The Alpha and Omega of God's Plan

Well, good afternoon to everyone. It'd be really great to see everyone again. I'd like to thank the choirs there going off the stage here for the wonderful music that they provided. It truly is very uplifting. A lot of us back in our own home areas don't have choirs, so it's really nice to be able to have a choir, someone that we can really be inspired by, and I've been inspired by all of the selections.

I'd like to thank Jerry Ost and Mary Ann, and Phil and his wife for all of the work that they've done. Philip is a coordinator in training. I don't know if he looks at it that way, but we designated a few men this year.

In fact, every fisight, we tried to have at least one man who's being trained to replace the, should we say, the older guy. The one's been around a little longer, and Philip volunteered to do so, and so we're very happy to be able to have him. We really realize that as we go along, as time marches on, we need to have some succession planning, and so consequently, we have a number of men that we are training who can, in the future, step in and take over and do the various fisights.

I just found out something about Jerry, that if you talk to Jerry, he thinks you like him. So, it just so happens that I do. We go back a long way to Ambassador College in Pasadena, and I remember him very much, Mary-Ann. So it's been nice to interact with him over the years. I do remember one time, though, on Jekyll Island. I think there was a guest speaker coming in, and Jerry was a coordinator.

He came running up to me somewhere before the sermon and said, would you mind leading the final song? I don't think I'm going to be back. He was song leading, and so I said, okay. He took one look at me, and he said, however, you can't wear what you've got on. So I had to go home and change and race back in order to be able to lead that final song. I don't know what it was about what I was wearing.

The only one that really ever tells me that's my wife. I don't know about the rest of you men, but sometimes I get ready to leave the house. My wife said, we'll say, you're not going to wear that, are you? And I'll tell her, no, no, I was just trying it on. I just thought I'd see how I looked in it, but not everybody can tell you that. You know, your wives, and you've been married 50 years, your wives can certainly do that.

Well, Brecklin, what a blessing it is to be able to look out over the audience here and to see the family of God gathered together and to look at all of you and your faithfulness. You know, you look around this auditorium, and it's obvious that many of you have been here for decades, serving God, obeying God. When you think about all of the years, the sermons, the service that God's people have done, the endurance, the trials, the tests, you're right on the cusp of God's kingdom coming. And we certainly don't want to give up now.

We want to remain strong, faithful, and God has given us another year. The very fact that we're here is an indication that God has given us another year to grow, to develop, and to have his character. Every day is an additional opportunity, so we need to take advantage of that. In fact, I might mention that in February we'll have another festival planning meeting.

We get together every year, and we're going to try to have a face-to-face meeting this year. Sit down, go over what worked well at the feast, why it didn't work as well, and how can we improve. It's always the emphasis on what can we do better. And if any of you have suggestions, please pass them on to me, to Mr. Osso. It doesn't matter. As long as they filter up, we can take those and be able to use them.

So, really appreciate that. Well, here we are at the final service. It doesn't seem possible. It just seems like the other day we were beginning the feast, and here we are finishing the feast. Rather, what is God's vision for the human race?

What is God's vision for you personally and for your family? You know, we're not a collective sitting here. We're not like the Borg, for any of you who follow Star Trek. God is concerned for each one of us individually, and we're not being assimilated into the collective whole.

We are individually being prepared by God to be a part of His family. God has a plan for each one of us. He has a race mapped out for us, and He wants every one of us, as we heard this morning by Fred Keller's being His kingdom. Let's go over to Hebrews 12. Hebrews 12, beginning in verse 1. Hebrews 12.1. And let's notice, we just finish the chapter here on faith. It says, Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

So God has set a race before each one of us, and He tells us that we are to run that race with endurance. It's not a hundred-yard dash. You know, you can run a hundred-yard dash, hold your breath, and take off, and you'll come to the end. But if you're running with endurance, you have to take it easy.

You can't just go all out, and then you don't have any endurance left. So God has called each one of us. As the Bible says, He has put each one of us in the body as it pleases Him. He's the one who has set us in the body. Your race is not my race. My race is not your race. We're all faced with trials, tests, but we have different experiences. Even two people living in the same house, my wife and I, our race, even though it's very similar, is not the same, because she experiences life from her perspective.

I experience it from my perspective. We all have been culled by God. God's given us each different gifts, different talents, and challenges that we have to face. And so our race is different. Remember the Apostle Paul? When God chose him, God told him that he was going to take the Gospel to Israel, to the Gentiles, and before kings. He didn't say that to everyone. And he also said, he revealed to Paul how much he was going to have to suffer. And Paul did suffer a great deal.

So God has called each one of us to run a race.

Now let's notice in Revelation chapter 1, beginning in verse 4. Revelation chapter 1, verse 4.

Here we find out something about God and what we want to focus on today in the sermon.

In verse 4 says, John to the seven churches which are in Asia, Grace to you, and peace from him who was, who is to come, and who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, and first born from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth, to him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

Now in verse 8, it goes on to say, I am Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.

Brethren, God is the Alpha and the Omega. What I want us to do today is to take a look at the Alpha and the Omega of God's plan, the beginning and the end. Now God began his plan, why he began it, how he began it, and how it's going to end up. And I think when we come to the end, we will perhaps be a little surprised that it's not the end, that there is more that God has in store for us. So today we're going to take a look at the Alpha and the Omega. Let's go on in verse 11. Notice verse 11. It says, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, and what you see right in a book. And then in verse 17, and when I saw him, I felt his feet as dead, and he laid his right hand on me and said to me, do not be afraid, I am the first, I am the last, I am he who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of death, of the grave and over death. So the fact that God says that he is Alpha and Omega, it expresses the fact that God has control over his whole plan, and he will bring it about. Alpha and Omega are like saying, again, the beginning and the end. Here's the beginning and the end, and God is going to make sure that his plan is carried out. There is no other power in the universe. There's no other force that can keep God from carrying out his plan. That's why he says he is the Almighty. And as the Almighty, he will fulfill his plan and his purpose. So let's go back to the very beginning.

If he's the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, let's go back to the beginning of God's plan and see what it is that we can learn. What does God say about the Omega of his plan, about the Alpha of his plan? To begin with, let's go back to John 1. John 1, verse 1.

This is about as early as you get in the Scriptures. John 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the Word. So we're talking about the beginning. And the Word was with God, and the Word was God. So we see a family relationship here, two beings. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was... and without him nothing was made that was made.

And him was life, and the life was the life of men. So I want you to notice, in God, God possesses life. It is inherent within him. It is self-sustaining life. You and I don't have self-sustaining life. If you don't eat and drink water, take in food, you die. God doesn't require that. His life is not on that.

He has eternal life, immortality. But I want you to notice here that this describes a time before there was anything. At one time, there was only what we know as the Father and the Son, or he wasn't called that at the time. God Almighty and the Word. They were the only thing in existence. And here in John 1, it describes the creation before there was a spiritual creation of the angels, or the physical creation, just the two beings who existed, who had life sustained within them.

And as verse 4 says, again, and him was life. And this is life was the light of men. So we have a time described here before anything. Then, as verse 3 says, God made all things through Christ. Let's go back to Genesis 1. Genesis 1, where we find that God began to make the physical creation. Genesis 1, verse 1, the time before the time of the physical creation. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And this here in the Hebrew refers to the very beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, or as it can be translated, the earth became without form.

It came in utter confusion, tohu and bohu, as the Hebrew says. So the earth was without form and void. That's not the way God originally created it. But apparently, because of the rebellion of Lucifer and the angels, the surface of the earth was destroyed. So the earth was without form and void.

And darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, let there be light, and there was light. Now, apparently, the angelic beings had been created by this time, as we glean from the book of Job. In Job 38, when God created the earth, it says, the sons of God shouted for joy. They were excited because of God's plan, that is, some of them. The physical re-creation began, as you'll notice here in verse 3, with physical light shining forth.

The spiritual creation of God begins with spiritual light. You know, when God calls us, opens our mind, what does he do? He turns a switch on. You ever walk into a room and stumps your toe? You can't see. It's dark, pitch dark. What happens when you flip the light on? You can see. Mankind, another term that the Bible uses is that mankind dwells in darkness.

He is blinded. It's like being in a cave and coming out in the light. You can see the light. And so God has to turn the light on. And just as the sun gives light to mankind, the earth, so Jesus Christ, as John 1.9 says, gives light to every man who comes into the world. God imparted physical life, as we read on through Genesis 1. Remember this. All life comes from God.

Physical life and spiritual life. All life comes from God. God imparted life to the vegetation and to the animal kingdom. Spiritual life comes from God. God imparts His spirit and is His essence. It is also the power that comes from God. You'll find there's a constant parallel running through the Scriptures.

Everything created in Genesis 1 reproduced after its kind. And God is in the process of reproducing after His kind. God finished the physical creation, and when He did, you remember He said, God saw everything that He made, and indeed, it was very good. God had a plan and a purpose. Now remember, we're looking at the beginning of God's plan and the end of God's plan, the Alpha and the Omega. Has it ever crossed your mind how in the world did God ever come up with the plan of salvation? How did He think this up? Where did He come from? How did He devise it? Where did He get it?

Well, let's go back in eternity to when only God and the Word existed, as we read in John 1, verses 1 and 2. And I think we will begin to understand a little more. A big part of the answer is revealed by an expression that's used in the Bible, and most of the time we read right over it and never stop to think about it. It's called the will of God. I'm going to be quoting from the Tyndale Bible dictionary about the will of God, but while we're doing this, let's go back to the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians 1. And we will begin to read in verse 5 here. The will of God. We discover, or will discover, that the will of God is an important New Testament term that indicates God's choice and determination. Something emanating or springing from desire. Let's read here in Genesis 1, in verse 5. It says, "...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will." Now notice how that's written in the New King James Version. The good pleasure of his will. Same thing in verse 9. Having made known to us the mystery of his will, the word mystery simply means hidden truths.

Things that are hidden, they're a mystery, but they're revealed. God has revealed to us mysteries, hidden information, wisdom that has been hidden for the ages, and God has revealed them to us. So he has made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in himself.

And then verse 11, "...in him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him, who works all things according to the counsel of his will." Jerry, something I have to tell you. I forgot to look at my watch when I started.

So I have no idea when I started here, so we'll just carry on. That means I don't know when to end, so we'll...but I'll get it out. I've got a pretty good idea when we started. Now, the word here, God's will, conveys the idea in the Greek of desire, or even heart desire. The word usually is translated as will, the will of God, but the English word as will sublimates the primary meaning of the word from the Greek.

It is the Greek word telema, and it's primarily an emotional word. It's not just a logical word, it's a word that conveys emotion, feeling along with it. God's will is not so much God's intention as it is God's heart desire, the desire of His heart. God does have an intention or a purpose or a plan, and it is the word purpose that's used in verse 11, prothesis. It literally means laying out beforehand like a blueprint. If you were going to build a house, you wouldn't build a house without a blueprint.

You wouldn't just start and say, okay, I'm going to build a bathroom here, what should I put next to the bathroom? Well, I think I'll put a bedroom. You'd go at it that way. You'd have a blueprint, and you'd go according to the plan. Well, as verse 11, let's read it here, tells us, In him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him, his plan, his blueprint that he designed, that he came up with, that was laid out beforehand. It involves purpose, resolve, design. In 2 Timothy 1, verse 9, I'll just read this to you, because we'll say right here, 2 Timothy 1, 9, It talks about God who saved us, called us for the holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which he has given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

So even before time began, God had this plan designed. Before the physical creation, God thought it out. The plan was created by God's counsel, as we read here, the last part of verse 11. We read, The great word for counsel is puli, and it means to counsel, to discuss.

So behind the plan of God, the two God Beings, the Word and the Almighty God began to think about the plan of God. And what was the motivation? It came from God's will, which was a heart's desire.

In other words, God's very nature is a God nature of love, of giving, of sharing. And so from his very heart, from his very being, God began to think about, I want to share with other beings my level of existence. This existence that I have. And how do I do that? How do I create a being who can be just like me, who can be like you, the Word?

And so they began to discuss this. They began to think about it. And in the process, they created the angelic beings, the angels. But there was something greater that God was going to do.

There was a creation of humans, and God created us physical. And He took dust, and He took dirt, and He made us. And then God can give us His Spirit. And through development of His character, we can become a part of His family. But all of that sprang from His heart, from His heart desire.

So what motivated God to create the plan of salvation was a heart of love and good pleasure. Of wanting to share with human beings, with His creation, His level of existence. Can you imagine how much thought, creativity that took for God to sit down and from nothing to begin to plan it all out? Just look at a human being.

When God began to think about, well, I'm going to create this human being, exactly how did He do that? He had to say, okay, I'm going to take dirt, I'm going to make this person. They need blood. They need a circulation system. What is blood? He had to create blood. He had to create it with oxygen. He had to create our lungs. He had to create a nervous system. When He said, well, they need to be able to see. He had to create an eye. What's an eye? And how's an eye designed? And how is your hearing designed?

Everything that God created about us. He had to think it out and design it. And it had to work perfect. And then it had to work perfect with everything else that He designed. And so God thought it all out. And then He brought it into being. And so God Almighty created all things. As Hebrews 11 tells us, let's go back to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11, beginning in verse 3.

You'll find that this chapter deals with faith. And so in verse 3 we read this. By faith we understand that the works were framed by the Word of God. So that the things which are seen were not made from things which are visible. So the things that are seen, like you and me, this podium, whatever it might be, have been made of things which are not visible. So that means some way God took His power, His energy, and was able to manifest it in a way that it's physical. And we know that everything that we see physical contains energy, power, the atom. You can split it, and there's tremendous power and energy there. So God Almighty from the very beginning, when you go back to the very beginning, out of His heart, out of His mind, spraying this, that God wanted to impart eternal life to a family of beings. And so God is motivated in that way. He wanted to share His level of existence and His life with a family. Now, in 1 Peter, turn over here to 1 Peter 1. 1 Peter 1, beginning in verse 18.

We read this. 1 Peter 1, verse 18. It says, So Christ, His sacrifice, was foreordained before the creation of the world. You see, God knew that He was going to have to have the Word come to the earth to die for the sins of mankind. He was going to create a human family that that human family would sin, and they would need to have their sins forgiven. So God's plan was thought out. The serpent did not come along and just surprise God. Do you think God was caught by surprise when the serpent came along and deceived Eve? And Adam, you followed her? Now, God knew exactly what He was going to do, and He knew what would have to take place. And so you find these sketches throughout the Bible about the very beginning of the plan of God. What about the ending of the plan of God? We've come here to the Feast of Tabernacles, and here we are on the eighth day. And this pictures the finality of God's plan that God has thought up in one sense. It pictures the completion of the plan of salvation for humankind. This eighth day, as we heard this morning, God has by this time will have offered salvation to every human being. That's what to say in pictures. That God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. That God is willing to offer salvation to everyone, and so every human being. Will have had that opportunity, that chance. Let's notice in John 17 and verse 4. In John 17.4, let's go over there.

John chapter 17 and verse 4. Jesus Christ. Here is final instructions on what could be called the Lord's Prayer here. He said, I glorified you on the earth, talking about unto the Father. I have finished the work which you have given me to do. He had a three and a half year ministry. He lived 33 and a half years in the flesh. He set a perfect example. He trained His disciples. He laid the foundation for the church. He finished the job that God gave Him to do. But that wasn't all. He finished the work. But let's notice in chapter 19 and verse 28. Chapter 19 here and verse 28 in the book of John. He says, after this, Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst. Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there. And they filled the sponge with sour wine and put it on hyssop and put it to His mouth. And when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, it is finished. And He bowed His head and He gave up the Spirit. So He finished the work that God gave Him to do. But He still had one more thing to do. And that was to die for the sins of mankind. And so He said, when that was over, it's finished. It's done. I've done everything that you wanted Me to do. And He died and we know His Spirit returned to God. Three and a half, three days later, I should say, He was resurrected. Now let's back up with all of that in mind to Ephesians chapter 1. Remember, we're talking about the beginning of God's plan of salvation. In Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 10.

I want you to notice here, Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 10, we read verses 9 and 11. It says, we read here that in the dispensation of the fullness of time, that He might gather in one all things in Christ. So what is God doing? Well, in the dispensation of the fullness of time of all the ages, and this would refer to the millennium and the eighth day, that He will gather in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on the earth in Him. So all things will be gathered together under the authority, the rule of Christ. Nothing will exist without submitting to Jesus Christ and God the Father, and everything will be eventually totally unified under Jesus Christ.

God started with the plan, and we know that He's going to carry it out, and it will all be unified under Christ. And in 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 15, verse 20, we find where this is mentioned again, but an additional point to say the end of God's plan, what He's doing. Beginning here in verse 20, it says, But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as an Adam all died, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those are Christ at His coming. So that's talking about us. Then comes the end when He delivers the kingdom to God. So brethren, at the end, He will deliver up the kingdom to God, the Father, when He's put an end, and He won't do it until He accomplishes what? You'll put an end to all rule, all authority, and power. All rule, authority, and power will come under His jurisdiction, as we've already read. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. And the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. So Jesus Christ will destroy all enemies, and the last one is death that will be destroyed. For He has put all things under His feet. But when He says all things are put under Him, it is evident that He who put all things under Him is accepted. God, the Father, does not come under Christ's authority. Christ comes under His authority, as we see in verse 28. It says, Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him, who put all things under Him. And let's notice that God may be all in all.

That God may be all in all. What does that mean? There's coming a time, brethren, when God will have extended salvation to all mankind. Jesus Christ will put down all rule, all authority, all power. He will destroy death. Then He Himself will submit Himself to the Father, and that all things will be put under God. All that exists will exist because of the Father. He created the physical, He created the angels, the family of God. Anything that exists at this time will exist because of the Father. All will be in all. All that exists in God's realm will owe its existence to the Almighty God. His way of peace, of unity, will exist in all those in His kingdom. Nothing that is contrary to God's calling, His way of life, will be in that kingdom.

So this brings us the Alpha and the Omega. We come to the end. God has brought everything under Him. Is that all there is? I think most of you know that's not all there is because there is more. God has a plan in purpose for His creation. He created the physical to carry out the plan of salvation. What does He have in store for eternity? You see, you and I are used to thinking in time, aren't we? We're 70 years old, 60, 50, 35, whatever it might be. God exists in eternity. He exists in another, total, different dimension. The spirit dimension, it's not the physical. It's eternity where God dwells. Do we think that God doesn't have a vision for eternity, just like He's had a vision for the physical creation, where He created the physical so that He might bring us into His very family? He is basically only revealed to us the first stage. The first part of His plan. We have the whole Bible that reveals to us the plan of salvation. The Holy Days, outline it. Give us the chronology of it. We can look throughout the whole Bible, and there are many different places where God's plan is expounded in how we can be a part of the Kingdom. We have approximately one-third of the Bible as prophecy. Much of it's about the millennium, chapter after chapter, book after book. A lot of it is about the white throne judgment, the eighth day, when God will offer salvation to all mankind. But guess what? Very little about eternity. Very little about what we're going to do forever. Now, there is a lot revealed in the sense of the state we will be in, how we will exist, but what we will be doing is not clearly outlined for us. We have all eternity in front of us. God did not start this whole process without planning for eternity. If He planned to create the angels, and He planned to create the human race, and He created the physical universe to make it possible for us to have eternal life, to be a member of His family. Is it just a matter that, okay, we're in the family and that's it? We just sit around looking at each other all the time? What are we going to do? When you and I have families, a man grows up, a woman grows up, they become attracted to one another, they love one another, they have a family. You don't just sit around and look at your family, you enjoy them, but you do things together, and you accomplish, and you hope for the best for that family. You want to see your children grow up, to become leaders, and to have an occupation, and to mature, to develop the proper character. What is God's vision for eternity? We've seen what God's vision has been for mankind, up to a certain point, but what is God's vision for eternity? What is His alpha for eternity? And is there an omega for eternity? There will be a beginning, we know. Now, I don't say by saying that, I'm not saying that eternity begins. I'm just saying there's a beginning for us as we step into eternity, because there's coming a time when you and I will step into a different dimension.

There's a time when you and I will be made spirit beings, and we will be able to live in the spirit dimension, not just in the physical realm. So can we know about the future? What do we know about the future? What is God's heart desire for us as far as the future is concerned? Well, there are certain things that we can know. Number one, we can know that we will have eternal life and immortality. God promises us that. So eternal life will go on forever, immortality.

We know that God will give us a kingdom that will last forever. And that kingdom has been prepared for us. In Matthew 20 verse 34, or Matthew 25 to 34, you might remember it talks about a kingdom has been prepared for us from the foundation of the world. God's been working on that kingdom. Romans 8 tells us that we will be joint heirs with Christ, and we will inherit the universe. And so we will be joint heirs, we will inherit the universe. What will we do with the universe? We're going to inherit it. Isaiah chapter 9 in verse 7 tells us, Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end. Whatever God has planned, His government will go on forever, and it will be governed by peace and unity and harmony and love, because nothing will be in it that is not in God.

With all of that in mind, let's go over to 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 10. Because, brethren, as we leave the feast, we need to keep the overall picture in mind of what God is doing. Can you imagine? God's called us here for eight days. He's fed you wonderful spiritual food during that eight-day period. He's explained His plan, His purpose to us. We do not want to leave here and forget what God is doing. We want to leave here with our minds infused, with our minds stirred up, inspired, motivated, turned on for His kingdom, so that every day when we get up, I don't know about you, but I've been trying lately, every day when I get up, to say, this is another day God has given me. I'm bound for His kingdom. And start thinking, even before I do anything, that you better watch what you do, and that we're striving for the kingdom of God. Well, let's notice what God has in store as He begins to reveal to us a little bit about what He has planned for eternity. He says, But the day of the Lord will come, verse 10, 2 Peter 3, as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat, and both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. So the earth and the heavens, as we know them today, will be melted, will burn up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of person ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? So knowing what's going to come, what should we be like in our conduct, the way we live, the way we treat one another? Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, we, according to the promise, look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. We're looking forward to the time when there will be a new heaven, a new earth, and righteousness will dwell there at that time. The old heaven and the old earth were made for man, for us. The new heaven and the new earth are being made for the spiritual family of God. There will be a time when only the spirit family of God will dwell there in righteousness. In Revelation 21, we find the new heaven and new earth described even more fully. Chapter 21, beginning in verse 1. It says, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. So the earth, the heavens, as we know them today, will not exist in that form. And there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

So the New Jerusalem will come to this earth at that time. It is a city, the city of God. And God will dwell on the earth. The Almighty God, our Father, He will dwell in the New Jerusalem. He is the maker of that city. Hold your place here, but let's notice in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11.8 Talking here about Abraham, that Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive for an inheritance. And he went out not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promises in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob. They were sojourners. And he bears with him the same promise. For he waited for the city, which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

So God is the builder and the maker of this city. He's been working on this city a long time.

Who told Abraham about the city? What do you read back in the book of Genesis? God sitting down and describing the New Jerusalem to Abraham. But he did at some point. So Abraham is looking beyond just this, the city of the millennium and the eighth day. He's looking to the time of the New Jerusalem, the New Heavens and the New Earth. And brethren, we must also. God has a plan. Let's notice verse 16 here in Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11 and verse 16 says, Now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. God has prepared the city for the bride. Apparently, the New Jerusalem will be the home of the bride. And you and I, as part of that bride, will be there for all eternity. All of the family of God will have access to that city. One of the great lessons of the Feast of Tabernacles is that we're sojourners now. But there's coming a time when we will have our own permanent residence. You might remember the priests, the Levites in the Old Testament, did not have permanent residence. They didn't have farms and so on like the rest of the people. And there's going to come a time when you and I, as kings and priests, will have a permanent residence. And we will have a permanent spirit body. And we will reside with the Father in Christ. Back up to chapter 21 of the book of Revelation again in verse 3. There's coming a time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth. There's also going to be the new Jerusalem. And in verse 3 says, I heard a loud voice, Revelation 21.3, from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. Remember in the Old Testament when God made the tabernacle in the temple? Why did God do that? Because He said He wanted to dwell with His people. God dwells in us today. We are the temple of God. And God is going to dwell with His family forever. He will dwell with them. And they shall be His people. And God Himself will be with them and be their God. God is going to dwell with us. We will have fellowship with the Almighty God forever.

You might say, well, how in the world will we ever get to see God talking Him personally? We have eternity. You don't have to worry about that. We will have eternity to get acquainted with Him, with Jesus Christ. We will see His example. We will learn from Him. We will have an intimate relationship with Him. It will go beyond what we have today. We get down on our knees and we pray to God. We do it in the name of Christ. And we're praying to God, but we've never seen God.

We know His characteristics, but we've never seen Him. At this time, we will be able to see God face-to-face. We'll be able to look on Him, talk to Him, be able to learn from Him, ask Him questions. And as verse 7 tells us here, He who overcomes shall inherit all things. Or maybe a better, a lot of the translations, modern translations, say, We shall, He who overcomes shall inherit all these things that He was just talking about. And I will be His God, and He shall be my Son.

And as verse 4 tells us, there's coming a time when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. We sigh and we cry over what's going on today in the world, as we heard in Mr. Hopkins the other day, in the sermonette. We have tears. But there's coming a time when there will be no more tears. There'll be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There should be no more pain. For the former things have passed away. The word former means the first things. The first things have passed away. The first would be the physical things. All of those pass away. Notice the new American Standard Version of verse 4. He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall no longer be any death. There shall no longer be any mourning, nor crying or pain. The first things have passed away. Existence on the physical level will pass away. The first things, the former things, will no longer be there. The NIV translates this. The old order of things will pass away. There will be a new order of things. What will pass away? Well, the physical creation as we know it today. First you have the physical, then you have the spiritual. The Bible talks about the first Adam, the first earth, the first heaven. No more tears, crying, sorrow, pain. No agonies, no suffering that human beings go through anymore. The human experience ceases. God's family experience will continue. God is with man. And so we find that the former things pass away, the first things. But, verse 5 says, He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Right, for these words are true and faithful. They are truth. The Word of God is truth. And they are faithful. They will be carried out. So all things are going to be made new. I would challenge all of you. You go home, get your dictionary out, or concord us, and just look up the word new. I think you'll find there's probably a list of 30-something things described in the Bible that God will create new for us. There'll be a new beginning for us, new stage, new responsibilities, new duties, new opportunities, new jobs. What are they? Well, we don't know, do we? But it will be new. There'll be something that God will share with us. He gives us only a glimpse. Notice verse 6. And He said to me, It is done.

Remember what I read about Christ, when Christ fulfilled the mission that God gave Him? He said, It's accomplished. It's finished. Well, here He says, It is done.

That expression means, All of this has come to pass. So when we come to verse 6, everything that He's describing here, He says, It's done. It's come to pass. The Father is the beginning and the end. He will bring all things, and He will carry out all things. Beginning in verse 22, we could read through this, but we have the New Jerusalem described, city 1500 miles square, and as high as it is, you know, around. Let's notice here, in verse 22, I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminates it, and the Lamb is its light. You and I will have glorified bodies. We will glow. We will put out power, energy, light will radiate from us. Well, the light that radiates from God is so powerful you don't need the sun.

It will illuminate everything. And the nations of those who are saved, notice there are nations that are saved, will walk in the light and the kings of the earth. So this indicates that there will be other kings on the earth. Spirit beings will bring their glory and their honor into it. And its gates shall not be shut at all by day, and there shall be no night there. No need of night. We don't have to sleep. We're spirit beings. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.

And there shall by no means enter yet anything that files or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Only those who are in God's kingdom will be there. So it's a beautiful picture of what God is going to do in the future. However, we still don't know what our responsibilities are going to be, what we will be doing for all eternity.

In chapter 22, let's read here and see again if we can get a little glimpse of what the future, the eternity, will hold for us. In verse 3, there shall be no more curse.

Remember, the Bible talks about blessings and curses. You obey God, keep His law, you're blessed if you disobey your curse. So there are no more curses. You don't find the tree of the knowledge of good and evil here. You only find the tree of life mentioned. So the curse, there's no more sinning, rebelling, going against God. It says, But the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. So we're going to serve God, and whatever it is that God wants us to do, they shall see His face, and His name shall be in their forits.

So we'll see the very face of God. Now, no human being can look on God and live. So this isn't talking about the human family, but the spirit family of God. There shall be no night there, and they need no lamp nor light of the Son, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. This is one of the only verses that the Bible describes what we will do.

We will reign forever and ever. What does that mean? Over what? We don't know. You know what we're going to have to do? I was discussing this with Norma last night, and I had come up with something, and she said, no, don't say that. You know, that's too speculative. What she suggested is we're going to have to be there to find out.

And that's exactly right. We're going to have to be there to find out, because at this point, God is going to have us to reign forever and ever. We're going to be ruling. We have been prepared as rulers, have we not? Every stage of our training has prepared us for this.

As first-roots, we're being prepared to do what? To be kings and priests, to rule. We're training those in the millennium to assist and to help in the white throne judgment. And we will then, at that point, help to train them. So we're all learning leadership and training. Isn't that what we're learning here, as we found out during this feast? That we're here to serve, we're here to love one another, to give to one another. So we're learning right now the principles that we need to be able to rule for not just the millennium, not just the eighth day, but for all eternity. And so we will reign forever and ever, but it doesn't say exactly what.

But we will be ruling. We have been prepared. The Bible tells us that our eyes have not seen or have our ears heard the things that God has prepared for us. Now, a lot of times we just apply that to the millennium. But hey, I can read and hear about the millennium, what God's going to do.

How He's going to heal people. How He's going to bless them. You know, everything about the millennium and even why throne judgment. What does it mean that I has not seen or heard of the things that God has prepared for us? I think God is talking about the time in the future for eternity. That our minds, our human minds are so limited, so finite, that we cannot even begin to grasp what God has in store for us.

He wants to share with us what living on that level of existence really means. We can guess, we can think, but we don't really know. There's going to come a time when God will say, okay, sons, daughters, family, let me show you what I want to share with you. Let me tell you what all of this has been about, and God will begin to show us.

God is a giver. He wants to share with us. This has been His heart's desire. And He's revealed to us what we need to know to be in His kingdom and to carry out His plan. But there's going to come a time, Psalm 16 verse 11, tells us, Psalm 16, 11, that in your presence is fullness of joy. In God's presence there will be joy, and at your right hand are pleasures evermore.

Human beings think that being addicted to drugs or alcohol or pills or sex, whatever it might be, they look on all of that as being pleasurable, and it is, perhaps, to the flesh. And they think, well, once we're in God's kingdom, we won't be able to enjoy anything pleasurable. And yet the Bible says that God's right hand are pleasures forevermore. There are things that will give us pleasure and joy and happiness and excitement and fulfillment forever. And God wants to give that to us. Rather than we are too close to give all of that up. We need to concentrate on developing the heart of God. You know, God's heart, His way of thinking and reasoning, a heart of love, of giving, of mercy, of goodness, of grace.

God wants us to develop that attitude and that approach. As we go back into society, into this world, we must never forget God has promised us these things. I don't know how you can do it. Write yourself a note and stick it on your mirror every morning, because most of us have to look at it. But we need to be reminded on a daily basis of why we're alive, where we're going, what God has in store for us. And that God is there, He will never leave us.

I read this last year, but I'd like to read it again in Hebrews 13, verses 5 and 6. Hebrews 13, 5 and 6. The promise that God gives to each one of us. Beginning in verse 5, Hebrews 13, Let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have. For He has said, this is God, I will never leave you nor forsake you. In the Greek, there are double and triple negatives expressed here. In the Greek, it says, I will not, I will not leave you. I will not, I will not, I will not forsake you.

That's God's promise to us. God will never leave us or forsake us. He will give us the spiritual strength and motivation. We just need to make sure that we go to Him daily. Rather than this is why the Bible says that the inward man is renewed day by day. It takes daily prayer and Bible study to be close to God. God has, for all eternity, a tremendous plan He wants to share with us. As His sons and daughters. So let's never forget that.

And as verse 6 says here, in Hebrews 13, So we may boldly say, and this is something that you need to boldly say, The Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man can do to me.