An Age Without Sin

I'd like to ask a question. I'd like to do that to get you to think a little bit, but I'd like to pose a question to you to get you thinking about something. How would you like to live in an age without sin? How would you like to live in an age without sin? And how would you like to live a life without sin? No wrong attitudes, no wrong thoughts, every word fitly spoken, edifying, encouraging, not hurting anyone else, not hurting yourself. In other words, how would you like to be perfect and to live in a perfect age?

That's exactly what God has in mind for you in the future. That's exactly what he's got in mind, to be perfect, to live in a perfect age, to live in an age without sin, and for you and I to live our lives without sin. Isn't that wonderful to think about? Isn't that just truly remarkable to think about? Because I know if you're like me, you struggle with sin, as the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 12, the sin that so easily ensnares us. We are trapped so easily. But it's wonderful to think about that God has in mind for you and me to live in an age without sin. So that's the title of the message today, is an age without sin. Now, we're definitely not there at all. We're not even close, are we, brethren? We see the Ten Commandments of God being violated, which is sin, which is the transgression of God's law. And we see the Ten Commandments being broken all around us, all around the world today. And in our culture, we see it.

We see hatred. We see war. We see killings. We see murder. We see theft. We see all of these things, immorality. We see that people aren't getting along with one another, in families. We see all of these things. And, brethren, but God's plan is to de-leaven all of His creation. In fact, that process has actually already begun. Let's go back for a moment to look at the origin of sin, the origin of leaven. In the very beginning, we know that God created just a wonderful and marvelous, beautiful creation. Let's turn back for a moment to Job 38 and verse 4. Job 38 and verse 4. And we'll find here that God is working with Job. He's fine-tuning him. He's fashioning him, so to speak. It's a big test. He's working with Job. And he's humbling Job. Job 38 and verse 4. But there's other things that come out here as well, which we'll focus on. God says to Job in the midst of this trial, when he finally starts to engage in a conversation, he says, Job, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Verse 5, who determined its measurements? Surely you know, since you seem to know everything. It's kind of the implication here at the moment here with God talking to Job. Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone? Notice when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. For the amazing creation that they had just seen that God had made. They shouted with joy. It's almost like they couldn't help themselves. It was so beautiful. Brethren, when we talk about all the sons of God shouted for joy, we understand that to mean the angelic realm.

And at this time, there was no leaven. There was no sin in the universe. It was an age without sin up to this point in time. But then there came a time when leaven first appeared. Let's read about that in Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12. Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12. There came a time when sin appeared. And we're going to see it began with the angelic realm. And we'll find that it will be later passed on to the human realm. And Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12 is talking about Lucifer. It's talking about Lucifer, one of the angels of God that rejoiced at creation. But then he let sin, or leaven, develop. And we'll find out it began in his heart. So how did that happen? How did that happen? He wasn't programmed to go that way. If anything, God created him to go the right way. But a deliberate choice had to be made. And he made a deliberate choice to go the opposite way of God.

Isaiah chapter 14 verse 12. It says, How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? Imagine, son of the morning. How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nation. For you have said in your heart, so sin began to mount in this angel's heart. You have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.

I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. Look at all of the eyes there in just a couple of verses here. Look at all of the eyes. He said, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north.

Just seemingly full of self here. I will ascend above the clouds. I will be like the Most High. It's almost like he's going to just push God off of his throne. But you know, I think we understand that this angel grossly underestimated the Almighty. He thought he could just go and push God off of the throne and that he'd be God. But what happened? What happened to him? He began to have pride in his heart. Let's take a look at Ezekiel 28. We'll see a little more of a descriptive information here in the book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 28 and verse 12. Because here we're going to see the appearance of sin in the universe when the angel sinned. We'll see it wasn't just Lucifer as we go along here, but there were others as well in the angelic realm. Ezekiel 28 and verse 12. It says, Thus says the Lord God, you were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the Garden of God, and every precious stone was your covering. The sardius, the topaz, the diamond, the barrel, the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and the emerald with gold.

All of these precious stones. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day that you were created. So we know this was a created being, that he had not eternally existed, that he was created by God. He was a created angel of God. Verse number 14. You were the anointed carob who covers, and God says, and I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones, and you were perfect.

You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you. So, brethren, for the first time, we have the appearance of sin. We have the appearance of leaven in the universe, and this angel who rebelled against God. And we'll see here in a moment that there were others as well that rebelled with him. But, verse 16, notice by the abundance of your trading, you became filled with violence within.

Boy, there was something that was happening with the way that he was thinking, with the choices that he was making, and the thoughts of his heart. We know it started in his heart. He started to think of himself higher than what he actually was. It started to change him. It says, you became filled with violence within.

This was all happening within his being. And you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out as a profane thing out of the mountain of God. And I destroyed you, or as it could be better rendered and as translated, or removed you from your position, O covering carob, from the midst of the fiery stones. And then, verse 17, I think, zeroes in, really, on the problem.

Verse 17, your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom. It's an interesting phrase. You corrupted your wisdom. So, what this violence that was happening within him, with the things that he was thinking about, the thoughts of his heart and his mind, it started to change him. It started to corrupt the wisdom that God had given to him. It says, you corrupted your wisdom by the choices he made, the things that he did, for the sake of your splendor. So, this angel began to have a big head, didn't he? Pride began to fill his heart, and it had terrible consequences. He began to have pride mount in his heart, and where did it lead?

It led to him actually rebelling against his Creator, and it led, of course, to sin. You know, the New Testament reveals pride was a problem also as well. 1 Timothy 3, verse 6. 1 Timothy 3, verse 6. Let's go ahead and look over there for a moment. We'll read here that one who is to serve the brethren or the Church of God as an elder is kind of the context here. But I think this would also apply to as well to a deacon or really any position of responsibility in the Church. Let's take a look at what it says in 1 Timothy 3, verse 6. 1 Timothy 3, verse 6.

It says, not a novice. So we're talking about a newcomer, someone that's a newcomer to the faith.

2 Timothy 3, verse 6. He falls into the same condemnation as the devil. So that was the devil's issue, is that he was puffed up with pride. There's one thing that does not belong in an ordination, and that's pride. Humility belongs. Loneliness of mind belongs, but not pride. And we see the examples of Scripture here of what happened with Satan, the devil, with Lucifer.

He thought he would do a better job than God. No doubt. He felt he could do it better than God. And sometimes, even at the human level, we think about that. Many people think about that. Well, you know, sometimes I think I could do better than the boss. And maybe even in some cases on the human level, that's true. But in many cases also on the human level, that's not true.

When one has to share the heavy burdens and responsibilities of servant leadership. But certainly we don't want anyone ever to fall into pride. The same condemnation of the devil. So we have this first leaven, or this first sin that enters into the universe in the angels. Let's turn over to 2 Peter 2 and verse 4. 2 Peter 2 and verse 4. We'll see that Lucifer was not the only one, but that there were other spirit beings. In fact, Revelation 12 indicates that one-third of the angelic realm were influenced and drawn into his rebellion.

This rebellion against God. We don't really have a lot of details about that in Scripture. But it would certainly seem plausible that it had to do with pride. And Lucifer possibly promised them positions of leadership that we can do this better than God. And gave them power and influence, and that they would take the universe and then they would make the decisions. And they could handle things much better than God could.

2 Peter 2 and verse 4. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell. So there were angels, plural. God did not spare the angels who sinned, but he cast them down to hell. The Greek word there is tarderu, and what it means is a place of restraint. And he delivered them into the chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment. So these angels are reserved for judgment, for a judgment to come in the future.

For the first time in the universe, there was rebellion, and there was sin. And God looked down, and he saw the face of Lucifer, and he saw the face of one-third of these angels. And he could tell the expression that they had. He can read hearts, and he can see their faces. Faces and hearts that were filled with pride were filled with hatred. And they were sending up to the throne to take his throne. But it says here, they grossly underestimated their Creator.

God did not spare them, but he cast them down. Let's turn over to Luke 10, verse 17. Jesus Christ refers to this same time. He gives a little more information here. Jesus refers to this moment in time when the angels rose up to take over God's throne. And God had no problem with casting them back down. The Creator always has more power than those that he's created. And the angels failed to realize this. Luke 10, verse 17. It says, "...the seventy returned with joy." So Jesus Christ sent them out two by two at seventy, and they were going to preach about the kingdom of God and repentance and the coming kingdom.

And they were also to heal the sick and cast out demons. And they're coming back to Christ now. And they said, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name. And he said to them, and this is interesting, he takes their comment, he kind of redirects it a little bit. He adds a little bit to it. It's interesting how Christ could do that. And he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. What he's saying here is that there was no problem for God and his angelic realm to cast down Lucifer and his angels, like lightning from heaven.

You know how fast lightning moves at the speed of light? If you blink, you might miss it. It was that quick and that fast and that powerful that he was cast back down. Just picture this.

If you think about it, you talk about Star Wars, and maybe some of you have seen that movie or series of movies over the years. But anyway, think about a Star Wars. It's never been on the silver screen to have a Star Wars-type movie where the Lucifer and his angelic realm are ascending into the stars, into the heavens, and the farthest parts of the north to dethrone the Almighty. And all of that would go with that. Angels ascending to heaven to dethrone God.

But the angelic realm of God that remained faithful, it wasn't a very difficult battle. It happened quickly and powerfully, like lightning. They grossly underestimated God. So sin had appeared in the universe, leavened him into existence. But God confined it to the earth. He confined it to the earth. Let's notice that in Revelation 12, verse 7. He cast Lucifer and the demons down to the earth.

And he confined them to the earth since their rebellion. Let's notice that in Revelation 12. And we'll pick it up in verse 7. Revelation 12, verse 7.

War broke out in heaven, and Michael, who was one of God's archangels, and Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought. Verse 8. But they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, which we've been reading about, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.

And so now there is leaven on the earth among the angels. And then as time goes on in Genesis chapter 1 and 2, we'll just summarize here. We find the first humans were created. And we know that God allowed these humans to be exposed to Satan the devil, and Satan succeeded in getting through to them.

We know that God allowed this to happen. Adam and Eve came under the influence of Satan, and they became leavened. They sinned, and God thrust them out of the garden. And subsequently, the whole human race has become leavened and sinned. We know that just before the Flood, that humanity had become so leavened and so corrupted and so puffed up that God said, it grieves me to see what's happening here.

I'm not going to allow this to continue. He saved Noah and his family because they were righteous. But God pretty much destroyed the whole world at that time with the great Flood. But after saving Noah and his family, it wasn't too long before leaven started to work again. And it began to do what it does. In fact, leaven began to rise so rapidly, eventually, and so quickly, that God had to intervene, and he had to scatter the nations around the Tower of Battle. And that's the story that God had to confuse their languages. He had to slow things down. Sin was becoming too rampant, too quickly.

So he slowed down the process. Brother, God has a plan. God has a plan to de-leaven his entire creation. He has a plan. Down through the history, we've read many stories in Scripture about how the corruption of sin has changed righteous people into sinners. We've seen how leaven works, how it corrupts over time, unless it's repented of. And we change. Down through history, we've seen many stories of how leaven works, how sin influences us. And all the way down to this day, now, almost 6,000 years after the creation of our first human parents, we're beginning to see that leaven is now beginning to become overflowing.

There are indications in Scripture that one day sin or leaven will come up to reach its fullest point. A point where human beings are only concerned about themselves, that they don't care about anyone else, and they're willing to take anyone else's life. In fact, mankind comes to the point where they might even destroy themselves from the face of the earth. There's indications in Scripture that one day sin will come to its full. And doesn't it seem like it's headed in that direction? We look at various things in the world. Evil, terrorism, immorality, bloodshed, war, people not getting along, unhappy, problems in families, violence.

It's really all around us. We're beginning to see that. And just ahead of us, we know that Jesus Christ is eventually going to intervene. He's going to intervene. And at the time that he steps in, sin will probably have reached nearly its zenith. The corruption will have reached nearly its zenith. And the character of man will have become so corrupt that man will come to the point where he will destroy himself, unless God intervenes.

When Christ returns, brethren, he's going to set his hand to begin a delavening process. Let's notice 2 Timothy 3, verse 1. We're going to look at that in a moment, but first let's notice how this evil age is progressing that we see all around us.

Notice 2 Timothy 3, verse 1. This is a prophecy of how bad things are going to get, how far this leavening process is going to go. 2 Timothy 3, verse 1. And Paul here writes to Timothy about this. 2 Timothy 3, verse 1. He says, But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. How do you speak more succinctly? That in the last days peril, perilous times will come. Men will be lovers of themselves. Men will be lovers of wealth, of money. They'll be boasters. They'll be proud. We've touched on that already. They'll be blasphemers. They'll be blaspheming against the Creator. They'll be disobedient to their parents. Unthankful. Unholy.

Unloving. Unforgiving. Slanderers. Slandering other people's reputations. They won't have self-control. They'll be brutal. They'll just be despisers of things that are good. They'll be traitors. They can't be trusted. They'll be headstrong. They'll be haughty. They'll be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

And so we see all of this towards the end of the age. It's describing the conditions at the end of the age. It's leading towards a time when sin will come to its fullness. And then Jesus Christ steps in and begins to put a process of de-11ing into a much higher gear. Let's notice Isaiah 2, verse 2. We're going to see that Jesus Christ is going to begin to teach God's laws, God's ways.

We know that Satan is going to be bound. We know that he's no longer going to be able to deceive the nations like he does today. And it's going to be actually a wonderful time. We often turn to this Scripture, and in fact, it was read in the first message, Isaiah 2, verse 2. It's going to be a wonderful time. And we find here, again, that God's laws are going to be taught to all nations.

Nations are going to disarm. God will no longer allow rampant sin like he is presently allowing. Today, he's allowing things to happen. He allows warfare. He's allowing us to make choices, free moral agency, which brings bloodshed and war and immorality and all of these things. But let's understand something when we get to the millennium. In the millennium, there will still be human beings.

There will still be human beings. Humans will still be humans. And the millennium is not the age without sin. The millennium is not the age without sin. Humans will still be humans. They'll still sin. They'll have to work with their own attitudes, their own thoughts. They won't instantly have God's nature, his divine nature and character, but they will have to develop God's nature and character in the process of conversion. Not very much unlike what we go through, the process of conversion that we go through. They won't have an evil spirit like Satan and the demons around.

They'll be locked up for a thousand years. But these people will still have human nature, and they will still need the Passover, and they will still need the Jesus. They will still need the Passover, and they will still need the Days of Unleavened Bread, which pictures this process of conversion, of changing from corruptible to incorruptible. So there will still be sin and leaven around, but it won't run rampant. God won't allow it. Let's notice what it says here in Isaiah 2, verse 2.

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on top of the mountains. Again, a prophetic scripture about the coming Kingdom of God to the earth. And shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations are going to flow to it. And many people shall come and say, Come, let's go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways.

And we will walk in His paths, for out of Zion shall go forth the law. God's law is going to be there in the future. It shows us what sin is. It helps us to understand what path to walk and what path not to walk. And also notice, and the Word of the Lord is going to go out from Jerusalem. But will everyone go willingly along? Will everyone go willingly along? Or are some of them going to need some nudging? You know what it talks about in Isaiah 30? When you turn to the left or turn to the right, out of that straight and narrow way, you'll hear a voice that says, This is the way.

Walk you in it. And I think we're going to see some nudging that's going to have to go along. There's still going to be some human beings with some human nature. Let's look at some nudging here, right in verse number 4 of this context here, as far as warfare and violence. Isaiah 2, verse 4, he shall judge between the nations. That means they have a disagreement. And he steps in to render righteous judgment. And notice, and he'll rebuke many people. Rebuke means to be corrected.

It means to be chastised. It means that you've gotten off the path, and you need to be adjusted. You need to be corrected to be on the right path. It goes on to say in verse 4, And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, and neither shall they learn war anymore. God's not going to let rampant warfare continue. In the kingdom of God. All during the millennium, no warfare.

Now, that doesn't mean that somewhere, someone's going to rise up and try to pick a fight with somebody. You know, that doesn't mean that that might not happen. And maybe even do someone harm. But then a spirit being will step in and say, Look, we've had 6,000 years of this kind of trouble.

And this is the way to walk. We're not going to do this any longer. We're not going that way anymore. So, I think I've been referencing Isaiah chapter 30. I think that scripture is verse 21 there, if you want to write that down. So, I think it's important for us to understand that there will be sin in the millennium. It's not going to be an age without sin during the millennium. Now, sin won't run rampant like it does today.

God won't allow that as it does today. But all nations are going to have an opportunity to learn the ways and the laws of God. And we will be taught the way of life that we're learning today.

The things we're learning today. The way of life that we are learning today. And the process of conversion that the days of Unleavened bread teach us through following that part of the plan of God. That once we're forgiven, we go on to strive to keep the laws of God and we begin a journey out of sin and towards eternal life.

And during the millennium, they're going to be on that same journey. Some of you may have read a booklet that the church has published over the years called The Road to Eternal Life. I don't know if you've read that or not. It's a wonderful, excellent, well-written booklet. It's the one that the church published a few years ago. And you and I are on that road.

We're on that journey to eternal life. And this festival pictures us on that journey, coming out of sin and towards righteousness. Now, at that time in the millennium, those people will begin the same journey. They'll have to go through the same journey as we. They'll have to get on that road, that journey that leads to eternal life. They're going to need to repent. They're going to need to be baptized. They're going to need to receive God's Holy Spirit. They're going to need to know the meaning of the days of 11 bread and how that pictures them beginning to change.

They're going to need to enter into a new covenant relationship with God. They'll need to go through the process of conversion and coming out of 11 over their lifetime, just as we do today. And hopefully, all of us in this room will be there. We'll be there. That's God's intention. That's why He called us, is to be there. So we can be part of the spirit beings that are there, that are saying, this is the way.

This is the way. You know, I had to walk this same journey, too. I had to go down this road, just like you. I got on that road. God called me to get on that road, and I stayed on that road. It wasn't always easy, but I stayed on that road, and I completed the journey. Brethren, if we are there at that time, and I hope that we all are, we, at that time, will be without sin.

We'll be spirit beings in the kingdom of God. Brethren, there's a time coming also when God is going to work with the children of Israel, the descendants of Israel. You know, we talk about the fact that we feel some of the descendants are here in the United States and over in the British Commonwealth nations and also several nations throughout Europe. There's coming a time when God is going to work with His nation of Israel, and they're going to be taught God's way.

They'll come to the point in the millennium where we're going to read in a moment that they abhor themselves, that they are loathsome in their own eyes for the things that they've done. They're not at that point today. The culture of our time today is so very, very different. There are so many things that are going on. People are cohabitating, they're living together, condoning same-sex marriage, which God in both Testaments does not condone. They're doing many, many things that are wrong in their Creator's sight, things that God feels and reveals as detestable.

Our nation and our people here in the United States and other nations are going to have an opportunity to see themselves the way God sees them. Let's notice that in Ezekiel 20 and 33. Ezekiel 20 and 33. We'll see the attitude of repentance that God is going to bring His people Israel to. It's going to be an attitude of abhorring the detestable things that they had come to learn. Not only Israel, but eventually all humanities will come to read also as we go along. You're going to learn some things in the millennium during that thousand-year period. Ezekiel 20 and 33. As I live, says the Lord, surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out.

So it sounds like He's angry, doesn't it? I will rule over you. God says to Israel, you're going to bow your knee to Me, and you are going to come under My rule for your own good. Verse 34. I'm going to bring you out from the peoples, so we're talking about a captivity here that He'd scattered them in, and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out.

Verse 37. And I'm going to make you pass under the rod. He is the chief shepherd. And I'm going to bring you into the bond of the covenant. God is going to enter a new covenant with them, with all of Israel, and with all of mankind eventually, as we'll read as we go along. Verse 38. And I'm going to purge the rebels from among you and those who transgress against Me.

God is going to purge out rebellion. Verse 40. For on My holy mountain and on the mountain height of Israel, says the Lord, God, there all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, shall serve Me. Verse 42. And then you shall know that I am the Lord when I have brought you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raise My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. I am going to do My promise. I'm going to do the thing that I said I was going to do.

I am going to bring you into a promised land. And I'm going to bless you, basically, is what He's saying here. I'm going to perform My oath, but I've got to deal with you first. And you have to see yourself first. Verse 43. And then, they're there, you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled. And you shall loathe yourselves.

Brother, they're going to see themselves. God's going to open their eyes to see. So they understand what they've done. You shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because all of the evils that you have committed. Wow! Brother, that's real repentance, isn't it? That is real repentance, an attitude that they are going to have where they loathe themselves when they begin to see themselves as God sees them.

It's an attitude that I hope all of us have right now, brethren, when we sin, because we still do sin, to look at ourselves. You know, we say things we shouldn't say. We do things we shouldn't do. We think things that we shouldn't think. Do we loathe those things? We should hate sin. God does. Like Paul, who was fighting this battle. You know, we fight. We fight against this battle of sin that we have to try to bring into captivity, the thoughts that we bring into captivity. Paul was fighting this same battle. We have the law of sin that we're fighting against, and sometimes sin gets the upper hand. Sometimes we do things, or say things, or think things which we should not say, think, or do.

God is going to bring Israel to repentance, just as He is bringing us to repentance. They will be able to see how sin has worked in their lives, and they can begin to change and get on that road, that journey that leads out of there and towards eternal life.

Brother, this journey is a journey of going towards perfection. Going towards perfection. We need to think about that during this Feast of Unleavened Bread. You know, we keep this Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days, a sign of completeness, seven being a number of completeness. You know, God could have had us keep one day of Unleavened Bread. But this was so important. He wanted us to learn this very important lesson, not one day, not three days.

But seven days of coming out, of putting out sin.

Now, none of us has reached our destination yet of perfection. I haven't.

Anybody here perfect?

None of us have lived, have come to the point of living a perfectly clean life.

No one of us is perfect. But I would hope that there's not one of us that wouldn't want to be perfect, because that is the aim and the goal that God has for you.

Because this Feast pictures us becoming perfect one day, and living in a perfect age, an unleavened age, and it's coming, it's coming.

If we continue and follow God's program, we'll be there.

We're on the way. We've already started the journey.

But let's not get off the road. Let's not get off the road that leads to perfection. Let's notice Jeremiah chapter 25 and verse 15. Jeremiah chapter 25 and verse number 15.

The Gentile nations are going to have to meet their Maker as well. At the coming of Jesus Christ, it's not just Israel that will loathe themselves and see themselves as God sees them. It's not just Israel that's going to repent, but also the Gentiles as well. Let's notice that in Jeremiah chapter 25 and verse 15. Jeremiah chapter 25 and verse 15.

For thus says the Lord God of Israel to me, Take this wine cup, a fury from my hand, so he's talking about... he's going to do this in a fury, and cause all the nations whom I send you to to drink it. So who are all these nations? Well, we can read about some of those nations. They're listed here in this context here. Egypt, I think, is listed in verse number 19. Several nations are listed in verses 20 through 25, but then he covers everyone. In verse number 26, he covers, as it says, all the kingdoms of the world which are on the face of the earth. I think that pretty much covers it. Don't you? Verse 29.

So God is going to punish Jerusalem and Israel. And the Gentiles will not go unpunished, as it says in the latter part of verse 29. He says, you shall not be unpunished, for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth. So now it's not just all the nations of the earth, but now even every single person on all the inhabitants of the earth. Verse 30, therefore prophesy against them these words, and say to them, the Lord will roar from on high. I think we're talking about the return of Jesus Christ here. And utter his voice from his holy habitation, and he will roar mightily against his fold. His sons and daughters. They're all his sons and daughters. Our Father.

He will roar mightily against his fold. He will give a shout as those who tread the grapes against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise will come up to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has a controversy with the nations, and he's going to plead his case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword, says the Lord. So the Gentile nations are also going to bow to their Creator.

And they're going to be able to have a chance to learn.

A chance to grow. A chance to get on the road that leads to eternal life. That road that leads to a life without sin.

During the millennium, God is going to begin a great de-leavening process. But there will still be leaven. There will still be sin. It's not yet an age without sin. We'll still have people in the millennium. We'll still be working with them, trying to show them the way towards perfection. During the thousand years, that's what's going to be happening. God is going to be preparing a people for an unleavened age during that time. A perfect age to come, and he is going to lead them towards perfection.

We'll have to work with those people. We'll have to help them through the experiences that we had in striving against sin, to help prepare them for a coming age. Lead them towards the same path and journey that we are on right now.

This is our time. This is our journey. Theirs comes later.

Now, what happens when the thousand years are over? Satan is released for a short time. And boy, it doesn't take long, does it? For things to become unleavened, that were becoming unleavened. In fact, the corruption of sin and its leavening process, even though it's only for a short time, influences a multitude of people. And it spreads surprisingly fast. But eventually, God intervenes. And then, He removes Satan and the demons permanently. And then, after they're gone, the second resurrection takes place. Satan is gone. The demons are gone. And the second resurrection is here. What about the people that rise up in the second resurrection? What will people that come up in the second resurrection, do you think that they'll have any leaven to deal with? Yeah. In fact, that's the only thing they've really known in all of their lives. It's become a part of them. It had changed them. It had corrupted them. Their lives have been full of sin, full of leaven. They're not going to be perfect when they're raised up. They'll have to be dealt with. Their character is going to have to be changed. God's going to have to put them on the road to eternal life. They're going to have to start their journey. They're going to have to go through a conversion process, which these days of unleavened bread help picture to us. They'll have to be dealt with at the point where they were when they died. This is where they will be when we begin to work with them. And we'll have to show them a journey that leads to perfection, to an unleavened life.

We'll say again, this is the way. This is the way when they go to the left hand or to the right. And they'll still have to repent. They'll still have to seek the Passover of Christ and all of that pictures and the days of unleavened bread. They'll still have to go through all of those things. We'll teach them the commandments of God. We'll teach them the laws of God, His ways, love of God, love of neighbor, and all of the other laws that hang from those two. And the plan of salvation that's been revealed through these precious Holy Days. And we will teach them the same way of life that we're learning today and begin to get them on that road. So all during the time of the Second Resurrection, we'll still be working with human beings, won't we? We'll still be working with human beings. So at this time, this is still not yet an age without sin, because humans are still around. And the goal of mankind, from God's perspective, is still going down that road towards perfection. We need to be aware of that and working on it, because this is our opportunity now. We're on the road now. And God wants us to be working on it. He wants us to be thinking about it as we rehearse these days of unleavened bread. Towards perfection. A goal. Without a goal, we'll never arrive. And God has given us a goal. How would you like to be perfect one day? I can't even imagine. I'd almost feel like I'd be free somehow. To be perfect. To not have a wrong thought. To not have a wrong attitude. To have been perfectly trained to bring every wrong thought into captivity. Knowing where the wrong choices lead and making a conscious decision not to go that way. No evil thoughts. No evil attitudes. That's what God has in mind. Notice Matthew 5, verse 43. Matthew 5, verse 43. How can God bring this about? Part of it is to these days of unleavened bread as we rehearse what they mean. Matthew 5, verse 43. You have heard that it was said, Jesus is speaking, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

Now verse 44 is a tall order, isn't it? Even after being in the church for a number of years, we still have to work on that one. To love our enemy, somebody wrongs us. You know, anything like that happened to you? Or have you done something like that to somebody else? Or someone's done it to you? Or we say things we shouldn't have said? Hurting others? Hurting ourselves? It's a tall order here. To love our enemies, to bless those who curse you. That's just so unhuman to do that. And to do good to those who hate you. And to pray for those who are using you spitefully and are persecuting you. Why? Verse 45. Because that's what God does. That's what a son or a daughter of God does. That you may be the sons of your Father in heaven. For He makes His Son to rise on the evil and on the good. The sunshine doesn't shine down property lines. Or sends the rain on the just and the unjust. So that's something that God wants us to think about. He wants us to dig a little deeper. He wants us to fine-tune just a little bit more.

Verse 46. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? You don't. In other words, it's what God is saying. Don't even the tax collectors do that. And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Don't even the tax collectors do so. Verse 48. Therefore you shall be perfect. You shall be perfect. As your Father in heaven is perfect. So that's our goal. That's our goal to someday be perfect. And I don't think you'd mind that. I don't think I would mind that. He wants us to aim towards that. Let's notice Ephesians 4, verse 22. Ephesians 4 and verse 22. Just a few verses here showing that this is what God wants us to be working towards. Perfection. He wants us to be aiming towards it. Ephesians 4, I think, expands on this process that we're involved in. We talked a little bit about it on the first day of Unleavened Bread about this new man that we are to become. One that's different. Before we start reading here, let's think about it.

Has keeping the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread over the years, has that made you a different person? Has keeping the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread made you a different person? Think about that. It should. It should, shouldn't it? God given us this constant reminder to grow and to change by keeping the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. It should make us a different person than we otherwise would have been. I think the answer is yes, it should, because we're on a road. That is, we're moving down a road. We're further along than we were before. You know, if you're on a road and you're not moving, you're not headed anywhere then, are you? You're not headed anywhere. If you're on a road and you're not moving, you're going nowhere. But we're on a road that leads to perfection.

Let's take a look at Ephesians 4 and verse 22. We've not reached the destination yet. There should still be some progress and a noticeable difference in us as time goes by. Is there? I believe there is, but I think there's still more work to do. Ephesians 4 and verse 22. That you put off concerning your former conduct, so when God calls someone, this is something that they get busy doing. Putting off your former conduct, the old man, which grows corrupt. Well, we know where that leads. We want that old man to stay in the grave, the watery grave. Your former conduct, the old man, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. We talked about that on the first day of Unleavened Bread, that we die to sin and we live to God. The old man stays buried with Christ and the new man begins to live a new way of life. Verse 24. And that you put on the new man. So this is the process that we are doing. Putting on the new man. Notice, which was created according to God in His image. Which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, put away lying. Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor. For we're members of one another, making up part of the body of Christ with Christ as the head. Verse 26. Don't be angry, or you can be angry, but don't sin. So it is possible to be angry, have a righteous anger, but don't sin because there is a tendency to go overboard and then we find ourselves in trouble. So there's a place for anger, but don't sin, and don't let the anger fester. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. God says eventually put it away, or the fruit won't be good. Verse 27. Nor give place to the devil. So Satan is always trying to have a foothold. Don't let him have one.

Let him steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give to somebody else that has need. So wow, what a difference there. No longer stealing, but actually going to work, working with your hands what is good, and then being able to share with someone who has need.

Verse 29. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. Here's another tall order. Because out of the abundance of the heart, we know that the mouth speaks, and whatever it is that's in our heart, and we've read already how important the heart is in this whole issue. Whatever it is that's in our heart or is in our mind is eventually going to be spoken through our lips. We may be able to hide it for a while, but eventually whatever is here is going to be spoken.

And it says, don't let any corrupt word proceed out of your mouth. So that means we probably have to work on our hearts, doesn't it? We have to work on our hearts. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth for what is good, for necessary edification, and we need to be encouraged. We need to edify one another. This is a tough battle that we face, isn't it? We have an enemy out there, and he knows who the light of the world is. And he knows that when you're a dark place, light stands out. He knows where God's people are. So we need to pull together what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear our words. Verse 30, and don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God. God's Spirit is trying to lead us. Follow the lead of God's Spirit, by whom which you were sealed for the day of redemption. So let all bitterness, all wrath, all anger, all clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. Can we still fall short on these things? I think we can. And we do, at times. Are we doing better? I think we are. I think we've got a ways to go yet. I hope we are, because God thinks that we should be. Verse 32, and be kind to one another and tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God, in Christ, forgave you. So God wants us to take a look at ourselves as we are going along this journey down this road, leading towards perfection, with the help of His Spirit, slowly but surely, following the lessons that we learned through these days of Unleavened Bread, of coming out of sin and on a journey towards righteousness. Let's notice Hebrews 6 and verse 1. I hope we're making progress towards perfection. That's what God wants. He wants us to be making progress towards perfection. Hebrews 6 and verse 1. Pretty familiar Scripture, talking about some of the elementary doctrines or principles of Christ. Hebrews 6 and verse 1. Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection. The message today, the heart and core of it, it's talking about going on to perfection. How would you like to live in a perfect world? Then we have to become perfect through God's help and through His Spirit. Not by might and power, He says, but by my Spirit. He says, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from works that produce death, or of faith toward God, or of the doctrine of baptisms, of the laying out of hands, of the resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. So with God's help, we can go on. Brethren, I've known several people over the years in the church. They got pretty close to perfection. I mean, they weren't perfect. None of us are. But you could just sense that there was a spiritual maturity to them. They were different people from what they had been. They're encouragers. They seem to have a word fitly spoken. And I've known members of the church who have gone through severe ups and downs over the years. And they're still here. And they've reached an incredible level of spiritual maturity.

There's a lot of righteousness and holiness in some of these people. Maybe you know some of these people as well. And that's the goal that God has, of spiritual maturity. You know, when they die, they won't have been perfect. But you know, they were actually starting to get pretty close. Pretty close with God's help. The righteousness of God in them. 1 Peter 1 and verse 13. 1 Peter 1 and verse 13. Take a look at what's written here. 1 Peter 1 and verse 13. Spiritual maturity that God wants us to be striving for. 1 Peter 1 and verse 13. It says, therefore, gird up the loins of your mind. It's an interesting way he puts that. You know, the loins of your waist or body or lower extremities. But the loins of your mind, it seems like that is where sin often dwells. Gird up the loins of your mind. Take it. Seize it. With God's help, begin to rule it.

To be spiritually renewed by Passover and these seven days of unleavened bread will make us stronger. They should make us stronger. To be renewed in our commitment. To be rededicated to our commitment. To God, our calling. Gird up the loins of your mind and be sober. Rest your hope fully upon the grace that is going to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children. So having an obedient heart. That's what God wants. And not conforming yourselves to the former lust as you did in your ignorance. So now it's a totally different world that we're on. Verse 15, but as he who called you is holy, and the Father is the one that is doing the calling, he's the one that calls us.

As he who has called you is holy, you also be holy in all of your conduct. I wish he wouldn't have used the word all. He covers it all, doesn't he? He says, okay, if you're not holy in all of your conduct, don't change what you're doing right, but start thinking about those things that you still need to work on.

This feast of un-leavened bread helps us to reinforce this thought in our minds. A conversion process. A commitment to become holy in our conduct. Can we grow? Can we change? God says, yes, you can. You can. You can bring thoughts into captivity.

You can have uncorrupt communication. You can have less evil thoughts and attitudes. You can resist sin with the help of God's Spirit. We can begin to do these things. And if we begin to grow and we begin to do these things, then this festival has definitely performed the purpose that God designed to teach us and to encourage us.

Be you also holy in all of your conduct, because verse 16 is written, Be holy, for I am holy. God says that's the goal. Be holy like me. Be holy, for I am holy. Our goal is to become holy, just as our Heavenly Father is.

There is coming in age without sin, but we know it's not yet here today. But we've been called on that journey to begin to lead a life that comes out of it, to begin to live a life without sin, and then to go on to perfection.

I don't think we'll ever reach absolute perfection in the flesh. I don't think so. But I think God says we can make a lot more progress. We can make more progress with God's Spirit helping us. But an age is coming when there will be no sin, and all of the citizens within that will not have sin either. It's not going to be in the millennium. It's not going to be during the Second Resurrection. Those will not be ages without sin. They're not going to be perfect ages. They're not going to be citizens that are perfect at those times. Not everyone. But there is coming in age without sin. Let's notice in Scripture where that is.

2 Peter 3 and verse 9. 2 Peter 3 and verse 9 is when we're going to read about an age when there will be no sin, a coming age without sin.

It's not quite here when the millennium comes. It's not quite here when the Second Resurrection comes. But it will come in the context that Peter is writing about here. So let's read it together. 2 Peter 3 and verse 9. It says, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise as some count slackness, but He's long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So we know that God's plan includes everyone. He doesn't want anyone to miss out. He wants everyone to be a part of His family.

In other words, He wants everyone to go through this process that you and I are going through right now towards perfection in order to be a part of His family.

Verse 10.

It's possible this could be, we understand this to be the lake of fire described in Revelation chapter 20 towards the end of that chapter.

And verse 11.

This feast makes us think about that question.

What persons, what manner of persons ought we to be in holy conduct and godliness? Verse 12.

What kind of persons ought we to be, in other words? I hope that all of us can go forward from this feast. I hope I can, I hope you can, and do a better fight against sin and a better fight against leaven and to make more progress towards perfection, towards righteousness, towards holiness as a result of keeping the Passover which we've just kept and these seven days of leaven bread.

Verse 13 shows that there's an age that we look forward to, an age without sin. Let's notice that.

Can you imagine? Only righteousness dwells, an age without sin.

After God's plan of humanity is complete, after the millennium, after the second resurrection, after the lake of fire, then will come the new heavens and the new earth in which only righteousness dwells and so begins an eternal age without sin. It's an important point that God is inspiring Peter to share with us here in this part of the Scripture. A new heaven and a new earth. Only righteousness, no sin, no leaven.

Verse 14, therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things. I can't imagine. Looking forward to these things. Is that our hope? Looking forward to an age of perfection, an age of righteousness, an age without sin? If it is, then it says, looking forward to these things, then be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.

In other words, we've begun to make ourselves ready, as we've heard about in the Bride and the Proposal that the Bride has made herself ready. This is the goal of the Days of Unleavened Bread. This is where God is trying to take us. It's where it's leading to. A new heaven and a new earth, where only righteousness dwells. No sin, no leaven. A perfect age with perfect citizens. The handiwork of God complete.

Think about that. Think of what that will be like. No wrong thoughts, no wrong attitudes. Loving God, loving one another. The sons and daughters of God coming to the point where they cannot sin, could not sin, will not sin. For now, He has you and I in the process of conversion. Of conversion, transforming our lives from the old man to the new man. And leading us towards perfection.

He commands us to be holy as He is holy. He commands us to be perfect as He is perfect. To go on to perfection as we just read about in the book of Hebrews.

If we do, brethren, then we will be citizens of that age. An age without sin.