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Saturday 23 September 2006

Trumpeting on


Today, September 23, is the Feast of Trumpets. Next up, the Day of Atonement, and then the FOT.

At least, that's the calendar cycle for faithful Church of God households. But what, in particular, is Trumpets all about?

Wikipedia to the rescue. The biggest encyclopedia in history has an article dedicated to the "Christian holiday" of that name. "Disciples of Herbert Armstrong observe the day." As the article winds on it gets quite herbertesque with stuff like this:

"...when they are seven years apart and when they comprise 86 moons on the metatonic cycle, (and not 87 moons), is 2550 days.

"86 moons = 86 x 29.530589 days + 10 days = 2550 days (inclusive). This is the timespan that begins on Tishri 1 in year X and extends out seven years to Tishri 10 on year X + 7.

"2550 days is a very special number of days. It happens to very precisely encompass the timespan of the 70th week of Daniel with the 30 day extension of the second half of the 70th Week going beyond the 1260 days to the 1290 days. This period of 1290 days was prophesied by Daniel in Dan.12:11. The number of days for the final seven years of this age then becomes, - 1260 days + 1290 days = 2550 days.

"There is a perfect agreement of the two timespans..."


Yeah, okay, if you say so. Dear old Ron Dart is a bit more to-the-point when he concedes:

"The Feast of Trumpets is an anomaly among the holy days. When it was instituted, it had no obvious meaning... it has no particular meaning attached to it, there is nothing specified. It doesn't say "You're going to have a memorial of blowing trumpets because we blew trumpets at such and such a time or in such and such a situation" or "all you people are to blow trumpets or all of you people are to do this." There is nothing..."

Of course, Ron goes on to find this hugely significant for determining the true significance of the festival. If you're sufficiently desperate to find out how he pulls it off, here's the link.

Or, you could just hunker down with a collection of Ritenbaugh audio sermons on the subject, but be sure to prepare thoroughly with a wide margin KJV, highlighter, cushion, a six-pack of Red Bull and a lobotomy.

2 comments:

Douglas Becker said...

Concerning John Rittenbaugh--the Church of the Great God is not so much a church as a ministry. On their website at cgg.org [be careful of typos--you could end up some place very unpleasant], they speak of the Feast of Trumpets and the Feast of Tabernacles, but do not have any inclination to tell you where they might be kept with the ccg. What gives? Even the smallest of the groups seem to tell you where to go.

As for the topic of Trumpets, the Armstrongist view is simple: It is a time of war. Jesus will return. The last trumpet will sound, there will be seven last plagues.

What could be more simple?

Please don't take me seriously to answer that!

jorgheinz said...

Gavin,

I was disppointed.I thought that the header of "Trumpeting On" was going to lead into something else.

But never mind.