4 Trumpets

~ Danger, Redemption, Resurrection, & Judgment ~

Trumpet of Danger  ~  “Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, speak to the children of your people, and say to them: “When I bring the sword upon a land, and the people of the land take a man from their territory and make him their watchman, when he sees the sword coming upon the land, if he blows the trumpet and warns the people, then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood shall be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but did not take warning; his blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand”’” (Ezekiel 33:1-6). This trumpet was a trumpet of warning.

Trumpet of Redemption  ~  “And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family. That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of its own accord, nor gather the grapes of your untended vine. For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field” (Leviticus 25:8-12). This trumpet was a trumpet of liberation. 

Trumpet of Resurrection  ~  “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 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 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54). This will be the trumpet which signals the resurrection of the dead.

Trumpet of Judgment  ~  “Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, ‘Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.’ So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Now the number of the army of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision: those who sat on them had breastplates of fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow; and the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions; and out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone. By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone which came out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads; and with them they do harm” (Revelation 9:13-19).  This will be a trumpet which announces wrath.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Jesus Christ in the Book of Ruth

~ Jesus Christ As Kinsman-Redeemer ~ 

The Bible is about Jesus Christ  ~  “Jesus said to them, ‘How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27).

Jesus Christ Is The Ultimate Kinsman-Redeemer  ~  In the Book of Ruth we find the beautiful story of how Boaz bought the right to marry the young Moabite widow Ruth.  In doing this he redeemed her and her mother-in-law, Naomi, from ruin and disgrace.  Jesus Christ has purchased and redeemed the Church as a bride for Himself.  The Church includes both Jews and Gentiles!  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).  “Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh — who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands — that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:11-13).  Jesus Christ is the ultimate faithful bridegroom, lover, protector—our heavenly Kinsman-Redeemer! 

Boaz Was In the Messianic Line  ~  Boaz was the great grandfather of David, and therefore in the Messianic line of the Jesus Christ.  “Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king” (Matthew 1:5-6). 

The Apostle Paul told us the Scriptures present many shadows of things to come but the reality is found in Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:17). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “JESUS CHRIST IN EVERY BOOK OF THE BIBLE” SERIES ~~~   

(1)  Approximately once a month ALN posts an overview of how Jesus Christ is seen in a specific book of the Bible.

(2)  In most cases these posts only scratch the surface regarding Jesus Christ in the particular book.

(3)  These posts will typically be in the same order as the books are found in the Bible.

(4)  These serial posts are in addition to our other ALN postings.

(5)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Messiah, 108

~ Messiah Would Be a Priest Forever ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“The Lord has sworn and will not relent, ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4).

The Messiah  

“So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’ As He also says in another place: ‘You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek’” (Hebrews 5:5-6).

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20). 

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

“Subjects of Depth and Meat”

~ Book Review of “Jim Elliot” by Old Schoolhouse Magazine ~

Reproduced immediately below is one of the many positive reviews the book “Jim Elliot” has received.

Jim Elliot: A Christian Martyr Speaks to You

Edited by Robert Lloyd Russell

Review by: Hillary Harm for The Home School Magazine

The life and death of Jim Elliot is a story very familiar to believers around the world. Books have been written and movies made about the men who gave their lives in obedience to God's call in 1956.

Robert Lloyd Russell's book is not a book about Jim Elliot. It is, in a sense, a book written by Jim Elliot. As Mr. Russell explains in the opening chapter to this book, his family was well acquainted with the Elliot family when Mr. Russell was growing up, and he remained close to Jim Elliot's mother after Jim's death. In 1971, Mrs. Elliot gave Mr. Russell several recordings of talks Jim had done in 1950 and 1951. Mr. Russell transcribed the tapes, and compiled the transcriptions into a book.

The book is intended to be read by anyone 7th grade and older. Two of Jim Elliot's talks were to classes of 7th and 8th graders in a Christian School. The other two talks were primarily to audiences of adults.

I read this book alongside my eighth-grade son. Too many books written for teens seem to talk down to them or minimize issues. They tend to focus on issues such as getting along with peers or parents, self-esteem, or behavioral goals. (Purity, dating issues, etc.) Jim Elliot spoke to my son about spiritual desire and delighting in God. He discussed sin and its effects on the body and soul of a Christian. He did a character study on Peter, and also discussed Christ as a prophet. These are subjects of depth and meat that are not often placed in front of teens. We had several discussions about topics brought up in the book, and I think it encouraged my son to reach for a higher standard of spiritual discussion, not merely settling for simple topics.

The book is primarily transcripts of Jim Elliot's talks. The introductory chapter was meant to establish how Mr. Russell obtained the tapes, and provide a bit of background to them.

This book is one I would recommend. I enjoyed reading Mr. Elliot's talks and discussing the material with my teen, and appreciated the depth of the material.

Product Review by Hillary Harm, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

There is more information about the book Jim Elliot at the author’s website. 

You may order directly from Amazon or from Xulon Press. 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW