurate would we expect this information to be considering that the Qur’an is their authority?
To make it even worse, there is a general misunderstanding of what Christianity is. One misconception, for example, is that the West is Christian and that America is a Christian nation. Obviously, all that goes by the name of Christian is not Christian. To grasp what is the true essence of Jesus’ teachings, we must examine the primary source, the Bible.
Christians reject the belief that Muhammad is the prophet of God. Christians reject the Qur’an as a revelation from God. At least this is an honest position, innocent of any effort to mislead, flatter, confuse, or patronize.
What about the Crusades?
Muslims often ask, “What about the Crusades?” The intention of this question is often to deflect attention from the violence and oppression displayed by Muslims worldwide in the name of Allah.
Yes, there were the Crusades, and historians debate the complex tangle of religion and politics that gave rise to them. The Church of that era did not always pursue a true Christian and Biblical agenda. And this same authoritarian organization persecuted Jews and Protestants also. This same medieval church persecuted to the death those who believed the truths that I, as a Christian today, hold precious.
Is it therefore accurate for Muslims to blame all that goes by the name Christian for the Crusades? Would it not be fairer and wiser to discriminate amongst Christians? After all, most people do not blame all Muslims for the actions of some extremists.
Women in Islam
Another cultic aspect of Islam is the oppression of women in countries under Islamic rule. It is shocking, deviant, and evil.
Why is this frightful treatment tolerated? Why is there such an exaggerated fear and mistrust of women? Islamic spokesmen say the women are merely being protected. The women themselves generally resent their treatment and lowly status, but are seemingly powerless to bring about change.
The plight of young men and women in Islamic countries is sad indeed. Their isolation from one another distorts normal social relationships between the sexes. Wealthy (and usually older) men can have four wives and as many concubines as they can afford, while younger, poorer men, are deprived. This deplorable situation stems directly from the nature and traditions of Islam itself as well as the tribal culture from which it sprang.
Women are denied education in countries ruled by strict Sharia law. Why? Is it to keep women in their place? Why must women cover themselves so that not even an ankle can be seen in public? These are twisted gender mores.
Moderate Muslims claim that these practices are only enforced by extremists. The “extremists” claim they are only interpreting Islam in the purest manner possible! Who is right?
Fruit of Islam
Islamic political control has prevented social progress and economic development. For example, does anyone own a car made in an Islamic country? How about a television set, a computer, an alarm clock, an airplane, or a boat? Why are many Islamic countries among the poorest in the world even while their oil reserves are vast?
Where do wealthy Muslims send their young people to be educated? To Western countries, for the most part, since those countries freely entertain examination of all points of view for the widest number of topics using the latest discoveries and thinking.
The cultic nature of Islam prevents Muslim-dominated countries from developing middle class wealth, which would require an ever-increasing importation of Western ways, and this is feared and condemned by Muslim clerics. The shot callers in Islam fear the rise of a middle class.
Muslims have undoubtedly contributed to the world’s storehouse of achievements. But if we look at the Islamic nations today, we see they are something less than wonderful. Except for Afghan refugees trying to enter Pakistan, I haven’t read about people lining up at their borders waiting to get in. Islam is sometimes described as the “beautiful religion,” but where can this beauty be seen? What Islamic country practices Islam in such a way that someone might be motivated to move there?
It is one thing for Muslim leaders to disown the September 11 terrorists as extremists. It is another to demonstrate peaceful moderation and tolerance.
Please understand I am not saying that Muslim people are not as capable, intelligent, and worthy as any other people. Rather, it is the toxic and repressive nature of recruitment, retention, and motivation that is cultic.
Muslims are born into a religious heritage they did not choose and cannot walk away from. They are molded by their environment into dedicated Muslims; there is essentially no choice available for them—they are stuck.
The Major Difference
Islam is a religion based on performance, whereas Biblical Christianity is grounded on God’s grace. The Islamic deity rewards obedience. Muslim heaven, or paradise, must be earned, either by martyrdom or by carefully keeping rules and regulations.
And since Allah is depicted as remote and detached from the individual Muslim, there is no assurance of salvation nor any confidence that even the faithful Muslim will achieve paradise.
Works-based religion can and does inspire fear and extremism in those who take it seriously. It is not surprising that some go to extremes to curry the favor of the deity and their religious leaders, especially when a favorable eternity is at stake.
The Qur’an assures martyrs that they will attain paradise, and it is this very promise that attracts and motivates suicide bombers, including those who turned commercial airliners into missiles on September 11. Since that day, the Qur’anic command to “strike terror into the heart” of the infidel has been obeyed more and more often by young men and women recruited by watching on the Internet horrific violence against innocent civilians in dozens of filmed executions and other gruesome attacks.
Biblical Christianity, on the other hand, emphasizes grace, which signifies “God’s giving”. Through Jesus Christ, God imparts forgiveness and salvation as a free gift, apart from any good work. Salvation is by grace, not by works (Ephesians 2:4-10). Even extreme devotion, sacrifice, and obedience will never secure God’s favor.
Furthermore, Christians have assurance of salvation by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, so they are not left in doubt and insecurity (Romans 8:15-17). Everlasting life with God in heaven is given to the Christian through the work of God the Son. It cannot be lost, since God the Father keeps the believer by His great power (John 10:27-30).
An Absurdity
Cults employ mind-bending techniques to induce their followers to be obedient—this has long been understood.
What about the mind-boggling promise of seventy-two virgins available for the pleasures of every martyred Islamic warrior? This is as extreme an example as can be found even in the strangest cult sects!
Certainly, for poor, young, love-starved men, whose future is clouded at best, the promise of unlimited fleshly pleasure in the hereafter might be an inducement to die for the sake of Allah. But is this obscene and sexist doctrine true? Moderate Islamic interpreters say no; the sexually oriented promises are unfounded. Yet, this perverse promise is constantly embraced. Many a mind-bent warrior has killed and died to acquire his virgins.
A Challenge
Harassment of Muslims is unacceptable, and this essay is not an attempt to bring grief to Muslim people.
However, I would challenge Muslims to examine their religion—indeed, their hearts and minds, and ask themselves these questions:
Why am I a Muslim? Is my commitment to Islam based on a free decision apart from family influences?
What is my attitude towards those of other religions, particularly Jews and Christians?
Are my attitudes cultic in any way?
Do I honestly think that killing Jews and Christians serves Allah?
Do I believe it is a Muslim’s duty to defend Islam by martyrdom or suicide?
Should I support religious tolerance for people of other faiths in Muslim-dominated countries like Saudi Arabia?
Many Muslims are seekers after God, and this is good. The Hebrew prophet Jeremiah wrote: “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).
Whether Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jew, nominal Christian, or nothing at all—the challenge is to seek God because He can be found. Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33).
Knowing God
Regardless of our religious background, we are created in the image of God. We have been made by and for Him, and we will never be satisfied until we know Him personally. The Creator God sent His Son, Jesus, to break down the walls of separation between men and reconcile all kinds of people to Himself (Ephesians 2:14-18).
The challenge is to make up your own mind about Jesus Christ. Learn about Him yourself and do not merely accept the opinions of others.
Find a New Testament, read the story of His life, and see if you find anything amiss with Him. Is there any sin, or anything false, in the one who came from God? Find an Old Testament and read the prophecies of the Messiah (which is Hebrew for “Christ”), passages like Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53. Are these passages not about Jesus?
If you seek Him, He will be found.
Six. The Day of Atonement
The authors’ thesis is that Jesus will complete or fulfill the fast known as the Day of Atonement at the time of His return, which will include the saving of all of Israel. Is this warranted on the basis of the biblical material itself?
The second of the fall holidays is the Day of Atonement. The literal transliteration from the Hebrew is yom hakippurim—day of the atonements, in the plural.
Leviticus 23:26-32
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Now on the tenth day of this
seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy
convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to
the LORD. And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day
of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the LORD your God. For
whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people.
And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy
from among his people. You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever
throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. It shall be to you
a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth
day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you
keep your Sabbath.”
Notes on the passage:
One. A dominant theme of the fast is affliction, which would include fasting from food and drink, confession of sin, and repentance.
Two. Another theme is refraining from work; again the emphasis is on rest.
Three. If one failed to afflict oneself and avoid work, an individual would be cut off from among the chosen people of God—a most serious and solemn warning. Four. To “cut off” and “destroy” are probably synonymous terms.
Five. The nation of Israel can only receive atonement; it cannot achieve it or earn it. It must be made on their behalf.
Purpose of the fast
The Day of Atonement–a day of humiliation and removal of the sins of the nation so that Israel could be restored to God through the ministry of the high priest. The Day of Atonement was observed by fasting from food and drink, avoiding daily labor, and by a holy convocation or gathering of the people for worship at the Temple. On that day and that day only, the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies wherein God dwelt.[1] So Israel was vicariously[2] brought into God’s presence. Having been excluded from the Genesis Garden of Eden, God’s chosen people are given the hope of one day being fully included in God’s rest or Sabbath.
Leviticus 16
The entirety of Leviticus 16 is devoted to a detailed explanation of the sacrifices and
rituals to be performed, mainly by Israel’s high priest, on the Day of Atonement. There
are three distinct rites required to atone for the high priest and the other priests, the sanctuary itself, and the people.
One. The high priest sacrificed a young bull to atone for his personal sin and for the sins of all the priests. The high priest bathed first and wore simple white linen clothing rather than the usual ceremonial attire. The first time the high priest entered the Holy of Holies he brought in a censer, which was a device to hold live, hot coals taken from the main altar. The smoke would fill the chamber, especially the area around the mercy seat that rested on top of the ark containing the Ten Commandments. Then, the high priest brought in the blood from the bull that had been sacrificed and sprinkled it on the mercy seat and on the floor of the Holy of holies.
Two. The second sacrificial rite performed by the high priest was to ceremonially cleanse the sanctuary from the sins of the priests and worshipers. Then the people would have free access to the sanctuary.
Days earlier, specially designated people, representing the nation, selected two goats, which were presented to the high priest. He cast lots to determine which goat would be designated “For the LORD” and which would be designated “Azazel.” (The meaning of “Azazel” is uncertain but it may contain the idea of being sent away, out of the camp and away from Israel.) The Azazel would be the “scapegoat.”
The goat designated “For the LORD” was sacrificed by the high priest who then took some of the blood and entered the Holy of Holies a third time and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat and on the floor as he had done earlier.
Three. The high priest then placed his hands upon the head of the
goat designated Azazel and confessed over it the sins of the people thus ceremonially transferring all national sin to the goat. The goat became the sin and guilt bearer—not his own sin and guilt, of course, but that of God’s chosen people. A man previously selected would lead the goat out into the wilderness and let it go free. The sin of the people was removed.
Later generations enlarged on the sending away of the Azazel or scapegoat. Among the additions included the goat being taken out some ten or more miles to a cliff and then pushed over to its death.
The high priest of Israel
The high priest acted alone throughout the Day of Atonement. He was not without sin and thus the first sacrificial act was intended to atone for his own sins. The high priest alone worked—no one else did. This is an essential point embedded into the ceremonies on the Day of Atonement. All the nation received cleansing of sin through the work of one man—but for one year only.
Jesus’ atoning work on the cross, this high priestly and completed work, cleanses God’s chosen people forever. The writer of Hebrews, a Jew writing for Jewish people, put it this way:
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 7:23-27
The Day of Atonement after A.D. 70
The ceremonies of the Fast centered upon the high priest and the Holy place in the Temple in Jerusalem. In A.D. 70 that grand Temple was destroyed by a Roman army under the Roman general Titus, who would soon be emperor of Rome, The Day of Atonement is kept to this day by observant Jews in ways not found in Leviticus 16 or 23, although confession of sin, repentance, and contrition are still practiced.
The ceremonial Law could not procure forgiveness and salvation. The sacrifices had a limited effectiveness. The Temple with its altar would be lost along with the priesthood and all else that belonged to the sacrificial ministry. However, these were all meant to be temporary and designed to point to a greater reality.
The Azazel or Scapegoat
Jesus was crucified “outside the camp” on Golgotha Hill outside the walls of Jerusalem, with all the sins of God’s chosen people placed upon Him. He was sent away like the scapegoat; He died and was buried, exactly fulfilling the heart of Passover and Unleavened Bread. Then on Firstfruits He was raised from the dead. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to us to glorify this Son of God, reaped a harvest and fulfilled that fourth spring feast.
The work of the high priest, Jesus the Messiah, has made possible the fulfilling of the Day of Atonement, which is partially fulfilled already—but there is more to come. The work of redemption has already been accomplished, as the writer of Hebrews pointed out nearly two thousand years ago:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
Hebrews 9:11-12
Jesus, as high priest, did not sacrifice an animal and use that blood to cleanse the sanctuary as a way for God’s people to enter into His presence. No, the cleansing blood was His own, and upon His resurrection He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. God dwells in heaven, no longer in the Holy of Holies, and we can enter into His presence right now because of the high priestly work of Jesus. God’s people have access to His presence by prayer, and upon their death are raised to God’s presence to enjoy Him forever. Paradise, walking and talking with God, will be regained through the work of the Anointed One alone.
Zechariah foretells a great day of redemption for Israel
Zechariah the prophet declared that the LORD would give salvation to Israel. The words of prophecy are found in chapter 12 verse 10:
And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.
God will pour out upon Jewish people a spirit of grace, and their pleas for mercy will yield forgiveness. Indeed, Israel will once again, as a people, afflict themselves; they will mourn and weep bitterly as for the firstborn and only child.
This dramatic and miraculous change of heart will come upon them after they “look on me.” This is the crux of it.
Who is the “me?” The only help in identification is “on him whom they have pierced.” But notice the “me” and the “him” are one and the same. The “me” is the LORD. And He will be “pierced,” a word usually meaning thrust through, with death as the result.
How is it that the LORD could be pierced? This LORD is the LORD who, in Jesus, became flesh. This is Jesus the Messiah who was crucified, nailed to a tree, and having become a curse for His people, was punctured by a Roman spear. The eye witness to the crucifixion, John the Apostle, said: “But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water” (John 19:34). Between the nails in the hands and feet and the spear in the side, Jesus was indeed “pierced.”
How the Day of Atonement will be fulfilled
How will they look upon the one pierced? It is not evident in the text.
Jesus the Messiah is at the right hand of the Father in heaven and has been for the long interval between the spring and the fall holidays. But the Messiah will return, and those who are Israel will see Him, mourn for Him, and turn to Him as Messiah and Savior. These authors think that the Day of Atonement will be fulfilled when Paul’s end of the age prophecy comes to pass:
Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Romans 11:25-27
A “partial hardening” did come upon Israel, not a complete hardening, since we do know that many Jewish people have trusted in Jesus as Messiah and Savior down through the centuries. Indeed, two of the authors of this book are Jewish.
The partial hardening will end and yield to the salvation of all who are Israel, after those Gentiles chosen by God have also been saved. And so, the Day of Atonement will be fulfilled.
Paul quotes two passages from Isaiah, first Isaiah 59:20-21 and then Isaiah 27:9, in support of his claim that all Israel will be saved. The Deliverer will come—this is none other than the return of Jesus, the conquering Messiah, the great King, coming to establish His kingdom. Jesus, having already borne our sin, like the sin of the Israelite was placed upon the Azazel, will save all those who look upon the One they pierced and mourn. These will recognize the pierced One as one of their own, even their firstborn as in Zechariah’s prophecy. This will be a saving lookand not a work on the part of the one who looks. It will be a resting in the completed work of the Messiah, His death, burial, and resurrection.
Thinking again about Zechariah’s prophecy, chapter 12 verse 10, we find that Israel will “look on me,” and it is possible that the prophet had Numbers 21:4-9 in mind. The story is that a bronze snake was lifted up and those who were dying as a result of the poisonous bites of snakes were safe when they looked. “So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live” (Numbers 21:9).
At the return of Messiah Israel will look and be saved.
The Day of Atonement, Feast of Trumpets, and the Jubilee
Leviticus 25:8-12
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. That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.
On a Day of Atonement, the tenth day of the seventh month, every fifty years, there was to be a Jubilee, transliterated yobhel from the Hebrew and meaning “ram,” or “ram’s horn.” The word Shofar appears in our passage as well, verse 9, and also was a ram’s horn. After seven sabbaths of years there would be the grand sabbatical year.
On the Day of Atonement every fifty years the Shofar was to be sounded and the year of Jubilee commenced. It meant that slaves went free, land returned to the original owners, and the fields were to lay fallow. It was a reminder that land, people, and produce of the fields belonged to God.
The Jubilee is of interest, because Jesus quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2 and this passage is filled with words and phrases very reminiscent of the Levitical Jubilee passage. At the outset of His ministry, at a synagogue in His home town of Nazareth, Jesus was given the scroll of Isaiah and read, as a part of the worship service:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to
the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
This is likely Jubilee language from the prophet Isaiah, and Isaiah may have been referring to Leviticus 25:8-17. But that is not all. Jesus, after finishing the passage from Isaiah said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
Jesus identified with the Isaiah passage as being the One whom the Spirit of the Lord had anointed to proclaim the good news of freedom to the slaves. And the New Testament has running through it the message of the good news that Messiah Jesus sets people free from their bondage to sin. He does so by bearing sin, then taking it away in His death and being buried. Then in His resurrection and ascension glorified once again, being directly in the presence of the Father.
Jesus has fulfilled not only the Day of Atonement but also the grand Sabbath of them all, the Jubilee. Jesus is the One who brings the Sabbath rest of God. The associations and meaning are obvious and utterly captivating.
Warrant for an eschatological interpretation of the Day of Atonement
Although there are no explicit messianic interpretations of the Day of Atonement in the Hebrew Bible, there is evidence that the Day of Atonement attached itself to the eschatological expectations of the Old Testament saints. Daniel’s vision of the seventy weeks of years (Dan. 9:24-27) envisions a time at which sins would be finally and fully atoned for and when the Holy of Holies would be anointed. In context, this period of “seventy sevens” is not only Gabriel’s interpretation of Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years (9:2), but the language used here is reminiscent of the description of the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-12). The Jubilee year was to occur every seven times seven years (forty-nine years). At that time, the ram’s horn was to be sounded in the seventh month on the Day of Atonement. At such a time (as previously stated) all debts were pardoned and every person would return to his ancestral possession in the Promised Land. Thus, this heavenly explanation of Jeremiah’s prophecy likely incorporates a messianic interpretation of the Year of Jubilee with its associated Day of Atonement. In the fullness of time for the people of Israel (seventy times seven years), God would bring about the ultimate pardon from all spiritual debts, a cleansing of the heavenly Holy of Holies (clearly an allusion to Leviticus 16), and the sealing up of all vision and prophecy through the coming of the Messiah.
Is there a biblical warrant?
Is it possible to state that Jesus completed, satisfied, and fulfilled, in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost something for which God had laid the foundation in the Jewish holidays and which mark the roadmap of world history?
In the case of the Day of Atonement we know that Jesus, through His sacrifice on the cross, atoned for all the sin of God’s chosen people for all time. That had already happened on that Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits. The question is: Will He fulfill, at His return, the Day of Atonement for Israel according to the promise of Romans 11:25-26? And again, as with the Feast of Trumpets, there is a large clue in Colossians 2:16-17:
Therefore let no one pass judgment on
you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon
or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the
things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
[1] Some Jewish people think that by fasting they are making atonement for their sins. In fact, only the high priest could make that atonement: the Jewish people could only receive the finished work of the high priest.
[2] Vicarious means through the agency of another. The people of Israel entered into God’s presence by the agency of the high priest. The Israelites were considered present in the person of the high priest.
Chapter 2 1
In 1968, when we were living on Greenfield Avenue in San Rafael, I wrote Gospel flyers and began to hand out dozens of them at San Rafael High School. Often, I positioned myself on the sidewalk and passed out leaflets to the students as they left for home. If I attempted this now, I would see a police car pull up within a few minutes.
One of the marks of the Jesus Movement was an acceptance on the part of the secular world of spiritual things. Transcendental Meditation, Satanism, Zen Buddhism, and more were common topics of conversation, particularly among young people. So was Jesus. There was a hunger, perhaps a curiosity, maybe a fad, and the sight of someone holding a Bible was sure to start up some interaction. One of the characteristics of awakenings is that people other than Christians talk about spiritual ideas. This was certainly the case in the JPM, and consequently even school officials, students, and their parents were receptive to a Christian presence. This was not so before the JPM, and it was again not so when the JPM ended. I did not grasp the implications of this phenomenon for several decades.
Very often I carried a big black Bible under my arm as I strolled down Haight Street in San Francisco. There were certainly some derisive comments, yet the sight of that Bible triggered openings for conversations about Jesus. Such a conversation on the street tended to grow as passersby heard what was being discussed and wanted to join in. The same happened at San Rafael High.
It started with a couple of kids who regularly looked for my arrival. Mary Jensen was one, and she brought along Hugo Countandin, Eileen Hotchner, Tommy Gaulden, Byrne Power, Keith Fink, Eric Sorenson, and Bob Burns. The group grew larger, and they proposed we start a lunchtime Bible study in a classroom at the school. The students 71
approached the vice principal, got an initial approval, and I received a telephone call to come to the school and discuss it. The result was a weekly lunchtime Bible study. Most of the kids came and went, but some stayed and became part of the group. In the beginning, I arrived early to pass out flyers, but eventually the kids themselves began to write their own one-page flyers and distribute them.
We also started Bible studies at Redwood, Drake, Tamalpais, Terra Linda, Novato, and San Marin high schools, Dominican College, and College of Marin. At first I conducted them, but when the number reached six I needed help. In time the students led the studies, but for a fairly long period I continued at San Rafael, Drake, and Redwood.
In 1968, in order to better serve the kids and others, I began a Tuesday night Bible study at our Zion’s Inn on Greenfield Avenue in San Rafael (Tuesday instead of Wednesday, so we didn’t compete with the traditional church times for such activities).
We started at 7:30 p.m. and ended when the last person left. I began with chapter one and verse one of a Bible book and went through it verse by verse. We studied the Word for about two hours. The mood was serious, and the goal was to educate not entertain. I sat in a chair with my back to the bay window at the front of the house and talked through the material, welcoming all questions and comments. When someone made some nutty comment or wanted to pontificate on some crazy doctrinal point, I listened then went on.
The Gospels were my favorite books to teach, followed closely by Acts. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell the story of Jesus, and studying them was our way of being with Him. A study of a Gospel might take four to five months. We learned about Jesus then went out to witness the rest of the week. It seemed to be the Biblical agenda.
In my mind’s eye I can still picture Martin Rosen filling the biggest chair we had in the ample front room at the Greenfield house. Martin was later known as Moishe when Jews for Jesus began to take shape, and I can also see Mark Buckley, the first person to come alongside me besides David Hoyt to do the work of ministry.
Moishe knew a lot more than I did about the Bible. In many ways he became a mentor for me. I loved to sit and talk with him by the hour. He was likely the very first person to understand that something unusual, something from the Spirit of God, was going on even in obscure San Rafael of Marin County.
There we were, Tuesday after Tuesday; many were coming to faith in Jesus, and we were running out of room. Down the street right at the city limits is the First Methodist Church of San Rafael. I had never attended there, but I talked with the pastor and asked if we could rent the church’s fellowship hall, Wesley Hall, for the Tuesday night Bible study. He was agreeable and the rental price was set.
Next we made up a flyer with the details about the Bible study and gave them to the high school kids who were attending regularly, so they could hand them out at their schools. Within a month the hall was filled, about five or six times the number that had been coming to the study at Zion’s Inn.
I still taught sitting down but moved to the center of a circle of chairs. At that point I knew a few chords on the guitar, and we began singing simple little songs that began to emerge amongst us, some of which I wrote myself. The music was nothing like what is called “contemporary music” today. We sang short, meaty songs in terns of theology, easily sung by anyone, and only for a short time, because we did not want anything to infringe on the Bible study time.
Oddly, or maybe not oddly, I still sing the same songs and play the same guitar as then. Yes, the same guitar. I started off with a cheap big body steel six stringer, which sounded awful. At some point in the early weeks of that study at Wesley Hall the kids got together and bought me a real instrument, a Japanese version of the Gibson Hummingbird called a Conqueror, and I still have it. It cost them $225 and that was 1968. The neck has had to be repaired a time or two, but I play it every Sunday morning still, using all of about eight chords now.
I’m not sure what motivated me, but some months into the study at Wesley Hall I began praying for healings. As far as I recall, I had never done this before. Though I had spoken in tongues, I did not feel good about praying for someone to be healed, because after all, I was a Baptist, not a Pentecostal. I think my reasoning was that I was teaching about what Jesus did, and He healed a lot of people. But that was Jesus; I was merely Kent Philpott.
It must have been that someone requested prayer for healing. With little or no faith that such would be effectual, I did, and the person was healed! Or so they said, and I was the type who doubted any miracle claim, even if my own eyes saw it. But I kept on, and week-by-week people were healed, seemingly for real.
After some months, more and more people showed up, and now adults, parents of the kids, came as well. At times, at the conclusion of the study, a line would form. I sat in a chair at the far end of the room and prayed for each person, one by one. This went on until no one was left, often quite late into the night. When all were gone, I would pack up my guitar, make sure all the chairs were stacked neatly and the bathrooms clean, and walk down the street to home.
I had trouble with the healing work only one time: One Tuesday night, we prayed for a teenage girl, whom I did not know and did not recall ever seeing before. The next afternoon I received a phone call from her father, who was a high-ranking city employee. He yelled at me over the phone, threatening to have me thrown out of Wesley Hall. I waited until he was exhausted and asked him why he was so mad at me.
He related that when his daughter was about to undergo surgery for a very serious eye aliment that Wednesday morning, and while she was under anesthesia, the surgeon discovered her eye was healthy and required no treatment. When she came out of the effects of the drug, she loudly proclaimed that Jesus had healed her. Then I heard the father shout, “And we’re Jewish.”
This young lady subsequently went on to work with Jews for Jesus, and the father called me years later to ask if there was any room in one of our little Christian houses for another of his daughters.
The Bible studies were the primary engine for the growth of the JPM in Marin County. Some of the kids who were converted in those studies became church leaders and still serve Jesus to this day. Parents began showing up to simply check things out, and some of them stayed as well.
What characterized that time was an extraordinary desire to talk about God; it seemed perfectly normal to me, and I was not surprised to see people being converted right and left. Out of necessity, we started baptizing people. Sometimes in swimming pools, or at Stinson Beach, or in San Pablo Bay at Paradise Park in the area alongside Tiburon and Corte Madera. Things were moving quickly, and none of us understood that we were in the midst of a national outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Essay Six
In nearly every edition of major American newspapers are stories of Muslims somewhere, east or west, engaged in acts of violence—in the name of Allah. Suicide bombing, kidnapping, killing Christians, Jews, and Hindus, burning churches and temples, destroying ancient religious relics, protesting free expressions of religion and the press—such terrorist reports are routine. What does this indicate about the very fabric of Islam?
I say it demonstrates a core weakness.
By weakness, I mean Islam is not able to compete in the spiritual marketplace of ideas. It must instead resort to repression, intimidation, and violence. Perhaps there is a sense of inferiority in that Muslims are gripped by the fear that Islam is not able to stand alongside Christianity, which does not seek to gain influence and converts by dependence on questionable, cultic methods.
I am reminded of Paul who, prior to his conversion, vigorously persecuted the Church. Many Bible scholars think he was motivated by a fear that his religious beliefs were inadequate or even erroneous. Paul was a terrorist while he was still known as Saul, according to the Biblical account in Acts. Yet after Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Paul no longer threw men, women, and children in prison merely because they believed in Jesus. Rather, he himself became a simple preacher of the gospel armed only with the message of a crucified and risen Savior.
Paul learned from Jesus, who taught His disciples to turn the other cheek, to pray for their enemies, and to do good to those who treated them shamefully. Jesus taught that His followers were to love their neighbors as themselves and to do to others as they would have done to them. Jesus said nothing of killing infidels or repressing religious teachings. He did warn of false prophets whose aim would be to deceive and corrupt. Clearly, however, He did not advocate imprisoning or killing them. In one instance, Jesus taught His disciples to simply go on to the next town when opposition arose. Jesus Himself practiced this, as did Paul throughout his missionary journeys.
Consider a society like Saudi Arabia where even the simple recounting of the Christian message to a Muslim is a capital offense. That is weakness in the extreme.
Islamic evangelistic strategy, known as da’wa, is so very often fueled by intimidation and violence. “Convert or die” has too often been the Muslim message. Am I exaggerating here? I don’t think so, since sufficient historical data supports my claim, both ancient and modern. In fact, I think that the Islamic means of spreading the faith are held in check only by fear of retaliation from target peoples.
Biblical Christianity has entirely different weapons of warfare. Paul wrote, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). Such is the power of the message of Jesus.
Evangelical Christians proclaim the message of the Cross of Jesus and His resurrection. The Holy Spirit of God then convicts individuals of their rebellion against God and draws them to the Savior, Jesus Christ, who has completely provided for their salvation. No one can be forced to become a Christian; no one can even “join” Christianity or apply for membership. It is a work of God and not of man. One of the great weaknesses of Islam is that it arose and continues to exist as the work of man. Few voluntarily choose to join Islam, especially in recent years now that the religion was been partially unmasked. It is usually by birth and community attachments that one becomes a Muslim. And especially in Muslim-dominated countries it is nearly impossible to leave it. This again is a great weakness. There is no religious freedom for Muslims to come and go, to be faithful or not; there is only fear of the community, of hellfire, and peer pressure. To be an apostate Muslim, that is one who has declared faith in Jesus rather than Muhammad, is to be classified worse than an infidel. The result is often death.
Paul trusted in the work of the Holy Spirit and did not revert to his old ways of violence and imprisonment—fleshly warfare. In Ephesians, Chapter 6, he describes the “armor of God”— which is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, for the feet the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (see Ephesians 6: 10-20).
This is strength. This is confidence. This is peace. This is actual dependence on and submission to God.
Gospel Meditation Galatians 5:1–15
Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Recite the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
Chapter Five
The authors’ thesis is that Jesus will complete or fulfill the Feast of Trumpets at the time of His return, which will usher in the great Day of Judgment. Is this warranted on the basis of the biblical material itself?
The Jewish holidays: Are They God’s Calendar? Is the roadmap of world history embedded in the holidays themselves?
We use the term “God’s Calendar” because it is not a human calendar; it is not the kind of chronological calendar humans normally use to mark times and seasons. God’s calendar is different, because He created time and space, transcends time and space, and dwells above or outside it but invades His creation for His own purposes.
The Creator God marks the grand sweep of history, many of us think, around the holidays of Israel. These incredible events that Israel was to keep throughout all generations seem to point to something beyond themselves. In the actual text of the Hebrew Scriptures, supported by the stories of events like the Exodus, is the calendar in and through which God’s history will be worked out. The holidays are God’s way of announcing what He has done, what He is doing, and what He is going to do.
Must the five feasts, the offering, and the fast be kept today?
Believers in Messiah Jesus are not required to keep the Jewish holidays, even Jewish believers. This is because in Jesus the holidays are kept already. Keeping the holidays will not earn anyone, Jew or Gentile, favor with God. However, an understanding of the biblical-eschatological significance of the holidays for any believer in Jesus helps contextualize the gospel message and deepens an appreciation for the ancient plan of God embedded in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation.
Though not a requirement for being “in good standing with God,” the holidays may be celebrated by any believer in Jesus. Many Jewish Christians as well as Gentile Christians do observe the holidays because it helps maintain Jewish identity and reminds them of God’s work through the Messiah.
What about the warning of Acts 1:7?
The feast of Trumpets, as we will see later on in this chapter, points to the return of Jesus. As soon as this is stated it is clear that attention must be paid to Jesus’ warning about trying to know or find out the timing of that second advent. Jesus told His disciples, who were inquiring about when the kingdom of God would be restored to Israel, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32, and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 also speak to this general subject.
If the first four holidays were fulfilled on the very days they were celebrated, and if the fall holidays are to be fulfilled in a similar way, would not it be that we would then know the exact time, at least the exact day of the year, when Jesus would return to establish that kingdom?
The authors of this book do not have a definitive answer to this question, and clearly, we do not know the day or the date of the final act of God in history, nor do we suggest that the end time events will take place on the days of the biblical festive calendar. We are content to wait for His imminent return.
Though no one can know the date the Trumpets will be blown, some points can be made. One, though the day and month might be known, the year would not. Not knowing the year changes everything. Two, Acts 1:7 indicates that the date of the restoration is fixed, but there may yet be embedded in Scripture clues as to the times and seasons, which may serve as encouragements and promises to God’s people. Three, biblically-oriented Christians believe in the second coming of the Messiah Jesus at the close of the age. The point Jesus seemed to be making in the early section of Acts chapter 1 was that the focus of the disciples’ work was to be evangelism empowered by the Holy Spirit and not the ruling over of an earthly kingdom.
An interval of some unknown time
Between the spring and fall feasts is an interval of time of some unknown duration. The first three holidays of Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits come in the first month of the Jewish religious year, Nissan. Pentecost is in the third month of Sivan. All three of the fall holidays come in Tishri, the seventh month. The interval of unknown time comes then between Sivan and Tishri, a time encompassing parts of the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth months. The question is: Why the interval and what is God’s strategy during that period?
The most crowded time on the Jewish calendar is the seventh month, with three holidays celebrated, the last one for seven days. The case might be made that the three are in fact one long feast since Trumpets announces the preparation for the Day of Atonement. “Seventh” points back to the beginning of creation. God infused these holidays with a sense of that seven-day perfection of creation and the seventh day of rest. In the seventh month a worshipful crescendo is reached. In between the fall and spring holidays is a dry time with little rain. At Pentecost, when the Spirit was given to the Church, there was a great harvest but it was a dry time for the people of Israel.
What about the Jewish People?
One of the issues Paul wrestled with was that while the Gentiles were trusting in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in droves, and while there were also many Jewish people who came to faith, still the Jewish leadership and with them the bulk of the Jewish community did not accept Jesus as Messiah. So, from Israel’s perspective, the interval between Sivan and Tishri has been in some sense a dry time. However, there will be another harvest after the first harvest of the Gentiles is complete; and it is all a matter of timing. That timing will come in the seventh month of God’s calendar, whenever that special time known only to God arrives.
The purpose of the interval
At the time of the ascension, Jesus made it very clear what the Church’s work was to be. He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Jesus’ followers were to be proclaimers of what we call the Gospel, which is essentially that Jesus took our sin upon Himself, took our sin away, rose from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and from there, after some unknown interval of time, will return as the conquering Messiah.
The Feast of Trumpets
The Feast of Trumpets is the first of the fall feasts and was celebrated on the first day of the seventh month of Tishri. In Leviticus 23:24 the word that gives its name to the feast transliterated from the Hebrew is teru`ah and literally means “trumpet blast.”
Two “horns” are mentioned in Scripture; there are the silver trumpets of Numbers 10, and there is the Shofar of Joshua 6 and other passages, which is an actual ram’s horn.
Numbers 10:1-2 describes the silver trumpets: “The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Make two silver trumpets. Of hammered work you shall make them, and shall use them for summoning the congregation and for breaking camp.’” The ram’s horns were blown while the Hebrew army under Joshua was circling the city of Jericho. The silver trumpets were blown when offerings were brought to the Temple, at the time of all the feasts, and for every New Moon (see Numbers 10:10). These trumpets were celebratory in nature. The trumpets spoken of in Leviticus 23 and 25 are traditionally thought to be a ram’s horn, the Shofar, and are for calling to repentance and seeking of God’s forgiveness.
It was a ram “caught in a thicket by his horns” (Genesis 22:13) that Abraham sacrificed instead of his son Isaac. The ram’s horn therefore became of special significance in the history of Israel and became a symbol, an icon, in the religious life of the people. In fact, Genesis 22 is traditionally read on Rosh Hashanah (the current Hebrew name for the holiday).
Leviticus 23:23-25
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. You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the LORD.”
Notes on the passage:
One. After almost four months have passed from the last spring feast, the clock is now running.
Two. Again we find an emphasis on “rest,” which is the meaning of the word for sabbath in Hebrew. It is a solemn rest, or a time set aside to commemorate or remember.
Three. A blast of trumpets announced the coming of the holiday.
Four. No ordinary work was to be done.
Head of the Year
Passover began the religious year for Israel. Trumpets announced the beginning of Israel’s civil year or ordinary calendar. Rosh Hashanah is the transliterated form for the Hebrew Head of the Year, and is the Jewish New Year. The new moon of the seventh month of the year would, of course, be a special and holy time. Rather than a time of joyous celebration, this was one of solemn spiritual and moral examination by each observant Jew.
New Year’s Day may mean the beginning of something entirely new and embedded here may be a pointer to something new for all that is Israel.
The close of the previous civil year
On the first day of the seventh month, Tishri, is the Day of Trumpets or the blast of trumpets, but it is also the thirtieth day in a season of Teshuvah, which means repentance and return—in the traditions of Judaism. In the sixth month of Elul is when preparations would be made for the climatic seventh month. Prayers and good deeds are performed in order to achieve reconciliation with God. In the Jewish mind, it is a time when you need to prepare yourself for judgment by making amends.
Seventh and sevens
The Torah, the Mosaic covenant, is riddled with sevens, starting with the Creation story. In the Hebrew Bible the very first statement is made up of seven Hebrew words which are translated, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The seventh month in God’s calendar—in a sense the perfect month, the month of completion—and the silence of the previous four months is broken by the blast of a trumpet.
The prophets also described God’s seventh month as though it were God’s final month, a time of great expectation. The prophets Isaiah, Zephaniah, and Zechariah talked about the Shofar of God that will be sounded “in that day.” Isaiah 18:3 reads: “All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, when a signal is raised on the mountains, look! When a trumpet is blown, hear!” Isaiah 27:13 reads: “And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.” The prophet Zephaniah, proclaiming that the Day of the LORD was coming, wrote in 1:14-16:
The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter;the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day,a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.
And finally there is Zechariah who, in a prophecy concerning the “Coming King of Zion” to save His people, the prophet preached: “Then the LORD will appear over them, and his arrow will go forth like lightning; the LORD God will sound the trumpet and will march forth in the whirlwinds of the south” (Zechariah 9:14).
The long prophetic conversation
The completion of the Torah catalyzed a conversation among Israel’s prophets that seems to have lasted throughout her biblical history; this process continued with the apostles of the New Testament period. The prophets were studying and looking for clues, not just about the past, but also about the future. There are hints in Scripture that what God did in the past pointed ahead to or were harbingers of what He would do in the future. A conversation about the seventh month and trumpet blasts was going on among the prophets, which was actually begun by Moses (remember the ram’s horn in Genesis 22).
Another conversation that went on in the Tanakh concerns suffering. Psalm 22, among others, depicts a suffering, dying, even crucified Messiah. Isaiah presents the same, in his chapters 52 and 53. Zechariah, in chapter 12 verse 10, spoke of a suffering, pierced, and dying Messiah.
The Tanakh reveals two Messiahs, a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah, One Messiah suffers in His first coming and conquers in His second coming. The coming of this last or second Messiah will be heralded by a trumpet blast in the seventh month of God’s calendar.
Whether or not the prophets related the end-time trumpets to the Feast of Trumpets is not as obvious as we find in regard to the spring holidays, where it is plain that Jesus, in His life and ministry, fulfilled or completed those holidays. In this case, as with the Day of Atonement and Booths, surmises and analogies are made connecting the fall holidays with the end-time events spoken of in the New Testament.
Trumpets in the New Testament
Trumpets were used to gather the people of God together for celebrations. They were used in time of war, and used to announce judgment. In the wilderness after the Exodus, trumpets were blown to summon God’s people to break camp for another day’s journey toward the Promised Land. The silver trumpets were used in celebrative instances, the Shofar for serious and solemn times.
In the New Testament trumpeting announces the return of Messiah, or Son of Man as in the follow passage (Messiah, Son of Man, and Son of God are synonyms according to usage in the New Testament).
Matthew 24:29-31
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all of the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
Isaiah 13:10, 34:4; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10; and Amos 8:9 contain the same kind of language that Jesus used in verse 29; the sun darkened, the moon not giving light, stars falling from heaven, and the powers of heaven shaken. These are at least images suggesting judgment, images of events that announce the arrival of the Day of the Lord or the day of judgment.
The Son of Man appears then, the Messiah Son of David, the conquering hero of Israel, to bring judgment upon the mourning nations.
Messiah’s messengers, the angels, are sent out with a loud trumpet call. The word used in the Greek text is the generic term for trumpet, transliterated salpiggos. If the language had been Hebrew would we find Shofar or the silver trumpets used?
The trumpets are probably, but not conclusively, the silver trumpets. Something utterly new and celebratory is present, the newest of the new, newer than any New Moon—the Kingdom of God has come. No more will anyone pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” because God’s kingdom will be present finally. The chosen of God, the elect, will then be gathered at the sound of the trumpet. The desire of ages is realized.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in a 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.
Paul described the resurrection of all those who are trusting in Messiah for salvation. Some Christians had already died, but that would not prevent them from being raised to life again. Those, however, who are alive at the return of Jesus, will hear a trumpet sound. The dead will be raised, all things will be made new—the Messianic Age will suddenly come in power and great glory.
Among biblically faithful Christians is a disagreement about the timing of what is called the rapture. Some think it will occur prior to a period of tribulation, others think it will follow a time of tribulation, and still others connect the rapture with the Second Advent itself. In any case, whichever turns out to be the reality, there will be a trumpet blast that announces the final end-time events, including the resurrection of the believers.
1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Here again, Paul describes what will happen at the arrival of the Messiah,
and again there is a trumpet, a triumphant blast, and there is resurrection.
Connecting the trumpets
Trumpets figure prominently in the Old Testament. There we find the Shofar and the silver trumpets. In the New Testament there is the trumpet of God calling the elect and announcing resurrection. Are they the same? Does the Levitical Feast of Trumpets foreshadow the day of judgment and resurrection as seen by the New Testament writers?
The New Testament writers were Jewish, and here in this chapter are quoted Jesus, Matthew, and Paul—all Jews and all steeped in the traditions of the Jewish people, and it must be considered plausible that they were aware of the significance of trumpets and the Feast of Trumpets. At least Jesus and Paul, and probably Matthew, were observant Jews. How often had these men heard the blasts of both the Shofar and the silver trumpets? It is not difficult to conclude that the trumpets of both Old and New Testaments are one and the same.
Is there a biblical warrant?
Is it possible to state that Jesus completed, satisfied, and fulfilled, in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit something that God had laid the foundation for in the spring holidays? Is it also possible to think that the fall holidays will also, in essence, be completed, satisfied, and fulfilled in the return of the Messiah and thus usher in judgment, resurrection, and the great celebration that inaugurates the kingdom of God then come? Paul was convinced that Christ is the substance behind the shadows cast by the holidays. Here is how he put it in Colossians 2:16-17:
Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Chapter 20
A question I ask myself now that I am seventy-plus years old is: Could I survive an awakening like that of the Jesus People Movement now? My answer is, I am not sure.
In the research I conducted in preparation for the writing of my recent book, Awakenings in American and the Jesus People Movement,1 I found that most of those who carried leadership roles were young men and women. None of them lived through two awakenings, and if this is a pattern, then I am safe. In answer to a consistent question I receive on this particular issue—Do I expect another American awak- ening soon?—I can only reply that I do not know. I would love to see one, love once again to see an outpouring of God’s Spirit bringing vast numbers into His kingdom, but it is an unknown.
As I study histories and news of awakenings throughout the world, it seems to me that there are awakenings (or revivals, which is a synonym) going on all the time somewhere on the planet. Some are quite small, others larger, and some even national in scope. Appar- ently, there are no two alike.
The three major American awakenings agreed to be such by the majority of historians are so designated because they were national in scope. The first, 1735 to 1742, when the population was in the neighborhood of one million, was national. The second, 1798 to 1825, was also national and the population had grown significantly. The third, 1857 to 1859, again was national and the population was tens of millions. The JPM, a national event when the population of Amer- ica was far greater than all the other awakenings combined, prompts
1 Some may be interested in this book, so please excuse what might appear to be a sales pitch, but at www.evpbooks.com you will find the book available in print and ebook formats.
the question, was its impact on a par with the others? In my estima- tion, this is a significant question, but one that is likely impossible to answer at this period in history.
In an email I received from Charles Simpson, which quote is contained in his bio at the end of this section, he sug- gests that one million were converted. Then comes the question, which awakening saw the most conversions? My thinking is the JPM would be the answer. And this con- clusion is based on the fact that the focus of the JPM was personal evangelism. My observation is that in Marin County, with a population then of about 170,000, there were probably 500 conversions just in the central area. Extrapolating that yields some large numbers.
Awakenings are exhausting for those involved in Gospel ministry. There was never a day off for me, not that I didn’t want one. I needed to rest and refresh, but those times were few and far between. Those who know me well say I am a “Type A” personality. How valid this might be I am uncertain, and I am not sure whether there is any real science behind such a label, but I have always enjoyed, really love, working hard. There was just so much opportunity, so many open doors, and this was the JPM, with the constant need and constant press of people, which was very difficult to ignore.
I worried about my family, my wife Bobbie and my children, Dory, Grace, and Vernon. From time to time I realized that I was not being the husband and father they needed me to be and that I wanted to be. The years passed speedily, and the pressure to do and go and worry was consistently upon me. I had little ability to examine myself and reflect on what I was doing, especially after the “dark sides” of the awakening began making their appearances. (Stories about these dark sides are coming up.) Once the trouble started, once the camel’s nose was inside the tent, and the wolf emerged from the sheep cover- ing, my life became one of continual strife and anxiety.
One comfort I receive is knowing that what I experienced in the JPM and its aftermath is not atypical; in fact it is usual. That knowledge does not, however, compensate for the losses sustained.
Could I go through an awakening again? Maybe. Would I make the same mistakes? Hopefully not. And one of the reasons I wrote the book on America’s awakenings, and a reason I am writing these memoirs, is to perhaps hold up a warning sign, a cautionary flag, that some of what happened to me could be avoided by others.
Essay Five
When visiting a local Sunni mosque, I was given a booklet entitled A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam. The anonymous author states:
Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to Him. And the likeness of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus.
The author backed up his contention with a quote from the Qur’an:
…They said: “We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.” They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)…Qur’an 4:157
A fundamental error of Islam is this denying of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ while saying another man who looked like Jesus was actually placed on the cross. This is essentially a form of Gnosticism called Docetism.
Gnostics existed prior to the Christian era and were able to incorporate varying religious thought into their system. The Gnostics viewed matter as evil and mind or thought as good. The Christian incarnation, that is, God become flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, ran counter to their core doctrine. Therefore, they developed the idea that Jesus did not actually die on a cross, rather someone who looked like Jesus did. This belief system is called Docetism, based on the Greek dokeo, meaning “to seem like.”
The basic principle of Docetism was refuted by the Apostle John in 1 John 4:2-3:
“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.”
Also, 2 John 7, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
Ignatius of Antioch (AD 98–117), Irenaeus (115–190), and Hippolatus (170-235) wrote against the Gnostic error in the early part of the second century.
Docetism was condemned at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Many sects and cults over the centuries have taken a Gnostic stance and thus substitute their own teaching as the means of salvation. This is precisely what Islam has done.
And Islam must do so. If salvation is based solely on Christ’s death on the cross, where our sin was atoned for, then Islam has nothing to offer but is in fact a conduit for false salvation.
Islam is agonizingly focused on attaining eternity in paradise, or heaven, which is really the same thing. Heaven is fellowship with a holy God, and is made possible only through the cleansing blood of Jesus shed on the cross.
Islam and Christianity are polar opposites. Both cannot be right at the same time. This reality must be squarely faced.
The purest, most religious Muslim or the filthiest, most hypocritical Christian. Which would I prefer to be?
Which am I? I am the latter, and due to the utter holiness of the Triune God, I remain the filthy, hypocritical Christian until that day I stand before the Judgment of God on the Last Day and hear my Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your rest.”