We're on the road in North Carolina with our Beyond Today Live team doing three "America: The Time is Now" presentations. The team on this trip consists of Peter Eddington, Rudy Rangel, Milan Bizic, Jamie Schreiber, Clay Thornton, Darris McNeely, Steve Myers, Gary Petty and myself.

On Tuesday night, September 20, we were pleased to meet with 27 new people in Raleigh, in addition to many of our own brethren! Three of the guests were the original Ukrainian Sabbath-keeping immigrants who came to the United States in 1990 under the Helsinki Human Rights Accord that was adopted during President Jimmy Carter's administration. A group of about 20 meet in Raleigh with services in Ukrainian. Two of them are Ambassador College graduates. I had not seen them in over 20 years.

I have listened to the presentations nearly a dozen times and feel inspired each time I hear them and hope that the sincere passion reaches those who are ready to act on this transforming message from God. Since the last presentation in Dayton, Ohio, a few changes were made in the visual presentation for clarity and impact as well as a few adjustments to the content for a more personable and smoother presentation.

From the survey cards taken afterwards, here are some of the responses to the question: "Is this what you expected to hear?"

- It was more than I expected and I expected great things!
- I enjoyed the presentation.
- Yes. Fantastic.
- Good and glad to meet you guys. You need to get back on TV. Miss watching Beyond Today on TV.
- Excellent. Inspiring.
- Wonderful presentation. Thank you!
- Thank you! It was great!

Our travels have not been without their challenges. Here in North Carolina, there was an oil pipeline break, and this has sharply curtailed the availability of gasoline. Many gas stations have no fuel; however, we were able to find some to get us through the week. But, how did this affect our attendance? Would more people have come without this fuel shortage?

Tonight we are presenting our program in Greensboro, and our final appearance will be in Charlotte, on Sunday. North Carolina Governor McCrory declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard after Charlotte's police chief said he needed the help. Violent protesters rampaged through parts of downtown Charlotte as anger continued to build over the deadly police shooting of a man and varying stories about what happened from authorities and the victim's family and neighbors.

On this trip, we've also had threatening stormy weather. This is not the first time we've had weather challenges. In Houston last year, we had an intense downpour and flooding from a hurricane that cancelled many activities in the city--but we still carried on. And, we've also had some technical and venue difficulties from time to time. We feel it's more than a coincidence. These work to discourage people who are coming, and it hinders their gaining understanding of their purpose in life going forward. Please pray for God to keep the paths clear for us to do His Work.

From Ecclesiastes to Eternity

I'd like to give a preview of my sermon that is scheduled to be webcast or played at the Feast of Tabernacles on October 22. I have chosen to speak about the book of Ecclesiastes, which was read at the Feast of Tabernacles. Ecclesiastes is part of the Five Megillot or five scrolls that were each read at certain festivals and holidays in Jewish synagogues. For example, the Song of Songs was read at the Passover, Ruth on the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost) and Ecclesiastes during the Feast of Tabernacles.

What is the connection between Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles? Is there something relevant that we can learn from this book that ties into the meaning of this festival?

As with all Old Testament Scripture, Ecclesiastes was written for our learning (Romans 15:4) and admonition (1 Corinthians 10:11). It is therefore profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

After the many wars during King David's reign, Israel settled into a period of peace as the kingdom was consolidated. The nation's boundaries (1 Kings 4) extended from the Nile to the Euphrates River. Different maps show Israel's political and economic influence dominating the Middle East. Israel at this time was a type of the Millennium--a period of rest from war; a time of peace and prosperity.

Solomon's reign began on a high note with God working with Solomon as He did with his father David. The remarkable biography of Solomon is found in 1 Kings 1-11.

Solomon was a talented and ambitious man who built great structures such as the world-renowned temple in Jerusalem. He was rich and famous. He sponsored expeditions that traveled the seas to bring exotic plants and animals for gardens he had built in in Israel. Potentates such as the Queen of Sheba traveled from Ethiopia to have an audience with this very wise king.

Solomon could have anything he wanted, and God allowed him to have it, including wisdom initially granted him by God.

But something went wrong. Very wrong. When one starts reading the book of Ecclesiastes we confront a man in depression--one who is seeking the meaning and purpose of life. What happened? What went wrong? How could it go so wrong? He had everything a person could want and that was needed to make one happy and fulfilled. It did not.

Solomon uses the word vanity or uselessness, futility and vapor 38 times in Ecclesiastes--five times in one verse. He had come to see physical things and physical life as utterly useless and depraved. He already had everything one could possibly have, and even experimented beyond. Nothing brought satisfaction.

He came to see that eventually everyone gets old and dies, no matter how much they acquire or how famous they become. Death is the great equalizer between the least and the greatest. So what's the point of having it all in this life?

Some commentators have called Ecclesiastes the strangest book of the Bible because Solomon's state of mind and attitude are such an enigma. Dr. Abraham Cohen writes in the preface to the well-respected Soncino commentary on Ecclesiastes as follows: "It is the most difficult book in the Bible for the commentator. Its complexities and obscurities are so many and often baffling that the assumption of dogmatic certainty is unwise and unwarranted."

Part of the difficulty lies in not comprehending the point of the Ecclesiastes because the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles, on which it was read, is not fully understood.

Here's where this book becomes relevant to us. We are going to inherit this dream world from God. We will live forever. But there needs to be some understanding and instruction about handling this windfall.

In Deuteronomy 14, we are commanded to go the Feast of Tabernacles with this mindset of enjoying plenty and to spend the tithe that we have saved: "You will spend the money for whatever your heart desires . . . and you shall rejoice, you and your household" (Deuteronomy 14:26).

But there is one more critical element in Deuteronomy 14:23 about attitude: "And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always" (emphasis added).

The Feast, which pictures eternity, salvation, peace and plenty, must include a proper relationship with our God. This relationship is built upon a family or "filial" fear that a child in a normal family has for his or her parents. Children have a tremendous respect and love for their parents and a desire to please them. They have a fear or an anxiety of offending their loved ones, not because of fear of punishment, but rather because of fear of displeasing the one who is, in a child's world, the source of everything they have.

Solomon lost this awe of God and his childlike respect. He had drifted into materialism and tried to satisfy himself with all things physical and experiential, but it didn't work and led to despair. So many in this world who are wealthy and super wealthy are not happy because wealth alone does not fill a hollowness in our life that can only be filled with God's presence and a relationship with Him.

So, in Ecclesiastes, we see Solomon searching for life's meaning and experimenting with pleasure. He then makes his observations of life and comes to the conclusion and our purpose for keeping the Feast. He states his conclusion in the last two verses of the book: "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

God wants us to be fulfilled and satisfied, as He is the one who owns everything. God is love. He is the great Creator. He is the one who is always thinking outwardly. This is what we, too, will be doing for all eternity.

So, at the Feast of Tabernacles, we should take care not to just focus on the fun and food but to heed to the message of Ecclesiastes which shows the futility and emptiness of material pleasure as an end in itself. Take time to learn the spiritual values that bring eternal satisfaction. This is the important lesson of the book of Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles.

You may wish to read the book of Ecclesiastes before the Feast and have a Bible study with your family. I found the conclusion of Solomon--which he came to in great pain--along with what we are commanded to learn about the Feast of Tabernacles to be a beautiful lesson of eternal life. Hence my sermon title: "From Ecclesiastes to Eternity."