When the Trumpet Sounds

By Terry Schlabach

Daily devotions enabling the reader to be strengthened in the battle against the devil, world and the flesh.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385022991

Terry Schlabach

Terry has a unique way of explaining Bible stories and how they can be used to help us as Christians today.

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Copyright © 2024 Terry Schlabach.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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ISBN: 979-8-3850-2298-4 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-2299-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024907103

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/18/2024

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked BSB are taken from The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible, BSB. Copyright ©2016, 2018 by Bible Hub. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.

Contents

When the Trumpet Sounds

Days of Noah

Reading Revelations

Be Wary of Footholds

I’m the Most Blessed Person in all the World!

O Mighty God, How Worthy you are to be Praised!

Paraphrasing Asaph

The Unbelievable Rationale (or lack thereof) of the Compromised Mind

Our Comforter

The Utter and Complete Depravity of the Flesh

Killing the Flesh

Satan Has a Rolodex

Expanding Borders

Keys to Experiencing the Blessings of God

Perilous Times

Lavished

Escaping the Pit of Despair

Striking While the Iron is Hot

Thorn in the Flesh

Happy New Year!!!?

A Sinful Heavyweight

Testify!

He’s After the Mind

One-Eyed Demon

Body of Death

The Necessity of Testing

Recognizing The Darts (RTD) —Attacking The Enemy (ATE)

Holding Back God’s Blessings

Pleasing God

The ONLY Way of Escape

Staying Connected

A Most Beautiful Story

Little Prayers

God of Restoration

For Such a Time as This

How Christians Hurt Themselves

The Greatest Gift

Change Must Occur

The Divine Woodshed

Come

A Smoking Brand

1st Love

Holy Spirit, Fill This Place

Re-Engaged

The Great Depression—Part 2?

The Word of God

Good Doctrine

The Steadfast Servant

The Fruitless Search of King Solomon

The Fire Within

Korah Spirit

Never Alone

One Life… One Death… One Resurrection

He Wants Your Children

The Perseverance of the Saints

One Day at a Time

Trading the Now for the Forever

Why We Hate Sin

Under the Sun Wisdom of Solomon

The Fleeting Glory of Man

Pride, Greed, Power, Fame

The Great I AM

Lucifer (Morning star, Light Bearer), Satan (Adversary), Devil (Slanderer)

The Tears of the Saints

Who are God’s Children?

The Good Soil

Being Ready in an Unfair World

A Cruel Taskmaster

Lies From Within

Stand Your Ground

Sleeping Amidst the Storm

God, the Ultimate Artist

All Nations

The Clock is Ticking

Love, Mercy, Grace and Hope

Lifting Up / Tearing Down

Tearing Down the False gods of Egypt

They Did it for Jesus

The Heart of Jonathan

The Blessing of the Lord

The Danger of Self-Exaltation

Lies From Within

Stand Your Ground

Sleeping Amidst the Storm

God, the Ultimate Artist

All Nations

The Clock is Ticking

Love, Mercy, Grace and Hope

Lifting Up / Tearing Down

Tearing Down the False gods of Egypt

They Did it for Jesus

The Heart of Jonathan

The Blessing of the Lord

The Danger of Self-Exaltation

The Poor

Which Thief are You?

Show us the Father

Psalm 119

Misery Causing Greed

They Promise Peace

Out of the Ashes

When We Fail

Feed My Sheep

Taking it Back!

Satan’s WMD’s

Sticks and Stones

Thank You Lord!

Thank You Lord!

Peace Thief

What Happens to Satan?

Time to Come Home!

Come Lord Jesus!

This book is

dedicated to my mom, who

never stopped praying for me.

When the Trumpet Sounds

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

—1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

With one hand God is motioning man to come to him. With the other hand he is holding back his wrath. Soon he is going to drop both hands. (Paul Washer)

God dropped both hands in the days of Noah. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart (Genesis 6:6). We are approaching that time again. Just watching a few minutes of news each night makes it clear, evil is quickly escalating upon this earth. God is grieved. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).

The next event on the prophetic timetable is the rapture of the church. All truly born-again believers will hear a trumpet blasting one day soon, and then, they will be gone. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11). Just as God delivered Noah from his wrath, so he will deliver us.

So, the questions is, what will you be doing when the trumpet sounds? Will you be like those in Noah’s time, living oblivious to the impending doom? Or will you be like Noah? Getting prepared.

You might say, I was baptized when I was a child (unbiblical), or, I served God at one time. What you have done in the past is not the question. What will you be doing when the trumpet sounds?

Jesus gave us instruction. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect (Matthew 24:42-44).

Those who miss the rapture will suffer horribly in the great tribulation. Now is the time to repent of sin, turn to Jesus, believe, receive him, live for him. Noah warned the people of what was coming but they refused to listen. Then the ship’s doors closed… Noah’s voice went silent… the rain began to fall. Are you listening?

Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

—Matthew 24:44

When the Trumpet Sounds

Are the cares of life weighing you down?

Does it seem there’s trouble all around?

Very soon the fiery trials you face will cease to be

When the trumpet sounds and you rise up to be with me

And I know you’re weary from the fight

It’s not easy standing for what is right

From this war you will soon be set free

When the trumpet sounds and you rise up to be with me

It won’t be long till you hear the sound

Of a trumpet blasting and you rise up off the ground

On that day you will know what it means to be truly free

When the trumpet sounds and you rise up to be with me

Days of Noah

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

—Matthew 24:37

Jesus described what it would be like just before his return. He said the last days would find most people having the same lifestyle, attitudes and level of wickedness as those who lived just before the great flood wiped out all but eight, righteous Noah and his family. Here are a few similarities:

• Depraved: The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Genesis 6:5). They had minds incapable of pure thoughts, that could no longer function properly. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Today, abortion, homosexuality, transgenderism and all kinds of great evil are considered acceptable. The push to normalize pedophilia is on the rise as there is no line, they will not cross. Only those with depraved minds could condone such biblically condemned behavior. The apostle Paul said there are some to whom God has given over to a reprobate (perverse, warped, contaminated) mind. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them (Romans 1:32). Many who promote such wickedness are in positions of great influence such as government, news media and entertainment.

• Unconcerned: They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all (Luke 17:27). They lived each day oblivious to the coming judgement. Working, socializing, marrying, yet never a thought for their eternal future. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart (Ephesians 4:18).

• Unrepentant: If he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly (2 Peter 2:5). For one hundred years Noah warned the people of the future flood, but they refused to turn from their evil ways. Today, most have heard the gospel (good news) at some time or another but still reject and even mock God’s warnings.

We are certainly living in the days of Noah Jesus spoke of, as evil is escalating quickly. The opportunity to repent and be saved from the coming wrath will soon be gone.

Knowing this first of all, scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

—2 Peter 3:3-7

Reading Revelations

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

—Revelation 1:1-3

I do not claim to be an expert on the Book of Revelation, but after reading it many times over the years, I have come to understand a few things that might be helpful to others…

• God wants us to read it: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy. Did you know this is the only book of the Bible (out of 66) which promises a special blessing upon those who read it?

• God wants it to be taught: And blessed are those who hear… Too many ministers ignore this book, siting it as gloomy and depressing, some even calling it irrelevant! Yet, Jesus made it a point to visit John on the island of Patmos (where he was imprisoned) so that he might show us what will take place.

• God wants us to keep what is written: Only studying this book will enable its message to be imprinted upon our hearts. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3).

• God wants us to be prepared for what is to come: To show to his servants the things that must soon take place. The Lord does not want his children to be in the dark as to what is coming in these last days. As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?’ (Matthew 24:3).

• Avoid over-symbolization: A good rule is to take the passages literally unless that is not possible. We must remember John’s responsibility was not to explain the spiritual or symbolic meaning of the things Jesus showed him, but rather, to simply write them down. "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches" (Revelation 1:11). So, John described, to the best of his ability, what he saw. If we put ourselves in his place, remembering he described last day events with what he was used to seeing 2000 years ago, we might get a better idea of what he was trying to convey.

The most important thing is this… read this book! Don’t ignore it and let God speak to you of what it means. Jesus said, if we do, we will be blessed, and will bless others with what we see.

And he said to me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

—Revelation 22:10

Be Wary of Footholds

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

—Ephesians 4:26-27

Extreme mountain climbers can scale a massive sheer mountain face with no ropes or tools. Their way to the top is made possible through footholds. Tiny holes in the face, sometimes so small only one finger or toe can latch on, pave the way to victory. The devil operates many times, by the use of spiritual footholds.

In this passage, the apostle Paul uses anger as an example of how footholds operate. By harboring anger towards another, we enable our minds and hearts to give place (control) to the enemy.

Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit, there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long (Psalm 32:3-4). King David says physical sickness came upon him because he refused to acknowledge and repent of his sin.

Unresolved sin, in our daily lives, eventually give license to the devil to steal from us. He stole David’s health. A person