Feast of Trumpets 2025: What is Memorialized?

 The Feast of Trumpets is introduced in Leviticus 23:23-25 as "a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets" (ESV).  There is no mention in these verses of what is being memorialized.  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on September 20, 2025, Kyle Kettering surveyed the important things that may be memorialized by this festival.  

Since harvest festivals like Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles are prominent in the annual cycle of celebrations, the fall harvest is one thing to celebrate in this season.  

There are a number of themes associated with the Feast of Trumpets in Jewish tradition.  These include 

• creation
• the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22, partly because of the horn of the ram that was a substitute for Isaac.
• a spiritual wake-up call and announcement of coming judgment.
• the coming of the King (Ps 98:6).
• future redemption, including the coming of Messiah (Zech 9:14) and the ingathering of exiles (Isa 27:13).  

Several of these themes are continued in the New Testament, especially that of future redemption.  The imagery of trumpets is prominent in the book of Revelation and in descriptions of the return of Jesus (Rev 11:15-18; Mt 24:29-31; 1 Co 15:51-57; 1 Th 4:13-18).  

Resurrection Day 2024 Sermon: The Importance of Resurrection

 The first Christians proclaimed a message of Jesus' resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:22-38; 4:2).  Jesus declared himself to be "the resurrection and the life" (Jn 11:25). 

The resurrection has always been at the heart of the Christian message.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 39, 2024, Kyle Kettering  emphasized the importance of the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.  

In the Jewish world of the first century, Kyle explained, many believed in the resurrection.  For example, the martyrs in 2 Maccabees 7 declared that they were not afraid of their persecutors because God would resurrect them (see e.g. verse 9).  In talking with Jesus about her brother Lazarus, Martha professed her faith in "the resurrection on the last day" (Jn 11:24).  The Pharisees, of whom the apostle Paul was one, were strong believers in the resurrection (Acts 23:6). 

Not all Jews believed in the resurrection, though.  The doctrine is not so easy to discern from just the Pentateuch, and the Sadducees were skeptical of it (Mt 22:23-33).  

Greek thinking, which valued an immaterial soul over the human body, did not accept the idea of resurrection.  Paul defended the resurrection to a largely Gentile audience in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 15.  He emphasized that this was a teaching "of first importance," one that validates the idea of Jesus' atoning death.  Without it, Paul said, "we are of all people most to be pitied" (v. 19).

Kyle concluded that the resurrection 

• validates Jesus' mission and teaching.
• provides power; it is thanks to the resurrection that Christ lives in us.
• gives us hope. 

Resurrection Day 2024: 1 Corinthians15:3-9---Four Categories of Apostles

 In 1 Corinthians 15:3-9, Paul mentions a number of individuals and groups of people to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared:

• Cephas (Luke 24:34)
• the twelve
• five hundred brethren
• James
• all the apostles
• Paul, "the least of the apostles"

This listing raises the question of how "apostle" ("one sent") was defined.  We know that the twelve were apostles, and they were people who had traveled with Jesus from the time of his baptism until the time of his ascension (Acts 1:22).  

Jesus' half-brother James was also an apostle (Gal 1:19).  James may have become a follower of Jesus when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him.  James became the leader of the Christians in Jerusalem.  Those who led the Jerusalem Christ-followers seem to have been called apostles in the book of Acts. 

Paul also became an apostle a few years after James did.  The risen Jesus appeared to him and commissioned him.  

There are also cases where a person who was sent by one congregation to help another is called an apostle.  Titus (2 Cor 8:23) and Epaphroditus (Phl 2:25) are examples.   Today we call people like this missionaries or church planters.

So there seem to be four categories of apostles in the New Testament:'

1. The Twelve
2. James and other leaders of the early Jerusalem congregation.
3. Paul, who is in a kind of category of his own.
4. People sent by one congregation to help another.

The people in the first three categories had seen the risen Jesus.  These categories seem only to have existed in the initial generation of Christianity.  There are people in the fourth category throughout Christian history, but we probably should not loosely throw around the title of apostle for them, since this designation has such exalted connotations. 

Michael Heiser gives a concise discussion of this topic in the Logos Mobile Ed Course BI 165,  one of a series of courses on difficult passages in scripture.

Resurrection Day 2024: 1 Corinthians 15:29---What Was Baptism for the Dead?

 One of the strangest verses in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 15:29:  "Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead?  If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf?" (ESV)

In chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, Paul argues against the view that Christian believers will not be resurrected from the dead in the future.  He asserts that denying the reality of resurrection means denying that Christ was resurrected, and Christ's resurrection is the cornerstone of the gospel.  Verse 29 is part of that discussion, with Paul saying that "baptism for the dead" makes no sense if there is no resurrection.  

But what was baptism for the dead?  Michael Heiser discusses this question in three videos from the Logos Mobile Ed Course BI 161, a course on difficult passages in the Bible.  He says that over the course of Christian history, there have been over 40 different proposals for what is going on in verse 29.  One's interpretation depends on the way one answers several questions:

1. Is this baptism literal or metaphorical?
2. Who is being baptized, and why?
3. How are we to interpret the Greek preposition hyper, which is translated "on behalf of" in the ESV.  Does it mean "in the interest of", "because of", "in place of"?  All these are possible.
4. Is Paul simply reporting a practice that is occurring, or does he endorse the practice?

Heiser goes on to talk about some of the leading options:

• The metaphorical view sees "baptism for the dead" as a way of saying "martyrdom."  In this view, to be baptized for the dead is to die for the faith, experiencing that type of "baptism of fire."  Why would one die for the faith if there is no resurrection?
• In the inspirational view, people are being baptized becuse they are inspired by the courage of a martyr they have heard about.  Baptism for the dead would then be "baptism for those who have died."
• In the last-day resurrection view, people are being baptized in order to be united with dead loved ones in the future resurrection.
• In the deathbed baptism view, people are being baptized shortly before they die, when they are nearly dead.  John Calvin favored this interepretation.
• In the vicarious baptism view, which may be the most popular one, people are being baptized for the benefit of those who have already died.  If this is what Paul was referring to, then he was reporting the practice without endorsing it.

Heiser himself leans toward an interpretation proposed by James E. Patrick in the paper "Living Rewards for Dead Apostles:  'Baptised for the Dead' in 1 Corinthians 15.29," New Testament Studies 52 (2006): 71-85.  In Patrick's reading, people in Corinth were dedicating their baptisms to Christian teachers---some of whom had already died---who were instrumental in bringing them to faith in Jesus.

This interpretation takes into account the whole letter.  Back in chapter 1, Paul mentions there were rivalries among Corinthian revolving around their special heroes in the faith.  Different people considered themselves the disciples of different apostles (1:10-12).  These heroes had been witnesses of Jesus' resurrection.  Why honor these heroes, Paul asks, if you don't actually believe in resurrection?

Seder 154: Acts 21---Paul the Vow-Keeper

 In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on July 29, 2023, Kyle Kettering explained that the apostle Paul has often been misuderstood.  A major source of misunderstanding, he said, was the influential work of antisemitic German scholars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, who saw first century Judaism as legalistic.  Their views have been correctecd by more recent scholarship of the "New Perspective on Paul" and the "Paul within Judaism" schools.     

One statement of Paul's that is often misread is his "all things to all men" statement in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.  On the basis of this passage, some have characterized Paul as a kind of chameleon, an insincere "people pleaser."  An important corrective to this characterization appears in Acts 21:17-26, where Paul confers with James and agrees to sponsor the Nazirite vows of four men.

Kyle made several points about this passage:

1. James the Just, the brother of Jesus, led the apostolic community in Jerusalem until 62 AD (see Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History).  James had had a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus, as had Paul (1 Cor 15:7).
2. The messianic community rejoiced at God's work among non-Jews (Acts 17:20).
3. There was also a large movement among Jews.
4. Zeal for the Torah did not conflict, in their minds, with following Jesus.
5. Nothing in the Torah opposes Jesus, and no teaching of Jesus is in opposition to the Torah.
6. Paul keeps his vow and helps others keep theirs.  He places himself under the authority of the Temple.  

Paul later describes himself as a Pharisee (not an ex-Pharisee)and confirms that he remains a faithful Jew (Acts 23:6; 28:17).  The book of Acts supports the idea of a Torah-observant Paul.  He was not a chameleon but a faithful keeper of his commitments.

Seder 110: Numbers 10:1-10---Trumpet Calls to Remembrance

 Numbers 10:1-10 tells about two silver trumpets that would be used by the Israelites both on the journey to the Promised Land and after they arrived.  

During the journey, different combinations of long and short blasts would summon the people or their leaders together and let the tribes know when to break camp.  In the Promised Land, trumpets would be used for holy wars and for celebrations.  

Num 10:9-10 imply that the blasts from these trumpets would, in a sense, be prayers, calling upon God to remember his people---i.e., to take action on their behalf.  

These silver trumpets were one of two kinds of trumpets used by the Israelites.  There were also the rams' horns, the shofarim, that were heard at Mt Sinai (Ex 19), at the beginning of a Jubilee year (Lev 25), and at Jericho (Joshua 6).  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on July 30, 2022, Kyle Kettering looked at trumpets in the Bible.  In addition to being calls for God to remember his people, trumpet blasts are calls for God's people to remember God and turn to him in repentance.  We must heed these calls before the final trumpet blasts that signal the return of Jesus (Matt 24:31; 1 Cor 15:50-58; 1 Thes 4:16-18; Rev 11:15).

Seder 96: Leviticus 23---Festivals of Rest, Joy, Remembrance, and Harvest

 Leviticus 23 lays out God's festival calendar.  The biblical festivals are gifts of God to his people, times of rest and times of joy.  They are also times of remembrance---times to remember God's mighty works of salvation, and times to call upon God to remember his people.

For ancient Israel the festivals celebrated the harvests.  At the start of the spring barley harvest, a sheaf of the firstfruits of that harvest was waved before God, thanking God for the harvest and dedicating it to him, the source of all blessings (vv 9-14).  

This ritual was carried out "on the day after the Sabbath" (v 11).  The text does not specify which exact Sabbath this was, and so it was up to communities keeping this festival to make a decision on this matter.  The choice determined the timing of Shavuot/Pentecost, which came 50 days after that Sabbath.  

In Jesus' day the Sadducees began the count to Pentecost on the first Sunday after Passover, while the Pharisees began the count on Nisan 16, the day after the first day of unleavened bread.  Today Jews follow the Pharisaic tradition, while Christians basically follow the Sadducees, with Pentecost seven weeks after Resurrection Sunday.  In 2022 both methods coincide, with the count beginning on April 17 and ending on June 5.  

Pentecost is the time for another offering of firstfruits, this time the firstfruits of the wheat harvest (vv 15-17).  

Christians recognize the harvest festivals as symbolizing spiritual harvests of people. The firstfruits ritual during the days of unleavened bread is associated with the resurrection of Jesus.  "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep," Paul wrote in 1 Cor 15:20.  Some have suggested that when Jesus made the ascension to which he referred in John 20:17, he may have been carrying out a sort of wavesheaf offering.  

The next to be resurrected are those who are "those who belong to Christ" (v 23).  This group can be associated with Pentecost and is also referred to in the New Testament with firstfruits language ( Rom 8:23; 11:16; 2 Thes 2:13; James 1:18; Rev 14:4).  

A later, larger harvest is symbolized by the Feast of Tabernacles in the fall.

Rob Wilson looked at the concept of firstfruits and the festival calendar in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 19, 2022.

Seder 48: Psalm 8---Marveling at Man's Place in God's Plan

Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise to God as Creator, and a meditation on man's place in the cosmos as revealed in Genesis 1.

The psalmist marvels at the fact that God, Creator of the vast universe, has given people dominion over the earth (Gen 1:28).  People are "made a little lower than the heavenly beings," created out of dust and returning to dust.  And yet God has entrusted us with a great responsibility.  

The New Testament presents Jesus as the one who has most fully carried out God's intention for humans and paved the way for the rest of us to fulfill what God has in mind for us---Heb 2:5-9.  For our sake he became "for a little while lower than the angels" (v 7), but has now through his work on the cross been "crowned with glory and honor."  God has placed "all things under his feet" (Eph 1:22; 1 Cor 15:25-28), and we are destined to rule with him (Rev 5:10).  

Psalm 8:2 contains the remarkable image of the praise of children silencing and defeating the enemies of God.  Psalms commentator Derek Kidner has written, "The free confession of love and trust is a devastating answer to the accuser and his arsenal of doubts and slanders."  Through each new generation of children the human race and its connection to God continue, thwarting the purposes of those who oppose God. 

Jesus quoted Psalm 8:2 when some chief priests and scribes were distressed by the praise Jesus was receiving from children after his triumphal entry of Jerusalem (Matt 21:14-16).  The children had picked up on something that some religious leaders were slower to grasp.  

Significantly, Jesus applied Psalm 8:2, a verse about praise of God, to a situation where he was receiving praise.  This is one of those situations where Jesus implicitly affirmed his deity.  

Seder 37: Gen 41---Joseph's Amazing Reversal of Fortune

 Two years after Joseph correctly interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker, another opportunity arose for Joseph to interpret dreams.  The Pharaoh himself had a pair of dreams that troubled him greatly, and his experts had been unable to give an explanation that satisfied him (Gen 41:1-8). 

We know that in ancient Egypt some "dream manuals" were compiled, giving examples of dreams and their interpretations.  The interpretations often relied upon wordplay.  Apparently the manuals were not helpful in this case.

One midrash imagines what Pharaoh's experts might have told him (Genesis Rabbah 89).  In the midrash, they say that the image of seven good cows eaten by seven bad cows stands for seven daughters of Pharaoh who will die prematurely, while the seven good sheaves eaten by seven bad ones represent seven kingdoms that Pharaoh would conquer but that would rebel against him.

The midrash reminds us of two main challenges in interpreting these dreams.  A correct interpretation would recognize that the two dreams were a pair with the same message, and that the sevens in the dream stood for seven years.  Verse 8 may imply that the experts did not pick up on the first of these challenges.  The Hebrew literally says that Pharaoh told them his dream (singular), but that they were not successful in interpreting the dreams (plural).  

Pharaoh's cupbearer then remembered Joseph's skills in dream interpretation (vv 9-13), and Joseph was brought out of prison to hear the dreams.  Joseph was careful to emphasize that he could not interpret dreams on his own, but that God could provide a satisfying interpretation (v 16).  

Joseph not only gave a convincing interpretation but offered a plan for dealing with the extended famine that he saw predicted in the dreams (vv 25-36).  Here we get a glimpse of the aspects of Joseph's character that led to his being given managerial responsibilities at an early age.  Pharaoh was greatly troubled by the dreams, and after hearing Joseph's interpretation he might have wondered if it was possible for Egypt to get through the famine successfully.  Joseph's plan helped to ease his mind.  

Joseph's plan was his resume.  After hearing Joseph's impressive presentation, Pharaoh made him the "famine czar", with authority to carry out the plan he had proposed.  He was given an Egyptian name and a wife from the Egyptian elite.  

We wonder what Pharaoh had heard previously about Joseph, Did he remember the encounter that an earlier Pharaoh had had with Abraham 200 years before (Gen 12)?  Had he heard about Joseph's talents from Potiphar?  In any case, Joseph experienced a meteoric rise to power and was put in a position to save many lives.   Once again, the nations were blessed through a descendant of Abraham.  

Thinking of the book of Genesis as a whole, Joseph is a kind of second Adam figure.  Adam failed by trusting in himself to determine good and evil.  Joseph, on the other hand, relied on God to correctly identify the "good" and "evil" cattle and sheaves.  He showed how to wisely exercise dominion over the earth (Gen 1:28).  

Christians recognize in Joseph a type of the Messiah.  Through no sin of his own, he was buried for a time in prison, but then was raised again with all things in Egypt "put under his feet" (1 Cor 15:27-28).  He was led by the Spirit of God (Gen 41:38; Isa 11:2).  

When Egypt needed bread, Pharaoh said, "Go to Joseph.  What he says to you, do" (Gen 41:55).  We are reminded of Mary's words at the wedding feast at Cana in John 2:5.  "Do whatever he tells you."