There isn’t anything that the Lord cannot do. Jesus Christ said in Mark 10:27(NLT), “Everything is possible with God.” Our Heavenly Father is a God of love, and everything that He does is about sharing and expanding His love towards His children. Love requires a target, and God’s children are the targets of His love. This is Good News indeed! Genesis 1:27(NLT) says, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” God could have created us in any shape, form, or fashion that He wanted, but Genesis 1:27 tells us that He created us in His image so we could be like Him. In other words, we are perfectly designed to fit into God through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and to be like Christ in every way. This is the Will of God, and it will never change. The relationships that we have in the earth were designed by God to teach us the honor, faith, gratitude, and love that we must have in our relationship with Him. Most of us desire and treasure our significant relationships. We are thankful to have spouses, because we can clearly see that God is caring for us and taking care of our needs through those that love us most. The one thing that we must never do is make the mistake of placing or prioritizing any other relationship above the one we have with God. Many of us have done this, and it is because we have underestimated what God has accomplished for us through Jesus Christ.
In Leviticus 23:24-25(NLT), God gave Moses specific instructions regarding how He wanted His people, the children of Israel, to observe a special day of rest. This passage says, “24 Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. On the first day of the appointed month in early autumn, you are to observe a day of complete rest. It will be an official day for holy assembly, a day commemorated with loud blasts of a trumpet. 25 You must do no ordinary work on that day. Instead, you are to present special gifts to the LORD.” The appointed month that this verse mentions was marked with a few observances that were meaningful and symbolic of God’s sovereignty and omnipotence. He wanted his people to take the time to acknowledge His power, and in so doing, they would acknowledge the great love He has for them.
The blasts of the trumpet is particularly symbolic. When God directed Joshua, his servant, to lead His people to victory by marching around the gates of Jericho, He instructed them in Joshua 6:3-5(NLT), “3 You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. 4 Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram's horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. 5 When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams' horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town."
Like the account in Joshua 6, the Book of Isaiah, chapter 27, also tells us about the great things God did to deliver the children of Israel from their enemies. It provides tremendous encouragement in the power and strength of God and His willingness to rescue His people, including those of us living today. Isaiah 27:13(NLT) says, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the LORD in the holy mount at Jerusalem.” So, the sound of the trumpet is a symbol of God’s power and the victory He gives to His people. Revealed throughout His Word, the trumpet sound is given to us as a sign that He is fulfilling His prophecy, and thereafter a mighty move of His power is witnessed.
In Matthew 24:31(NLT), Jesus Christ is telling us about the future. He said, “And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” In this verse, he’s informing us about his return to earth to set up his kingdom. Again, the blast of the trumpet signifies a show of God’s mighty power and the authority He has given to Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son. He will return to the earth in triumphant glory, and this is something you and I ought be extremely excited about. We shouldn’t allow anything or anyone to shake our faith in God, because through Jesus Christ, we have access to His unshakable Kingdom, and this is Good News indeed!
Another show of God’s glory and majesty is the Rapture. It is written about in 1Thessalonians 4:16-18(NLT) and says, “16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.” Things in our world seemed to be coming more and more unglued. Many people are anxious about the future, but the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ should never be this way. One day, we will be raptured together with our precious and powerful Lord and Savior. We’ll be gathered together with him, and we’ll be with him forever. This is the Good News that lasts, and 1Thessalonians 4:18 tells us to encourage each other to stay close to God so we’ll always be prepared for the glorious day when our blessed Redeemer returns. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Good News That Lasts”, written by Vince Mack. Blessing Beads and More© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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