Feast of Trumpets / Day of Shouting

The following is a quotation from: http://www.ptgbook.org/index.html and I do agree mostly with what he says about this particular issue except that it is NOT even to even. To learn Why it is NOT even to even, please read the When Does the Day start article. Also, the first day of the month when to start counting the days of the month should be according to the New Moon events.

The Day of Trumpets - the Second Coming of Christ The next holy day is the Feast of Trumpets. This is given in Leviticus 23:23-25. It is called "a memorial of blowing of trumpets." It is a Sabbath day, a day of rest, and a day of assembly for worship services. Apart from the association with trumpets, no special meaning for this day is explained in this passage in the Old Testament. However, since Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost, all Feasts of God commanded in the Old Testament, each have an important application and meaning in the New Testament and help us to understand various aspects of God's plan, it seems likely that the Day of Trumpets also has meaning for the Church. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the sins of mankind was a major milestone for God's plan, and is pictured by Passover. The days of unleavened bread show the need for Christians to repent and put sin out of their lives. The major milestone in God's plan of the Holy Spirit being given to the Church is pictured by the Day of Pentecost. After Jesus' first coming, death, and resurrection, and after the Holy Spirit was given to the Church, what is the next great event to occur in the plan of God? "Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven' " (Acts 1:9-11). The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ will return to this earth. Since the Day of Trumpets is the next of God's holy days in the Hebrew calendar after Pentecost, and since the return of Jesus Christ to the earth is the next great event in God's plan, is there any connection between the two in Scripture? The answer is yes. There are a number of scriptures in the New Testament that associate the return of Christ with the blowing of trumpets. The next great event in God's plan is the return of Jesus Christ in great power and glory to the earth. Notice what Jesus said in Matthew 24:29-31: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all 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 His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Notice that Jesus said that when He returns He will send His angels with the sound of a trumpet to gather the elect. This shows that there will be the sound of a trumpet at the return of Christ. Notice that at the time of Christ's return, true Christians who have died will be resurrected, and those who are alive will be changed to immortality. "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17). Also, "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" (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). Notice that both of these passages refer to the sounding of a trumpet. The book of Revelation speaks of end time events shortly before the return of Christ. Revelation 8:2 speaks of seven trumpets that are to sound: "And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets." Other scriptures show that these seven trumpets sound one at a time during God's punishment of the world in a period called the "Day of the Lord." But it is at the LAST of the seven trumpets that Christ returns to rule the earth and establish the Kingdom of God on earth. "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!' " (Revelation 11:15). When Christ returns, He will rule the earth and establish the Kingdom of God ruling over all the nations of the earth. The resurrected saints will rule with Christ for 1,000 years. Notice Revelation 20:4-6: "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years." Those resurrected or changed from mortal to immortal at this time will rule with Christ over the nations of the earth. These are the few that are called and drawn to Christ by the Father in this age pictured by the Day of Pentecost. The majority of mankind will still be physical and mortal. Note also that this resurrection of the saints is called, "the FIRST resurrection", indicating that there is more than one resurrection. I will talk about another resurrection when I cover the meaning of the holy days that follow the Day of Trumpets. The return of Christ and the resurrection of true Christians will bring to an end the 6,000 years of man ruling himself in opposition to the ways of God, and it begins a period of one thousand years of God's direct rule over the nations of the earth. Christ and the saints will then teach mankind then living the laws of God and the way of life that leads to peace, happiness, and prosperity. Christ will rule the nations, establish justice, and enforce the ways of peace, bringing to pass the prophecy of Isaiah 2:2-4: "Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore." This is the time when Jesus' statement to his twelve apostles in Matthew 19:28 will be fulfilled: "So Jesus said to them, 'Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.' " This will be a time when salvation is open to all men then living, not just the few. All will be taught God's truth and all will have an opportunity to repent of their sins and their sinful nature, to have faith in God and in Jesus Christ, to accept Christ as their savior, and to be baptized and converted and to be saved. I will cover more about this period of one thousand years when I cover the meaning of the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. But before I go to that I want to explain more about the resurrection of the saints. Christians who have died are described in the Bible as having fallen asleep. Note these scriptures. "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16). "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (1 Corinthians 11:29-30). "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" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). How does the concept of falling asleep in death, and then later being resurrected from the dead, fit with the concept of traditional mainstream Christianity that all humans have immortal souls that live on after the death of the body and can never die? As a child, I was raised Catholic. If I remember correctly, I was taught that I had an immortal soul. The soul was pictured as the "real me", the real consciousness that in a sense lived inside my body. I was taught that when I died, if I had a mortal sin on my conscience that had not yet been forgiven, I would go to an ever-burning hell fire where I would be tortured for all eternity, but if not, then I would eventually go to heaven where I would be happy looking at the face of God for all eternity, but first I would have to spend time in a place called purgatory, which is a place of suffering, where I would be punished for whatever sins I had committed that were not "mortal sins", and after a time in that place, which might be many years, I would then be allowed into heaven. I think I was also taught that among those outside the Catholic Church and those who were never baptized, which is the majority of mankind, if anyone lived a good life, they might go to a place called limbo instead of hell for all eternity. Limbo was a place of happiness, but not as happy as heaven, not as close to God. I do not know what Protestants teach about the ideas of purgatory or limbo. I do know that they teach that man has an immortal soul ("immortal" meaning it cannot die). I do not know what they teach about the fate of the billions of people who have lived on the earth and died who never heard of Jesus Christ or had the opportunity to become Christians. Perhaps some Protestants believe that those who died without an opportunity to become Christians will be tortured forever in hell fire. I have not found these ideas in the Bible. Ezekiel 18:4 says, "Behold, all souls are Mine; The soul of the father As well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die." If you look up in Strong's Concordance the word translated "soul" in the statement in Ezekiel 18:4 that the soul that sins shall die, you will find that it corresponds to Strong's number 5315 and is translated from the Hebrew word, "nephesh". Some of the definitions of this Hebrew word given in Strong's Concordance include "that which breathes", "living being", "the man himself", and "activity of mind". In the King James Version, nephesh is most frequently translated in into the English word "soul", but is also sometimes translated "life", "person", "mind", "heart", "creature", etc. Genesis 2:7 states, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." The word translated in the New King James Version as "being" is the same Hebrew word "nepesh". The King James Version translates this verse as follows: "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7 clearly states that God made man physical, from the dust of the ground, and that man, made from the dust of the ground, became a living soul. Ezekiel 18:4 clearly states that the soul that sins shall die. The word "immortal" means, "cannot die". There is no evidence from the verses we have looked at so far that the soul is immortal, but rather, the soul can die. "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die' " (Genesis 2:16-17). "And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die." ' Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die' " (Genesis 3:2-4). In Ezekiel 18:4, God says that the soul can die. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus says that the soul can be destroyed. "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." The Bible pictures those who have died to be asleep, unconscious, as we are when we sleep without dreams (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16, 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, John 11:11-14, Luke 8:52-55, Mark 5:39-42, Matthew 9:24-25). Man is described as mortal, subject to death, in need of immortality, but not having it yet. At the first resurrection when Christ returns to the earth, Christians must be changed from being mortal to being immortal, both those who are resurrected from the dead and those who are alive and are changed. "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 is the purpose of the resurrection, to bring back to life those who are dead in their graves. If we have immortal souls that live on after we die, and if those souls go to heaven or hell when we die, what need is there for a resurrection? The prophecy given to Daniel shows that at the end time many will be resurrected back to life from the dead. "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). Daniel himself is told that he will be among those who come up from the dead. "But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days" (Daniel 12:13). The time between Daniel's death and his resurrection is described as "rest", which is metaphor very similar to the one Paul uses when he describes those who are dead as "asleep." Man does not yet have immortality, that is, eternal life. We must receive it as a gift from God. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). "Now behold, one came and said to Him, 'Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?' So He said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments' " (Matthew 19:16-17). The reward of the saved is to RECEIVE immortality. We do not have it yet as immortal souls. The Bible does teach that there is a spirit in man. "But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding" (Job 32:8). "Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, Or the golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel broken at the well. Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7). It is the spirit in man that empowers the human brain with intellect and enables every human to know and understand the things that animals cannot understand, just as the Spirit of God enables a Christian to understand knowledge of the things of God in a way that the unconverted mind cannot understand. "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). The spirit in man, which Mr. Armstrong called the "human spirit", empowers the human brain with intellect and gives understanding, but it is not a "soul". It does not provide life and consciousness apart from the human brain, and it does not live on as a conscious entity after death, but as Solomon says, when a man dies the body returns to the earth and the spirit returns to God who gave it. There is no consciousness, no awareness, in those who have died. The only hope for life after death is a resurrection from the dead, which is yet future. Solomon wrote, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Speaking of the condition of those who have died in this age, apart from a future resurrection, Solomon wrote, "For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). "Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish" (Psalm 146:3-4). The King James Version translates this same passage as follows: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." For proof that a resurrection from the dead is NEEDED for anyone to have life after death, consider what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:12-22: "Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up-if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive." Notice that Paul says without the resurrection of the dead, all who have fallen asleep (died) have perished (died permanently). He also equates "no resurrection" with having hope in this life only, and saying, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable." Why would Paul say this if Christians who have died are now in heaven with Christ apart from a future resurrection? Why would those who are now in heaven with Christ be "most pitiable" if there is no future resurrection? Also, see 1 Corinthians 15:30-32 where Paul says, "And why do we stand in jeopardy every hour? I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die' ". Why would Paul say that if there is no future resurrection from the dead, it would be better for him to say, "Let's eat and drink for tomorrow we die" if Christians who die go to heaven upon death? That would not make any sense, nor would there be any need for a resurrection if we are really immortal souls who go to heaven when we die. The answer is, Christians who have died are not in heaven with Christ and do not have immortal souls. They died and are unconscious in their graves, and they will be raised back to life from the dead and given immortality at the second coming of Christ to the earth, which is yet future. Have the righteous who have died gone to heaven? According to John 3:13, "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." After Jesus died and was resurrected, Peter spoke to the crowds on the day of Pentecost about king David, saying, "Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day" (Acts 2:29). "For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool" ' " (Acts 2:34-35). Some may refer to Elijah as one who was carried into "heaven". But in the Bible, the term "heaven" can refer to this earth's atmosphere, or outer space with its planets, stars, and galaxies, or the heaven that is God's throne. Notice the phrase "birds of heaven" in Job 35:11 and Jeremiah 16:4 referring to the heaven that is this earth's atmosphere. These verses refer to birds flying in the atmosphere of the earth. 2 Kings 2:1 says, "And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal." Then in 2 Kings 2:11: "Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." But did Elijah go into the heaven that is God's throne, or just into the air to be set down someplace else where it would not be known where he was? It is clear that Elijah's work as the prophet in that area for that time was finished, and it was God's time that Elijah be removed and Elisha take Elijah's office and carry on his work (1 Kings 19:16). But was it time for Elijah to die? Or was Elijah to be taken to the heaven that is God's throne? If so, it would contradict John 3:13 which says that no man has ascended into heaven. Those with Elisha after Elijah ascended did not assume that Elijah went up to the heaven of God's throne. "Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, 'The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.' And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him. Then they said to him, 'Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Please let them go and search for your master, lest perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.' And he said, 'You shall not send anyone.' But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, 'Send them!' Therefore they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him. And when they came back to him, for he had stayed in Jericho, he said to them, 'Did I not say to you, "Do not go"?' " (2 Kings 2:15-18). Some time after this, a letter came from Elijah to the king of Judah, proving that Elijah was still alive and someplace on the earth. Notice that Elisha was already prophet in place of Elijah while Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was still alive. "But Jehoshaphat said, 'Is there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?' So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, 'Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.' And Jehoshaphat said, 'The word of the Lord is with him.' So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him" (2 Kings 3:11-12). The fact that the servant said that Elisha "poured" water on the hands of Elijah, past tense, shows that Elisha was not still serving Elijah. This occurred AFTER Elijah went into the atmosphere by a whirlwind and Elisha received his office. Now, AFTER Jehoshaphat died, his son Jehoram became king of Judah in his place. "And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place" (2 Chronicles 21:1). And it was to Jehoram, AFTER Jehoshaphat died and AFTER Elijah was taken into "heaven" by a whirlwind, that a letter came from Elijah, proving Elijah was still alive and on the earth. "Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for he had the daughter of Ahab as a wife; and he did evil in the sight of the Lord" (2 Chronicles 21:5-6). "And a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet, saying, Thus says the Lord God of your father David: Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father, or in the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot like the harlotry of the house of Ahab, and also have killed your brothers, those of your father’s household, who were better than yourself, behold, the Lord will strike your people with a serious affliction-your children, your wives, and all your possessions; and you will become very sick with a disease of your intestines, until your intestines come out by reason of the sickness, day by day" (2 Chronicles 21:12-15). What is the reward of the saved? Is it our destiny to go to heaven to be with God after we are resurrected? I have already covered the scriptures that show that Christ will return to the earth to rule the earth with the resurrected saints, now made immortal, for 1,000 years. What happens after that? Revelation 21:1-4 indicates that their will be a new heaven and a new earth, and that New Jerusalem will come down from heaven to the earth, and God will be with men on the earth. "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.' " The Church of God has taught, and the weight of biblical evidence shows that this earth is destined to be God's headquarters of the entire universe, and this is where the resurrected saints will be with God, not in heaven. Jesus said, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). Does this mean our reward is to go to heaven when we die? No, because Jesus said our reward is IN heaven, now, present tense, though we ourselves are not in heaven. Our reward is reserved IN heaven, and Jesus will bring it to us when He comes to the earth. Note: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5). Peter's statement that our reward is reserved in heaven is consistent with Jesus' instruction to store up treasure in heaven. "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). But Christ will bring our reward to us when He returns to the earth. "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:8). Some have assumed that since the reward of the saved is to enter the "Kingdom of Heaven", that this means they will be in heaven itself. Notice Matthew 7:21, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." However, the word "of" indicates OWNERSHIP, not location. The "Kingdom of Heaven" is the Kingdom that is OWNED by God who is on His throne now in heaven. It is basically synonymous with "Kingdom of God", as the term is used in Matthew 19:24. Previously, in the same sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). The Christian's reward is to inherit the earth and to be with Christ on the earth. Those who are saved will be given immortality at the resurrection and will live forever. But what about the unrepentant wicked? What is their punishment? Traditional mainstream Christianity teaches that the wicked are tortured forever in hell. What does the Bible teach? There is indeed a hell fire that will burn the wicked, but they will not burn forever. They will be burnt up, consumed by the fire, turned to ashes, because they are mortal, physical, subject to death, not immortal souls. There will be suffering, probably mental as well as physical when the wicked realize what they have lost forever. As Jesus said, "There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out" (Luke 13:28). But for humans the suffering will be temporary until they are destroyed forever in the fire. John the Baptist said of Jesus Christ, "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12). This hell fire that burns up the wicked is called the lake of fire, and being cast into it is described as the second death in Revelation 20:14-15: "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." God will destroy the wicked in hell fire. Jesus said, "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matthew 10:28). After this destruction, the wicked are described as ashes and non-existent. " 'You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,' Says the Lord of hosts" (Malachi 4:3). "For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. For as you drank on My holy mountain, So shall all the nations drink continually; Yes, they shall drink, and swallow, And they shall be as though they had never been" (Obadiah 15-16). The Bible pictures the punishment of the wicked as death, not eternal life in hell fire. Notice Ezekiel 18:21-24: "But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die" (KJV). If you read the entire chapter of Ezekiel 18, you will see that the comparison between the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked is always life and death, not living forever in heaven or hell. The righteous will be given life and will never die the second death, but will be with Christ forever. The wicked will die and cease to exist, and will be as if they never existed. The Bible often talks about everlasting or eternal punishment, as in the passage where Jesus describes the separation of the sheep and the goats. "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:44-46). Some think that this means that the suffering continues for eternity. That is not the case, according to the verses we have looked at previously. Everlasting punishment does not mean everlasting punishing. The punishment is everlasting, eternal, because it is a permanent death from which there will never be a resurrection. For all eternity, the wicked will never be brought back to life. There will never be a release from that penalty. As Paul puts it, "These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed" (2 Thessalonians 1:9-10). As it says in Obadiah 16, the wicked will be as if they had never existed. The idea that God, who is love (1 John 4:8, 4:16), would create human beings with immortal souls so that some would suffer for all eternity, being tortured in pain for trillions and trillions of years without end, with no hope of release or anything to look forward to but unending pain and agony forever, seems very inconsistent to me. I doubt if any people I know would wish this kind of thing on anyone. I wouldn't wish this on an animal much less a human being. And if we humans, being evil in comparison with God, have enough compassion to not wish this on anyone, why would God do this to someone, even an unrepentant sinner? I have never heard any explanation of this that makes any sense. But it does make sense that God in His love and wisdom would put unrepentant sinners out of their misery by destroying them so that they no longer exist, so that they do not make themselves and others miserable for all eternity with their wicked ways leading to conflict, hostility, war, and destruction. The wicked will be burned up and will be as if they had never been created. Their suffering will be over, and they will not be around to any longer inflict suffering on themselves or others by their evil ways. It also makes sense that it would suit Satan's purpose to promote false teaching and deceive sincere religious people into thinking that God created us with immortal souls and that sinners who have not accepted Christ are tortured forever. I think this teaching, however it is packaged or explained, would give the impression to any reasonable person that God is a cruel God. Most religious people who believe this teaching would not explicitly say that God is cruel, but I find it hard to believe that they don't really think this deep down if they really believe God tortures humans, any humans, forever. It was Satan who told Eve, "You shall not surely die", so this false doctrine probably started early in man's history. In my opinion, it is one of Satan's slanders against God. In the New Testament, the Greek word diabolos (Strong's number 1228), which is often translated "the devil", includes the meaning of "slanderer" and "false accuser", according to Strong's Concordance. The Day of Pentecost pictures the giving of the Holy Spirit to the few that God calls in this life and this age and draws them to Christ, not the majority of mankind at this time. The Day of Trumpets looks forward to the return of Jesus Christ to this earth as King of the earth, and also to the resurrection from the dead and instantaneous change from mortal life to immortal eternal life of those few who are true Christians and have received God's Holy Spirit and have overcome and endured to the end in this 6,000 year age of man. This is the first resurrection, and those few who are in this resurrection will sit with Christ on His throne ruling the nations of the earth and teaching all mankind the ways of God, bringing peace and happiness to the earth for one thousand years. Jesus said, "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations" (Revelation 2:26, KJV). And, "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (Revelation 3:21, KJV). And, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Revelation 2:11, KJV). The Church of God observes the Day of Trumpets as a Sabbath day of rest and assembly for church services. The Day of Trumpets represents the second coming of Christ and the resurrection of the saints to rule the earth with Christ so that mankind can learn that God's ways lead to peace, prosperity, and happiness. But before there can be true happiness on the earth, another step must be taken, and the next holy day, the Day of Atonement, helps us understand that next step.