When The Saints Go Marching In

When the saints go marching in, will you be in that number?

When I got out of the Air Force, I did not have a job.  So, I did what many people do as they transition back to civilian life.  I went back to living at home, until I got back on my feet again.

During this time, I decided to teach myself to play the electronic keyboard that I had bought in the Air Force.

I had always wanted to learn to play a musical instrument.  I finally had both an instrument and the time to learn to play it.  So, I got out the beginner's book that came with the electronic keyboard, and started teaching myself.

Eventually, I worked my way up to "When The Saints Go Marching In".  I found this song really fun to play, and for some reason, I decided to see how fast I could learn to play it.  I had learn to overcome my lack of a natural sense of rhythm, by watching the beat light on the keyboard.  Pretty soon, I was playing this song at 220 beats per minute, the highest speed that it had.

I also changed the settings for orchestration, drums, and other accompaniment settings on the keyboard to produce a heavy metal sound.  I change the sound produced when I pressed the keys to electric guitar.  So, I succeed in creating a speed metal version of "When The Saints Go Marching In".

I was far from the first to change the sound of this classic song.  The original song was written in 1896 AD as a hymn named "When The Saints Are Marching In".  It was slow and mournful, often being used in funeral processions as the casket was carried to the grave site. Over the years, there were continual variations of the song with slightly different titles.  By 1923 AD, "When The Saints Come Marching In", was recorded with the modern lyrics.  The lyrics were noticeably different from the original song by this point.  The song had taken on a much more joyful tone.  However, the chorus of "When The Saints Are Marching In" was basically the same, with a one word change to become the familiar "When The Saints Go Marching In".

The song gained its familiar livelier sound, when the title was altered to the "When The Saints Go Marching In", and the tempo increased in 1927 AD, probably by Barbecue Bob, a famous Blues singer in his day.  In 1938 AD, Louis Armstrong recorded his Jazz version, that all other versions are measured against.

Since that time, recordings of this song have been made in whatever style was popular at the time.  The most well known, and most imitated, was the Fats Domino Rock and Roll version.

For those unfamiliar with this song, here are the lyrics:

    Oh, when the saints
    Go marching in
    Oh, when the saints go marching in
    Oh how I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in

    Oh, when the drums begin to bang
    Oh, when the drums begin to bang
    I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in

    Oh, when the stars fall from the sky
    Oh, when the stars fall from the sky
    I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in

    Oh, when the moon turns red with blood
    Oh, when the moon turns red with blood
    I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in

    Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
    Oh, when the trumpet sounds its call
    I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in

    Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride
    Oh, when the horsemen begin to ride
    I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in

    Oh, when the fire begins to blaze
    Oh, when the fire begins to blaze
    I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in

    Oh, when the saints go marching in
    Oh, when the saints go marching in
    I want to be in that number
    When the saints go marching in.

This song has a much deeper meaning than the simple lyrics might imply.  It takes some understanding of the Book of Truth to understand the depth of this song.  There are several keys to understanding what this song is really about.

The first key is the meaning of "saint" in this song.  A saint in this song does not refer to someone dubbed a "Saint" by the False Church of Rome.  A saint is defined by the Book of Truth in this song.

Everyone who receives instruction in the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) is a saint (Deuteronomy 33:2-4).  Everyone who loves the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD), and puts their hope in Him is a saint (Psalm 31:23-24).  Everyone who has entered into a covenant with the Father of Truth is a saint (Psalm 50:5).  Everyone who has came into the House of Truth is a saint (Acts 26:9-11).  Everyone who is part of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) is a saint (Ephesians 3:17-19).  Everyone who obeys the Man of Truth  (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) in total surrender is a saint (Revelation 14:12).

The second key is knowing that this song was inspired by the book of Revelation, which ends the Book of Truth (The Bible). The imagery of end time events in the song are inspired by the book of Revelation, and related passages from the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament).

The Man of Truth refers to these events collectively as the Tribulation (Matthew 24:21-22).  The Tribulation ends with the Man of Truth coming to the Earth from Heaven with great glory and power (Matthew 24:27-30).  The Tribulation will bring great fear to everyone on Earth, until the Man of Truth returns in great glory and power, to bring an end to wickedness (Luke 21:25-27).

The horsemen in the song are the terrible events, that will kill one fourth of the people on Earth, when the Tribulation begins with the Man of Lies (The Antichrist aka The Beast) rising to power (Revelation 6:2-8).  The drums banging is a reference to the drums of war, that will sound when the Earth is plunged into a global war during this time (Revelation 6:4).  The moon turning red with blood, and the stars falling from the sky in the song, announce the wrath of the Man of Truth coming upon the kingdom of the Man of Lies, at the end of the Tribulation (Revelation 6:12-17).  The fire in the song is the fire, that destroys one third of the forests, and all of the grass on Earth during the Tribulation (Revelation 8:6-7).

The third key is where the saint go marching into.

The saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, when he destroys the kingdom of the Man of Lies (1 Samuel 2:8-10). The saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, to repay the Man of Lies for his treatment of the Children of Truth (Daniel 7:25-27).  The saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, when he comes to rescue Jerusalem from the Man of Lies (Zechariah 14:2-5).

The saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, to take possession of his eternal kingdom (Daniel 7:18-22).  All of the saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, when he comes back to rule the Earth (1 Thessalonians 3:13).

The saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, to execute his enemies (Psalm 149:5-9).  The saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, when the Father of Truth repays the world for bringing tribulation upon them (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).  The saints will go marching in with the Man of Truth, to bring judgment upon the Children of Lies (those who disobey the Father of Truth because they do not love Him) (Jude 1:14-15).

The fourth key is the trumpet in the song.

The trumpet in the song causes some of the saints, who are alive when it is sounded, to have their mortal bodies changed to immortal bodies, without needing to die first (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).  The trumpet in the song causes all of the saints, who have already died, to be resurrected, then those saints, who are alive, to be given immortal bodies, and then both of groups of saints to meet with the Man of Truth in the air, to be with him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).  The trumpet will tell them to come up to the Man of Truth, like it did to John the Jew (Yochanon aka the Apostle John) (Revelation 4:1).

The fifth key is the plea to be counted in that number in the song.

The Father of Truth will preserve the souls of some of the saints in the Tribulation (Psalm 97:10).  Some of the saints will give their lives as a gift to the Father of Truth in the Tribulation (Psalm 116:13-15).  Some of the saints will be overcame by the Man of Lies in the Tribulation, when he makes war on them (Daniel 7:21).  Some of the saints will be worn out by the Man of Lies in the Tribulation (Daniel 7:25).  Some of the saints will be killed during the Tribulation (Revelation 6:9-11).  Some of the saints will die in the war, which the Man of Lies will make upon those, who will not worship him (Revelation 13:6-8).  These saints, which die in the Tribulation, will be the last group to be resurrected as part of the First Resurrection, that is completed after the Man of Truth ends the Tribulation (Revelation 20:4-6).

The First Resurrection, the resurrection of the Children of Truth, is not a one-time event, but happens in phases.  The First resurrection began with the resurrection of the Man of Truth, and ends with the resurrection of the Tribulation saints, right before he begins his reign on the Earth (1 Corinthians 15:20-25).

The second phase was the resurrection of some of the dead saints in Jerusalem, right after the resurrection of the Man of Truth, the first phase (Matthew 27:52-53).  The third phase is when the rest of the saints, who have died before the Tribulation, are resurrected to meet the Man of Truth in the air, so they can go marching in with him to end the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).  The fourth phase is when the two witnesses are resurrected, to meet the Man of Truth in the air, during the Tribulation, so they can go marching in with him to end the Tribulation (Revelation 11:3-12).  The fifth phase is the resurrection of all the saints, who died during the Tribulation, after the saints went marching in with the Man of Truth to end the Tribulation (Revelation 20:1-4).

In the same way, the meeting up with the Man of Truth in the air, without dying first, is not a one-time event, but happens in phases.  Enoch the Gentile met the Man of Truth up in the air, in a mortal body, as the first phase (Genesis 5:22-24).  Elijah the Jew met the Man of Truth up in the air, in a mortal body, as the second phase (2 Kings 2:9-11).  Some of the saints, who are alive when the trumpet sounds, will meet up with the Man of Truth in the air, in immortal bodies, so these saints can go marching in with the Man of Truth, as the third phase (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).  The hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish saints of the Tribulation, will meet up with the Man of Truth in the air, so these saints can go marching in with the Man of Truth, as the fourth phase (Revelation 14:1-5).

So, there is no doubt, that the Children of Truth, who die before the Tribulation, will be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in.  There is no doubt, that the two witnesses of the Tribulation will be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in.  There is no doubt, that the hundred and forty-four thousand Jewish saints of the Tribulation will be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in.  There is no doubt that the Children of Truth, who die during the Tribulation, will not be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in.

It is only those who are alive when the trumpet sounds, who need to plead to be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in.

This is because the Man of Truth said, that the Children of Truth need to avoid being distracted by the world, and pray that they are counted worthy to escape the entire Tribulation, so that they will be counted in that number, when the saint go marching in with the Man of Truth (Luke 21:34-36).  It is only the saints, who are worthy, who will be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in with the Man of Truth (2 Thessalonians 1:10-12).

The rest of the Children of Truth, who are not found worthy to escape the Tribulation, when the trumpet sounds, can only gain an immortal body by dying in the Tribulation.

Those who are found worthy at the sounding of the trumpet, to be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in, will escape all of the terrible events of the Tribulation, recounted in the song.  Therefore, the desire to be found in that number, when the saints go marching in, is repeated over and over in this song.

This meeting the Man of Truth in the air, by living saints, who will be given immortal bodies, without needing to die first, is often called the Rapture.  People often argue over when the Rapture will occur with respect to the Tribulation.  The Man of Truth said, in no uncertain terms, that those who are worthy, will escape all of the terrible events of the Tribulation (Luke 21:35-36).  Who are we to argue with him about it?

This song has many of the same themes as "People get ready!" by Crystal Lewis, that was written about one hundred years later.

They both reflect the fact, that the Father of Truth will not take collateral damage among those, who are actively seeking to do His will, when He sends judgment upon the Earth.

They both reflect the timing of the Rapture, shown in The Greatest Play Ever, that the Feasts of Truth form.  They both speak of the fear, that will engulf the Earth on the Day of Alarming.  They both point to what will happen at the sound of the trumpet!

Most importantly, they both warn, that the Children of Truth must take action to be ready, if they want to be counted in that number!  They warn, that not all of the Children of Truth will automatically be taken off this Earth, like Captain Kirk saying, "Beam me up", just in time to escape danger.

So, this song is not only a song of comfort and jubilation, but also a song of prophetic warning.  It warns of the need to strive to be counted worthy, to escape the terrible events of the Tribulation.

So the important question is: What do the Children of Truth need to do, to be counted worthy to escape the terrible events of the Tribulation?

The worthy are those, who live their lives in a way that reflects the love of the Man of Truth (Ephesians 4:1-3).  The worthy are those, who live their lives in a way that reflects the character of the Man of Truth (Colossians 1:9-11).  The worthy are those, who live their lives in a way that reflects the holiness of the Man of Truth (1 Thessalonians 2:10-12).

The worthy are those, who love the Man of Truth more than their own family (Matthew 10:34-37).  The worthy are those, who suffer persecution for obeying the Man of Truth (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5).

The Man of Truth has not called us to survive the Tribulation, even if some Old Tom, a snake in the leaves, may have tried to entice you to buy "Tribulation Survival Gear".

The Man of Truth called us to proclaim the Good News!  He called us to carry out the Great Commission!  He called us to discern, when it is a time for civil disobedience!  He called us to fight for his cause with heroic resolve!  He has called us to give the last full measure of devotion!  He called us to die! 

He called us to die, in order to live with him (Matthew 16:24-27)!  He called us to die, and never be ashamed of the Gospel, or his glorious name (Mark 8:34-38)!  He called us to die, and give up all that we have for his kingdom (Mark 10:21-22)!  He called us to die, and to put obedience to him in front of everything else we desire (Luke 9:23-26)!

The worthy are those, who are willing to die to obey the Man of Truth (Matthew 10:38-39).

He wants to avoid the endless pursuit of getting bigger, better, newer stuff.   He want us to avoid just giving to get.  He wants us escaping the Christmas Trap.  He wants our time, talents, and treasure to be spent on bringing people into his kingdom, because that is all that really matters.

He certainly does not want us wasting these things, in order to survive the Tribulation.  After all, the Children of Truth are literally better off dead.  The moment I die, will be the moment I become alive!

Even the Children of Truth, who go through the Tribulation, because they were not worthy to escape, will be fed and clothed in the Tribulation, if they will seek after the kingdom of the Man of Truth (Luke 12:29-32).

Those who are found worthy to be counted in that number, are those use these things to pursue the kingdom of the Man of Truth, instead storing them up to survive the Tribulation (Luke 12:33-34).

Therefore, the Man of Truth warns us to not be caught up in things like these, that distract us from doing what will make us worthy to be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in (Luke 21:34).

The Man of Truth warns the Children of Truth to live worthy to be counted in that number, all of the time (Matthew 24:42-44).  He warns the Children of Truth to stay worthy, because they do not know when He is coming to meet them in the air (Luke 12:35-40).  Those who stay worthy, will be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in, instead of suffering in the Tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:2-9).

So when the trumpet sounds, during your celebration of Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets aka Rosh Hashanah), or any other time, let it remind you to live worthy to be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in.

Of course, no one can be counted in that number, when the saints go marching in, unless they first come into the House of Truth.  You start being worthy, when you decide to obey the Man of Truth in everything, because you believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).

Come into the House of Truth!

The Sound Of The Trumpet

What does the sound of the trumpet mean for you?

In most cultures across the world, one of the very first instruments that was developed was some sort of instrument made from animal horns.  These are often called brass instruments, because in western civilization they are often made from brass.  Yet, the section of an orchestra that contains these brass instruments is usually called the horn section.  That is because they have evolved over the centuries from instruments that were literally made from the horn of some animal.

While in western civilization horn instruments evolved to be made out of brass, instead in many other cultures they evolved to be made out other materials.

The alphorn, didgeridoo, rozhok, and lur, are all made from wood.  They were all developed in areas where either there are no animals with suitable horns for making horn instruments, or there are no animals with large enough horns to make the instrument.  In some cases, it is quite possible that these instruments were originally made from horns of animals that have become extinct.  In other cases, people brought instruments made from horn with them when they migrated to a new location, and there simply were no animals with suitable horns living there.  In either case, they were forced to make replicas of the original instruments that were made from horns, out of wood.

This is similar to what lead to metal horn instruments.  There have been many ancient horn instruments found throughout the area of the old Roman empire, and to the north and east of it, that were made out of all types of metals.  The oldest ones all look similar to instruments made out of animal horns.

Some were made of cheap metals like tin, copper, and bronze, that were easily damaged.  Others were made from stronger medals like iron and steel, but did not produce the tonal quality of copper.  Others were made of expensive metals like silver and gold that produced a good tonal quality, but were too costly to be practical.  So eventually, brass - an alloy of copper and zinc - became the standard material, because it produced a superior tonal quality like copper, it was strong like steel, and it was considerably cheaper than precious metals like silver.

Metal instruments also have the advantage of being able to be made into shapes that would be impossible to achieve with an actual animal horn.  They can also have features, like valves and keys, added that would be about impossible to do with wood.  For these reasons, the majority of horn instruments in western civilization are made from brass and are often called brass instruments.

In modern times, horn instruments have often been made from plastic as well.  These plastic instruments, like the vuvuzela, are not usually meant to be used to play songs, but rather as noise makers in sporting events and celebrations.

Yet the earliest horn instruments were not carved from wood, or forged from metal, or molded from plastic.  They were simply naturally occurring instruments like the conch shell - the exoskeleton remains of a giant sea snail.

The earliest horn instruments were made from actual animal horns that were hollowed out, like the shofar, an instrument made from a curved animal horn, usually from a ram.

The shofar has limited use as a musical instrument, because it basically only produces two notes.  One is a bass sound called a "teqiah", and the other is a treble trill called a "teruah".  The variation between these sounds entirely depends upon the blower altering the shape of their lips while blowing.  These notes are played in alternating patterns of teqiah-teruah-tequiah to form the basic unit of play.

Combinations of this basic unit of play, then form the three basic sounds, two of which are confusingly called a "Teqiah" and a "Teruah".  The third basic sound is called a "Sh'barim".

The Sh'barim consists of three basic units of play, with each basic unit of play being medium in duration, and no noticeable breaks between units of play.  The Teqiah consists of the three sets of the basic units of play being short in duration, played in rapid succession, and with a noticeable break between sets.  It is the same length in duration as the Sh'barim.  The Teruah consists of one basic unit of play being long in duration.  It is slightly longer than the Sh'barim.

Finally these three basic sounds are combined to form three series.  Each series is called after words that are formed by their acronyms.  The acronyms are formed using "SH" for Sh'barim, "T" for Teqiah and "R" for Teruah.

The first series is the TaSHRaT (Tashrat), that consists of a sequence of four basic sounds: Teqiah, Sh'barim, Teruah, Teqiah.  The second series is the TaSHaT (Tashat), that consists of a sequence of three basic sounds: Teqiah, Sh'barim, Teqiah.  The third series is the TaRaT (Tarat), that consists of a sequence of three basic sounds: Teqiah, Teruah, Teqiah, with final note being sounded as long as possible.

Everything else is just various combinations of these three series.  This is probably close to how the original horn instrument was played, before various improvements were made to produce a wider variety of notes.

So the shofar is one of the instruments that is closest to the original horn instrument, still in use today.  It is similar to the original horn instrument that evolved into brass instruments, and all other horn instruments in use today.  So the question arises, where did the original horn instrument come from?

Like most things, the best place to begin is at the beginning.

A man named Jubal (Yubal) invented music instruments that are played by plucking strings, and music instruments that are played by blowing, before the Great Flood (Genesis 4:21).  The original horn instrument was named after Jubal, the yubal, like the one that was played at Mount Sinai to announce that the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) was ready to meet with Moses (Exodus 19:13). [In the original Hebrew text, there were no vowel markers, and the Hebrew word translated as "trumpet" is "yubal", the exact same word as the name of the man, who invented instruments that are played by blowing.]

So the original horn instrument was made from a straight animal horn like that possessed by an oryx, and had an appearance like a long straight trumpet.  This is why the word "yubal", is frequently translated as "trumpet".

In fact, an animal horn instrument that is straight, sometimes with a mouth hole on the side like a flute, instead of on the end, is called a "yubal", or "yuval".  (People sometimes mistakenly call it a shofar, but that is a curved animal horn instrument.)  However, the word "yubal" is sometimes used generically of any horn instrument, similar to the term "brass instrument".  So "yubal" can also refer to a horn instrument of any type and made of any material.

This can lead people to miss useful information when reading a translation for the original Hebrew, for the word "trumpet" may appear later in the same passage, but not be as specific as the original text.  For example, people again heard a "trumpet" on the third day when the Father of Truth arrived on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16).  However, a shofar was the type of yubal, that people actually heard.

This is nothing insidious on behalf of the translators.  They simply may not have been familiar enough to know what a shofar was, beyond some sort of trumpet.  It would be like translating "rose" as "flower", by someone who had never seen a rose, but only knew that it was some sort of flower.

Neither "yubal" or "shofar" are the word for an ordinary animal horn.  One is a musical horn instrument made of a straight animal horn originally, and then came to be used of any musical horn instrument made of any material.  The other one is a musical instrument made from a curved animal horn.

The ram that was caught by the horns in the thicket became a substitute of Isaac (Yitzakh) (Genesis 22:13).  These horns were not yubals or shofars.  There is a completely separate Hebrew word, "qeren", for a horn that has not been made into a musical instrument.

A yubal can also be made of metal, like the silver trumpets that were made to call the congregation in the wilderness together (Numbers 10:2).  Metal trumpets are not a shofar, and are usually not called a yubal, even though they are shaped like the original horn instrument.  Just as shofar means a yubal made from a curved animal horn, so also "chatsotserah" is a yubal made from metal that was originally straight like the original horn instrument.

So a qeren refers to an animal horn that has not been made into a musical instrument.  A yubal can refer to the original musical instrument made from a straight animal horn.  A yubal can also refer to any musical instrument that is blown like a yubal, regardless of the material used to make it.  A shofar refers to a yubal that is made from a curved animal horn.  A chatsotserah refers to a yubal made from metal.

Except for the conch shell, all brass instruments, or musical horns, came from variations of one of these three instruments.

What really sets apart a shofar from a chatsotserah is what each one is used for.  This can be determined by examining the passages where each one produces the sound of the trumpet.

The sound of the shofar announced that it was time for Moses (Moishe) to go up to meet with the Father of Truth (Exodus 19:18-20).  The sound of the shofar announced that it was time for Moses to be separated from those who did not go up to meet the Father of Truth (Exodus 20:18-21).  The sound of the shofar announced that presence of the Father of Truth had arrived (2 Samuel 6:15).

The sound of the shofar announced that it was time to show people their sins against the Father of Truth (Isaiah 58:1).  The sound of the shofar announced that was time for people to fast and repent of their sins, so the Father of Truth could show them His mercy (Joel 2:15-18).

The sound of the shofar announced that the day of alarming had arrived (Psalm 81:3-4)!  

The sound of the shofar announced that the time of liberty had come for those whose sins had been atoned for (Leviticus 25:8-10).  The sound of the shofar announced that deliverance was coming for those who obeyed the Father of Truth (Judges 6:34-36).  The sound of the shofar announced that the Father of Truth would come to defend those who carry out His work (Nehemiah 4:18-20).  The sound of the shofar announced that the Father of Truth will come to save His people (Zechariah 9:14-16).

The sound of the shofar announced that it was time for the wicked to be destroyed (Joshua 6:4-21).  The sound of the shofar announced that it was time for the enemies of the Father of Truth to be subdued (Judges 3:27-30).  The sound of the shofar announced that destruction was coming to the enemies of the Father of Truth (Judges 7:16-22).  The sound of the shofar announced that destruction was coming for those who refused to obey the Father of Truth (Jeremiah 6:16-19).  The sound of the shofar announced that destruction was coming for those who refused keep His covenant (Hosea 8:1).  The sound of the shofar announced that the destruction of the wicked was certain (Amos 2:1-3).  The sound of the shofar announced that the Father of Truth would pour out His wrath upon His enemies (Zephaniah 1:15-18).

The sound of the shofar announced that it was time to gather for war (1 Samuel 13:3-5).  The sound of the shofar announced that it was time to prepare for war (Jeremiah 4:5).  The sound of the shofar announced that armies were gathering to wage war (Jeremiah 51:27-29).  The sound of the shofar announced that the war was on the way (Ezekiel 33:3-6).

The sound of the shofar announced that the war had begun (Job 39:24-25).  The sound of the shofar announced that the war was being fought (Jeremiah 4:19-21).  The sound of the shofar announced that there was no escaping from the war (Jeremiah 6:1).  The sound of the shofar announced that the war was in the land (Jeremiah 42:14).  The sound of the shofar announced that the war was bringing great destruction (Joel 2:1-3).  The sound of the shofar announced that the city was filled with the fear of war (Amos 3:6).

The sound of the shofar announced that the war was over (2 Samuel 2:26-28).  The sound of the shofar announced that the rebellion was over (2 Samuel 18:14-16).  The sound of the shofar announced that the destruction had ended, because the deceiver had been destroyed (2 Samuel 20:20-22).

The sound of the shofar announced that it was time for a new king to reign (2 Samuel 15:10).  The sound of the shofar announced that the reign of the old king was over (2 Samuel 20:1-2).  The sound of the shofar announced that the reign of the son of David had begun (1 Kings 1:33-43).  The sound of the shofar announced that the reign of the king chosen by the Father of Truth had begun (2 Kings 9:11-13).

The sound of the shofar announced that the Father of Truth is coming to rule over all nations (Psalm 47:5-8).  The sound of the shofar announced that the even the most fearsome of nations will pay tribute to the Father of Truth (Isaiah 18:3-7).  The sound of the shofar announced the the Father of Truth will finish gathering the descendants of Israel back to the land of Israel (Isaiah 27:12-13).

The sound of the shofar announced that the Father of Truth is being praised for His power, might, and greatness (Psalm 150:1-3)!

So the shofar is about The King who leads people in obeying the Father of Truth, and destroys the wicked off the face of the Earth.

What about the chatsotserah? 

It depended upon rather the chatsotserah was being blown to produce the teqiah - the bass sound, or the teruah - the treble trill. The chatsotserah was used to make two sounds with two different purposes.  Sometimes the exact sound is not not important, so it is not specified.

The first word is "taqa", which means, "to bring one thing against another with force", whether to cause damage like a strong wind coming against an object, or to bring two objects together like clapping hands, or bringing a hammer against a tent peg to drive it into the ground.  When used in reference to a chatsotserah, or a shofar, or a yubal, it means the bass sound that comes from forcing air through the mouth piece that is called the teqiah.

The second the word is "teruah", which means "to make a sound to get attention", whether to signal an event like the sound of a bell at school to let the students know that it is time to change classes, or an alarm that signals an emergency like the sound of the siren of a fire truck.  It can be any kind of sound to get attention, including shouting, but when used in reference to a chatsotserah, or a shofar, or a yubal, it means the treble trill that is called the teruah.

There is also a third word, "chatsar", which means to sound a chatsotserah, without specifying what sound is made.

The bass sound of the chatsotserah announced that it was time for the congregation to meet together before the Father of Truth with the priests (Numbers 10:2-7).  The bass sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests of the Father of Truth were carrying out His instructions (Numbers 10:8).  The bass sound of the chatsotserah announced that sacrifices were being made to the Father of Truth by the priests (Numbers 10:10).


The bass sound of the chatsotserah announced that the people accepted the king who the priest had anointed (2 Kings 11:12-14).  The bass sound of the chatsotserah announced that the people would no longer accept a ruler who the priest had not anointed (2 Chronicles 23:13-16).

The treble sound of the chatsotserah announced that it was time for the congregation to start moving (Numbers 10:2-6).

The treble sound of the chatsotserah announced that the Father of Truth was moving to bring salvation in the midst of the war (Numbers 10:9).  The treble sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests of the Father of Truth were also fighting in the war, for it was spiritual as well as physical (Numbers 31:6).  The treble sound of the chatsotserah announced, that the Father of Truth was bringing the deliverance that the priests had asked for (2 Chronicles 13:12-15).

The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the Ark of the Covenant was returning, so the priests could fully carry out their duties (1 Chronicles 13:6-8).  The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests were ensuring that the Ark of the Covenant was being handled correctly (1 Chronicles 15:24-26).  The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests could fully carry out their duties, after the Ark of the Covenant had been put in its place (1 Chronicles 16:1-6).  The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests had resumed fully carrying out their duties, after the Ark of the Covenant had returned (1 Chronicles 16:39-42).

The sound of the chatsotserah announced that priests could begin fully carrying out their duties in the Temple (2 Chronicles 5:11-14).  The sound of the chatsotserah announced that priests had given an acceptable sacrifice in the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-6).

The sound of the chatsotserah announced that there was rejoicing in the Temple, because of the deliverance that came from the Father of Truth (2 Chronicles 20:27-29).

The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the duties of the priests were being fully carried out in the Temple once more (2 Kings 12:9-14).  The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests were making sacrifices in the Temple once again (2 Chronicles 29:22-28).

The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests could once again serve in the Temple (Ezra 3:9-11).  The sound of the chatsotserah announced that the priests had been restored to their rightful place in the Temple (Nehemiah 12:35-47).

So the chatsotserah is about the priest who leads people in worshiping the Father of Truth, and calls on the Father of Truth to deliver the people.

However, something else even greater occurs, when the shofar and the chatsotserah are both sounded together.  This can be seen by examining the passages where this occurs.

The sound of the shofar and the chatsotserah announced that the king was dressed as a priest and leading the people in worship (1 Chronicles 15:27-29).  The sound of the shofar and the chatsotserah announced that the king had caused people to return to the worship led by the priests in the Temple (2 Chronicles 15:12-18).  The sound of the shofar and the chatsotserah announced that the Father of Truth is the King who the priests led people into worshiping (Psalm 98:4-6).  The sound of the shofar and the chatsotserah announced, that the Father of Truth would destroy both the priest and the king who rebelled against Him (Hosea 5:1-8).

So the will of the Father of Truth is brought to completion when the shofar and the chatsotserah are blown together, because it announces that the king and the priest are united together as one, in leading people to obey the Father of Truth and to worship the Father of Truth.

This is pictured in the Renewed Covenant (B'rit Chadashah aka The New Testament). 

There is only one word for trumpet in the Renewed Covenant and that is "salpigks".  There is only one word for the sound of the trumpet and that is "salpizo".

This is no accident. 

This did not start with the Renewed Covenant, but rather with the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Original Covenant (Tanakh aka The Old Testament).  In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word "yubal" is translated as "salpigks".  In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word "shofar" is translated as "salpigks".  In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word "chatsotserah" is translated as "salpigks".

So why is the shofar and the chatsotserah treated as the same in the Renewed Covenant?

It is because the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) is both the King and the Priest of the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him).  They are not listening for only the sound of the shofar to signify that he is coming as the King who will lead the world into obeying the Father of Truth.  They are not listening for only the sound of the chatsotserah to signify that he is coming as the Priest who will lead the world into worshiping the Father of Truth.  They are listening for the sound of the trumpet, without distinction, to signify that their priest is coming to reign as their king.

The sound of the trumpet will announce that the Man of Truth has delivered them from death (1 Corinthians 15:51-54).  The sound of the trumpet will announce that they are in the presence of their Priest and King (Revelation 1:10-18).  The sound of the trumpet will announce that the Man of Truth has brought them up to be with him (Revelation 4:1-3).

The sound of the trumpet will announce that the Man of Truth is bringing about one of seven phases of the destruction of the wicked, each time that the trumpet is sounded (Revelation 8:1-6).  The sound of the trumpet will announce that the Man of Truth is bringing to pass everything, which the Father of Truth spoke about through the Prophets of Truth (Revelation 10:7).  The sound of the trumpet will announce that the Man of Truth has returned to the Earth with the Children of Truth to lead the entire world into obedience to the Father of Truth, and into worship of the Father of Truth (Revelation 11:15-18)!

The sound of the trumpet will announce that the Man of Truth is bringing about the final gathering of the descendants of Israel into the land of Israel (Matthew 24:29-31).

This was all foretold by the Feast of Trumpets, the fourth act of the Greatest Play Ever. 

The term "Shofarim" is totally contrary to the actual commandment about keeping this Feast of Truth.  The commandment does not specify to use a shofar or a chatsotserah, because neither one is adequate alone.  People are simply told to sound the alarm, because both the King who will deliver them, and the Priest who will bring about their deliverance, is coming.  The sound of the trumpet, without distinction, is commanded, because it is announcing the arrival of the Man of Truth as both their King and Priest!

It is right for the Children of Truth to sound both the shofar and the chatsotserah to announce the arrival of their King and Priest!

They have the right to sound both, because they have also been chosen to be priests and kings (1 Peter 2:9)!  Their Priest and King has made them into priests and kings (Revelation 1:5-7)!  They will act as priests and kings when the Man of Truth returns to this Earth (Revelation 5:9-13)!

Just as many Gentiles have been grafted as wild branches into the olive tree that is the kingdom of the Man of Truth producing a greater diversity than previously existed when there were only Jews, so also a greater diversity is appropriate for sounding the alarm that their King and Priest is coming (Romans 11:13-25).

So the Children of Truth are not limited to only the shofar or the chatsotserah, but the many wild variations that came from these instruments, and the yubal, when they sound the alarm to let the world know in the context of their own culture that their Priest and King is coming!

Let them sound the alarm with their trombones, coronets, vuvuzelas, alphorns, didgeridoos, rozhoks, lurs, french horns, and every other form of trumpet!  Let them have the loudest and wildest celebration with horns that the world has ever heard! 

They are celebrating something greater than the greatest victory in sports!  They are celebrating the day that their Priest and King will set into motion everything that will make them to reign with him as priests and kings!  Let the sound of their trumpets proclaim everything that will begin with the sound of the trumpet!

Of course, the sound of the trumpet only heralds good things for those, who have come into the House of Truth.  For everyone else, the sound of the trumpet is the sound of destruction.  The sound of the trumpet heralds destruction that is so terrible, that no one on Earth would be left alive if it was not cut short, so the Children of Truth would have someone to be priests and kings over (Matthew 24:22).

It is not too late to join the winning side, and join in the celebration! 

You can come into House of Truth right now, by making the Man of Truth your King who leads you into obedience to the Father of Truth, because you believe, that his Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9).  When you come into the House of Truth the Man of Truth will become your Priest, who leads you into worship of the Father of Truth (Hebrews 4:14-16).  When you come into the House of Truth, then you will be glad to hear the sound of the trumpet!

Come into the House of Truth!

The Day of Alarming

Are you ready for the Day of Alarming?

When I was a kid I watched a lot of western movies and television shows.  Occasionally, a group of people would get into some sort of desperate situation where someone else was trying to kill them.  Sometimes it was a tribe of Native Americans on the warpath and sometimes it was a band of outlaws.  So they would take some sort of defensive action like circling their wagons or holing up in a cabin.  Then they would try to fight off the hostile forces as best they could even though they knew that they were badly outnumbered and had no chance of winning.

Eventually, they would run out of ammunition or something like that.  Then just when all hope was gone they would hear the sound of a bugle playing short notes in rapid succession in the distance and they knew that they were going to be saved.  Those attacking them would also hear that same sound and would ride off towards the hills as fast as they could because they knew that were going to be overwhelmed by an invincible force.  That bugle being played in rapid succession was the sound that announced that the cavalry was on its way.  To those under attack it was the sound of rescue but to those who were attacking it was the sound of certain defeat.

The bugle is a small keyless trumpet.  What gave hope to the hopeless and put fear in their tormentors was the alarm being sounded by those coming to rescue their people.  For both groups the alarming of the trumpet signified the soon coming arrival of the cavalry.

This was pattern was first set in the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law).

The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) gave the Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) instructions for assembling on the Feast of Trumpets (Yom Teruah aka Shofarim) which is literally "the Day of Alarming" in Hebrew (Leviticus 23:23-25).  He then gave some more instructions concerning sacrifices on the Feast of Trumpets (Numbers 29:1-6).  Now it has been observed that none of the words for trumpet actually appear in the Hebrew of these two passages.  In fact, these words were added by the translators for clarity.  Yet an alarm was often raised by a person shouting instead of using a trumpet of some sort.  So why is do people call it the Feast of Trumpets instead of the Day of Alarming?

For one thing, the Day of Alarming always falls on the day of the new moon and is one of the Feasts of Truth.  The silver trumpets are always to be sounded with a blast over the sacrifices on these days (Numbers 10:10).  It is worth noting that these silver trumpets were chatsotserah instead of regular shofars (Numbers 10:2).  A chatsotserah was a long, straight, metal trumpet like those used in medieval movies to announce the arrival of a king with three medium blasts while banners hung from them.  Josephus plainly states this and it is confirmed on the arch of Titus where it shows the Temple implements being paraded.  So the Day of Alarming was originally done with long, straight, silver trumpets instead of the curved shofar made from the horns of a ram.

However, shofars are also spoken of being blasted on these days in the Psalms (Psalm 81:3-4).  So either these long, straight, silver trumpets were considered to be a kind of shofar or shofars were used in conjunction with the long, straight, silver trumpets on these days.  It is certain that the shofars were not used as a substitute since the long, straight, silver trumpets were in use at the Tabernacle in Shiloh, in the Tabernacle of David and in the Temple during the days of Asaph who wrote this Psalm.

So either way it is implied that the alarming is to be done with the silver trumpets at the Temple, and perhaps also with shofars, instead of shouts although it is not explicitly stated.  This is why people commonly call it "the Feast of Trumpets" instead of  "the Day of Alarming" as it is literally called in the Law of Truth.

Perhaps both types of alarming are meant.  Many people who cannot sound the alarm on a curved shofar, a straight shofar or a metal trumpet could still sound the alarm by shouting.

It is also worth noting that no where in the instructions for the Day of Alarming does it specified how many times the alarm is to be sounded or for how long.  It just says to meet together and sound the alarm. Traditionally, it is done for 100 or 101 blasts on the curved shofar to reflect the mourning of the mother of Sisera (Judges 5:28-30).  There is a supposed minimal of thirty blasts on the shofar in any case.

This is a Rabbinic tradition and is no more a commandment of the Father of Truth than the tradition of hanging ornaments on Christmas trees (Mark 7:6-8).  Each congregation can decide for itself how long to sound the alarm and whether to sound the alarm with their voices, curved shofars, straight shofars, trumpets, or any combination there of.  The only explicit requirement stated in the Law of Truth was the blasting of the long, straight, silver trumpet at the beginning of the day with the morning sacrifices, during the day with the special sacrifices for the Feast of Trumpets and at the end of the day with the evening sacrifices when the Temple was standing.  Since the Temple is not standing then we are not even required to blast these first, middle and last trumpets because we are Playing With Broken Toys.

Alarming on these long, straight, silver trumpets was supposed to be memorial to remind the Children of Truth that their Father was taking care of them (Leviticus 23:24).

It could not have been a memorial of the giving the Law of Truth at Mount Sinai as some have suggested since that happened on the Feasts of Weeks (Pentecost aka Shavuot).  More than that a single yubal (the straight shofar) was used on that day instead of two long, straight, silver trumpets (Exodus 19:13).  [The Hebrew word translated as "trumpet" here is "yubal".]   Also alarming by nine short blasts was not sounded when this occurred but rather one long continuous blast (Exodus 19:19).  The best way to understand how the Day of Alarming is a memorial is to look at the other passages where these long, straight, silver trumpets were used for alarming. 

When the first long, straight, silver trumpet sounded the alarm then part of the Children of Truth were to move to meet the Father of Truth in a new place (Numbers 10:5).  When the second trumpet sounded the alarm, then the rest of the Children of Truth would join them (Numbers 10:6).  The day that the Children of Truth left their old location to meet the Father of Truth in a new location was a day of alarming.

The alarming on the long, straight, silver trumpet also announced that the Father of Truth was coming to save His people like the cavalry (Numbers 10:9).  The day when this occurs is also a day of alarming.

There was just such a day of alarming when the Children of Truth were delivered from those who forsaken their Father when the alarming was sounded on the long, straight, silver trumpets (2 Chronicles 13:10-18).

There was another day of alarming on the long, straight, silver trumpets when the Father of Truth took revenge on the enemies of His people (Numbers 31:1-7).

All of this foreshadowed what would be done by the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ).

The alarming like that of a trumpet was heard on the day that the Man of Truth announced that he was coming to save his people (Revelation 1:7-11).  That was another day of alarming.

The Day of Alarming, often called the Feasts of Trumpets, indeed tells of another day of alarming that will soon come upon the Earth.  When this future day of alarming comes then the alarming of the trumpet will be the sound of rescue for the Children of Truth and the sound of certain defeat for those who have attacked them.  It is all part of The Greatest Play Ever.

When the first trumpet sounds the alarm the Children of Truth that have already died will be move off of the Earth to meet with the Man of Truth at a new location in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16).  [The Greek word for trumpet here is "salpigks" which is a long, straight, metal trumpet and is the word used to translate the Hebrew word "chatsotserah" into Greek in the Septuagint.]  When the second trumpet sounds the alarm then the rest of the Children of Truth will join them (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).  The day that the Children of Truth leave their old location on this Earth to meet with the Man of Truth in a new location in the air will be a day of alarming (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).  The Father of Truth simply does not take Collateral Damage.

During this day there will be panic on the Earth that will cause people to shout in alarm.  The Earth will be full of the sound of horns, bells, klaxons, and sirens sounding the alarm in an effort to deal with all the emergencies that occur on this day.  It will truly be the Day of Alarming.

This day of alarming with a sound like a trumpet will announce that the judgement of their enemies will soon begin after the Children of Truth have been taken up to meet the Man of Truth (Revelation 4:1).  The Great War will soon begin.

During this war seven Angels of Truth will each be given a trumpet to sound (Revelation 8:2).  Every time one of those first six trumpets sound it will be a day of alarming (Revelation 8:6-9:19).  When that seventh trumpet sounds it will be a day of alarming announcing that the Man of Truth is coming to save his people like the cavalry (Revelation 11:15).

After that there will be another day of alarming when the trumpet will sound to announce the arrival of the Man of Truth will take vengeance on the enemies of his people (Matthew 24:29-31).  He will be coming with the Children of Truth to deliver his people according to the flesh - Israel (Revelation 19:11-16).  It will be the day when everyone on Earth will begin to submit to the Man of Truth in Total Surrender.

When the trumpets sound on the Day of Alarming in the near future because the Man of Truth has came for the Children of Truth then you will want it to be the sweet sound of rescue and not the dreaded sound of certain defeat.  The only way for this to happen is to come into the House of Truth.

No one knows how long they have to come into the House of Truth before that soon future day of alarming comes just like no one can know when the Day of Alarming (Feast of Trumpets) will start due to its dependence upon the conditions of the heavens to allow the spotting of the first sliver of the new moon from the Temple (Matthew 24:36-39).  More importantly you are not guaranteed tomorrow or even the rest of today so now is the time to come into the House of Truth (2 Corinthians 6:2).

You can come into the House of Truth and surrender to the Man of Truth today because you believe that His Father raised him from the dead (Romans 10:8-13).  You will surrender to him sometime in the future whether or not you come into the House of Truth (Philippians 2:9-11).  So why not come into the House of Truth where you can hear the sound of sweet rescue instead of the dreaded sound of certain defeat on the Day of Alarming?

Come into the House of Truth.

Collateral Damage

What is the timing of the Rapture?

When nations go to war unintended people are often killed.  Sometimes this includes those on the side that is attacking.  This occurs for a number of reasons.  Sometimes the target cannot be clearly identified. Sometimes a combatant hits the wrong target by accident.  Sometimes one of the enemy combatants fire upon the friendly combatants from the middle of friendly territory.  This leaves their opponent little choice but to fire back sometimes killing those on their own side in the cross fire.

However, there are other cases where generals know that in order to achieve a military objective they will likely kill some on their own side no matter how hard they try to avoid doing so.  One example of this is carpet bombing by the Allies in World War II.

The bombs of this era lacked any kind of guidance system and were simply dropped out of a plane.  No matter how carefully the bombardier aimed the bombs would still get blown off course on the way down.  A single bomb aimed at a factory could hit a war prison that was nearby and miss the factory completely.

So eventually a strategy was developed of a row of planes dropping a series of bombs at the same time in a single pass over the target area.  The bombs would form a grid shape and destroy everything inside the grid when they landed.  This was usually effective in destroying the target.  Needless to say, this process of carpet bombing not only destroyed the target but also everything near the target including the war prisons.

In some cases, there were war prisons that got hit in the carpet bombing by the Allies which contained American, French and British prisoners.  The prisoners were not bomb proof and were sometimes killed inadvertently in the effort to destroy the war making capacity of the German army that had imprisoned them.  They were referred to as collateral damage by the Allied generals because they were not the intended target even though they were still killed.  The generals knew that this collateral damage was inevitable but they consider this to be an acceptable loss that was necessary to win the war.

Like those generals there is a Great General that must also deal with the issue of His own people being embedded in the area of conflict.  The Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD)  is the greatest warrior that will ever be (Exodus 15:3).  He will go forth and defeat His enemies (Isaiah 42:13).  He is the Great General.

The Great General has the greatest army that will ever fight.   This army will bring terror, great pain and destruction to all of His enemies in the Final Battle (Isaiah 13:6-9).   This army will not be like any army that mankind has fought against before (Joel 2:1-3).  Their appearance will bring terror to all that see them (Joel 2:4-6).  Those in this army will not break rank and they will not be wounded when they are struck by any weapon in the Final Battle (Joel 2:7-9). 

The Great General has commissioned the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) to be the Captain of His army (Joshua 5:13-15).  His Captain will lead an army composed of the Children of Truth (those who obey the Father of Truth because they love Him) and the Angels of Truth from Heaven to bring destruction in the Final Battle (Isaiah 13:2-5).  His Captain will come with the Angels of Truth when he leads His army in the Final Battle (2 Thessalonians 1:7).

The Children of Truth will come with His Captain to execute judgment on the wicked in the Final Battle (Psalm 149:6-9).  His Captain will come with the Children of Truth when He appears again on the Earth in the Final Battle (1 Thessalonians 3:13).  His Captain will come with the Children of Truth to destroy the Children of Lies in the Final Battle (2 Thessalonians 1:9-10).  The Children of Truth will be with the Captain of His army in the Final Battle when he executes judgment on the wicked (Jude 1:14-15).

The heavens will give no light and the Earth will be shaken when the Great General pours out His wrath in the Final Battle to destroy every one in the world that does what He calls evil  (Isaiah 13:10-13).  The heavens will go dark and the Earth will tremble when He leads His great army in the Final Battle (Joel 2:10-11).  The heavens will go dark and Earth will be shaken when this Great General roars out of Zion to defend Jerusalem in the Final Battle (Joel 3:14-16).  The Children of Truth are coming with this Great General in the Final Battle when He causes the heavens to go dark (Zechariah 14:5-7). 

This Final Battle does not occur until the very end of the Tribulation  (Matthew 24:29-30).

The Tribulation is the Great War that leads up to the Final Battle.  The Tribulation will not come until the Gospel has been preached to every single ethnic group on Earth (Matthew 24:14).  Everyone on Earth would die in the Tribulation if the Great General did not cut it short for the sake of Israel (Matthew 24:21-22).  The Tribulation will come upon every Jew and Gentile that does evil (Romans 2:9).

The Man of Lies (The Antichrist aka The Beast aka The Man of Sin) rises to power at the beginning of the Tribulation by causing a war that will kill one in four people on Earth (Revelation 6:2-8).  Then the enemies of the Great General will know that His wrath has began (Revelation 6:15-17).  His wrath will be completed in the last seven plagues of the Tribulation (Revelation 15:1).

His wrath will be poured out on the Children of Lies in the Great War (John 3:36).  His wrath is for those that refuse to believe the Word of Truth regardless of the evidence (Romans 1:18-20).  His wrath is for those that have hardened their hearts against Him (Romans 2:5).  His wrath will be poured out on the Children of Lies that do the things that He says are wicked (Ephesians 5:5-6).  His wrath will come upon the Children of Lies in the Great War because of what they do (Colossians 3:5-6).

This Great General does not accept collateral damage.  His wrath is reserved for His enemies (Nahum 1:2).  He will not leave the Children of Truth in harms way when He pours out His wrath upon the Earth in the Great War (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).  He will bring the Tribulation upon those that trouble the Children of Truth (2 Thessalonians 1:6).  The Captain of His army will take vengeance on the Children of Lies that do not know Him and will not obey His Captain (2 Thessalonians 1:8).

How will the Great General prevent there from being any collateral damage?

The Great General will do it in same manner as when He poured out His wrath in the Great Flood.  First He warned Noah that His wrath was coming (Genesis 6:11-13).  Then He told Noah how he could escape His wrath (Genesis 7:1-4).  Noah was separated from the danger before His wrath came down (Genesis 7:15-16). Noah was lifted above the Earth, the place of destruction, when His wrath came down (Genesis 7:15).  Noah was taken out of the way before destruction came because he was a righteous (Hebrews 11:7).

The Great General operated the same way when He poured out His wrath on Sodom and Gomorrah.  First He warned Lot that His wrath was coming (Genesis 19:13). Then He told Lot how he could escape His wrath (Genesis 19:14-15).  Lot was separated from the danger before His wrath came down (Genesis 19:16).  Lot would have been lifted above the valley, the place of destruction, when His wrath came down if Lot had not asked to go to Zoar instead (Genesis 19:17-20).  Lot was taken out of the way before destruction came because he was righteous (2 Peter 2:6-8).

The Great General has warned the Children of Truth of His coming wrath (Luke 21:34-35).  He has told them how to escape His wrath (Luke 21:36).  They will be separated from the danger before His wrath comes down just like Noah and Lot (2 Peter 2:5-9).  They will be lifted above the Earth, the place of destruction, just before His wrath comes down (1 Thessalonians 4:17). They will be taken out of the way before destruction comes because they have turned to righteousness (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

This process of removing the Children of Truth from the Earth before His Wrath is poured out occurs in The Greatest Play Ever as well.

The Feasts of the Father of Truth together form the Greatest Play Ever (Leviticus 23:4).   Each of these Feasts are an act in the Greatest Play Ever that tell the story of the Man of Truth, His dealings with the nation of Israel, and His dealings with the Children of Truth.

The last act that has been played out in the history of the Children of Truth was that of Pentecost (Shavuot).  In that act the Children of Truth were baptized in the Spirit of Truth (Ruach HaQodesh aka The Holy Spirit aka The Holy Ghost) so they could have the power to bring the Gospel into all of the Earth (Acts 2:1-4).  There is a long intermission between that act and the next act in the play.  During the long intermission between that act and the next act the Children of Truth have been busy using that power to carry out the work of the Man of Truth throughout the Earth (Mark 16:15-18). 

Soon the long intermission will be over and the Day of Alarming (Yom Teruah aka The Feast of Trumpets (mistakenly called Rosh Hashanah by the Rabbis)) will begin.   This next act in the Greatest Play Ever tells of His plan to prevent collateral damage.

In the rehearsal of this fifth act, the shofars (trumpets) are blown produce the sound of alarming to call people together (this is what Teruah means) and then the people are gathered together to meet with the Father of Truth (Leviticus 23:24-25).

In the rehearsal of the sixth act everyone fasts as a sign of mourning for their disobedience and the atonement that was made for their disobedience to the Father of Truth (Leviticus 23:27-29).

This day is also known as Judgment Day (Romans 2:5-6).  On this day every person will get what their deeds deserve (Romans 2:5-6). The wicked will be destroyed on Judgment Day (2 Peter 3:7).  Those that have repented and became the Children of Truth will be rewarded on Judgment Day (1 John 4:15-17).

The intermission between the sounding the alarm with the shofar (trumpet) and Judgment Day is called the Days of Awe when people have one last opportunity to repent before coming before the Father of Truth on Judgment Day.

The blowing of shofars serves a warning of the approach of the Judgment Day when the Final Battle will occur (Joel 2:1).  When the Final Battle is over then Israel will mourn for their disobedience to the Father of Truth and their treatment of the Man of Truth who made atonement for them (Zechariah 12:10-14).

The period between the blowing of the shofars (trumpets) to gather people to meet the Father of Truth and the Final Battle is the time of the Tribulation.  This is the time of terrible trouble that will come upon the whole Earth (Daniel 12:1).  Some people will repent during the Tribulation before the Father of Truth judges the whole world after the Final Battle although it will cost them their lives to do so (Revelation 6:9-11).

Just like how in the fifth act of the Greatest Play Ever shofars (trumpets) are blown to call people to meet the Father of Truth so also shall the Children of Truth that have died shall meet with the Man of Truth to prepare to fight with him in the Final Battle (1 Thessalonians 4:16).  Just as Yom Teruah ends with one last great blast of the shofar (trumpet) that signals the end of the gathering people together to meet the Father of Truth before the Days of Awe begin so also shall the last shofar (trumpet) blast cause the Children of Truth that are alive to be gathered together to meet the Man of Truth before the Tribulation begins (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).  In fact the Man of Lies cannot even be revealed to start the Great War until the Children of Truth are taken off the Earth so that he can operate unhindered (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9).

The Greatest Play Ever plainly shows that the Great General will take the Children of Truth out of the Earth before He unleashes the Great War known as the Tribulation.  The Great General does not take collateral damage and He does not consider destroying some of His Children when pours out His wrath to be an acceptable loss.

Before the Children of Truth are taken off the Earth to meet the Man of Truth there will be a great falling away among those that call themselves followers of the Man of Truth (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3).  This great falling away will happen because their love for the Man of Truth will have grown cold due to the growth in iniquity that comes right before the Great War (Matthew 24:12).  In this great falling away most that call themselves believers are consumed with materialism and have become lukewarm (Revelation 3:14-17)  This is the final phase of the long intermission between when the Spirit of Truth was poured out at Pentecost and when the Children of Truth will be taken off the Earth at the sounding of the shofar (trumpet) (Revelation 1:10-11).  After the Church age has ran its course then the shofar (trumpet) will sound and the Children of Truth will be brought up by Spirit of Truth to view the Great War from Heaven (Revelation 4:1-2).  When the last of those that will repent during the Tribulation have came up to Heaven as well then the Children of Truth will return to the Earth in the army of His Captain to fight in the Final Battle (Revelation 19:11-16).

Of course, it makes no difference when the Great General will remove His Children from the Earth if you have not come into the House of Truth.  You have an appoint with death and you will participate in Judgment Day whether or not you come into the House of Truth (Hebrews 9:27).  You will certainly keep this appointment with death unless you are among that come into the House of Truth in the last days before the Great War and never experience death (1 Corinthians 15:50-52).  You are not guaranteed tomorrow or even the rest of today so you need to come into the House of Truth right now (2 Corinthians 6:1-2).  You need to come into the House of Truth right now by deciding to follow every order of His Captain that was raised from the dead by the Great General  (Romans 10:9-11).

Come into the House of Truth.