A Blessed New Life

Happy last great day, brethren! Good to be here with you. I'd like to thank Bonnie Buchanan for that wonderful song that was written by her late husband, Elder Hugh Buchanan. And what a tribute to get to hear a message from him through you. And I'm sure that's very, very special to you, and it is to all of us as well. So also, I would like to take a moment here and ask everyone to consider our festival coordinator, Mr. Nick LaMoure and his family, who have given about nine months of their time. Mr. LaMoure, Mrs. LaMoure, kids. You know, feast planning and feast preparation begin shortly after the feast, and everything has to be ready to go into that feast planner that you look forward to. All has to be worked out, planned, and ready to announce. And then the details all fall into place. And that's a sacrifice that we put on already busy pastors. Mr. LaMoure has more square miles to cover in his pastorate than most ministers in the church. And so thank you again for the sacrifices that you've made there as well. There are many estimates of how many humans have existed in the last 6,000 years, but when you look at them, they usually are estimates based on what part of life a person starts from. If from birth, it's about an average of 30 years of life expectancy. If you skip to 5 years old, if a person has made it all the way to 5 years old, then it can move up towards 50. Some will move it up to 10 years old, and you can get into the 60s, 60, 70 years of life. There's a lot of young lives that didn't make it. And so a historical average from what they can ascertain from all the various records, including the Bible, is humans have had a life expectancy until the last century of about 30 years. And what quality of life did those estimated 90 billion people have? Many, if not most, of whom died at a very young age. Some lived on to older age, but what kind of a life did they live before the flood, after the flood, during the empires that came, and the wars that have continued to fight, and the oppressions, and the migrations, and the diseases, and the pestilences that have happened, and the various climate changes that have taken place down time, down through time, and the governments, and the religions. You know, what is God's will for this humanity? If we just use the 90 billion or 100 billion as an estimate, what did God plan for them? If we look to Deuteronomy chapter 5 and verse 29, we see God's heart, God's mind. When we look at the universe and all the creation and its largeness, or its infinity, down to the smallest molecules, and everything in between, what's God's plan for this? Deuteronomy chapter 5 and verse 29. Oh, oh, that they had such a heart in them, that they would fear or revere me, and always keep all my commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever. That's what was on God's mind. That's what is on God's mind. For you, for me, that's what is on God's mind for those during the thousand year reign of Christ, which we celebrated during the Feast of Tabernacles. In 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 4, it says, God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. All men, not just some, not a special few or some ethnic group, not just those who are living currently.

We know in John 3 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that those who believe in Him might be saved and have everlasting life. That's what's on the mind of God. That's the will of God, as we'll see a little later. God's will is not going to be dismissed just because maybe humanity and Satan have gotten in the way. But our God loves all humans who He created, every one of them. Sometimes you might look at somebody and say, that person. Then you have to say, oh wait a minute, God loves that individual. I was looking at a child the other day on the beach, and this child didn't have a great family. And I was thinking, that poor kid, what's he going to become in life? And I thought, oh, God loves that little child. God just really loves that particular little child. And I watched that little child as it walked around and played around. It was kind of unhappy about things. I thought, God really loves that particular child.

God wants them to have good, long, happy lives, and ultimately eternal lives.

But this is not the age of universal salvation. This current age is an age that Satan has hijacked. He has run off and tried to convince people that he is some sort of God, some sort of a leader, some sort of a future. This is not the time when God is trying to call all humans. No, it's not.

And so what we have, though, is a plan for God doing just that. Just that. And what is interesting about this moment in time for you and me on this eighth last great day is that we are just completing an annual celebration of God's plan of salvation for humans. And tonight at sunset, we enter a dearth period of six months before another season of God's holy days begin. We have just completed, as of today, we will just have completed this plan of universal salvation for all humans. You know, it begins in the spring with the Passover and how God sent his son and Jesus Christ came and he lived and he died and he gave his life so that people could have their sins set aside and removed and have a relationship with God. Not everybody, but those that God would call during this difficult time. And they would learn to put sin out of their lives through the days of unleavened bread as we picture that, putting leaven and we see how it gets into our very fabric and it's hard to get out. But those who do will develop a fruit, a type of a grain, a type of harvestable fruit that's valuable, that's good for life for others, that others will be able to feed on. And this firstfruits will join Jesus Christ at his return and be ready to roll out a second phase of this universal salvation. But that first phase has to complete itself in its infancy, in its smallness, a small tiny group that will be a bride for Christ. And in between the first and the second you have a pause, the feast of trumpets, the return of Jesus Christ. Now to come in and actually rule and reign and bring God's mindset in his laws to all of humanity. And so then the second phase begins where humanity has an atonement for their sins. And that same sacrifice then is represented in our feast of atonement that we celebrate, where the sins of humanity will be set aside. And then they can receive a spirit where they can understand and know God without Satan. We just celebrated seven wonderful days of them enjoying the knowledge of God, just like the waters cover the ocean out there. That'll just only be the knowledge of God. No competition, no competing mindset.

Just all God, all about God, and all of us assisting them, learning and living happy lives under God.

That's a wonderful time. But something's missing. In fact, something that's missing is so big it dwarfs all those other things and insignificance statistically, and statistically only. Because all of those lives only represent a small fraction of the lives that God made in his image that he wants to have salvation. He wants in his family, eternally. The vast majority never knew God, never believed, never tasted, not even with Jesus Christ personally in their presence with miracles teaching them. As we see in John 17 verse 37.

But although, I believe it's John 7, 37, but although he had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in him. So many signs, so many miracles, they didn't believe in him. That the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. Therefore, they could not believe just because Isaiah said again, he has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I could heal them, so that I could stitch them back together with me. And so in God's plan, there is a future era still coming.

The bulk of humanity will enter a segment number three, and that is coming. That is on its way. So today we have this one-day festival, a one-day festival that some overlook, some want to sort of discount and sort of be thinking about something else, but it's the biggest harvest, by far the greatest harvest, and it's coming. Let's focus on what the rest of mankind will experience when they get to live again. The title of this sermon is A Blessed New Life. A blessed new life. Now today we have a feast that God gave no name to. Did you ever think about that? There is no name in the Bible for this feast. There are some descriptions, there's some adverbs, adjectives, but God didn't give it a name. It doesn't have something like the Passover or Unleavened Bread or, you know, Trumpet. If we look in Leviticus chapter 23, we see something interesting about this name. The church has sort of given it some descriptive terminology and kind of named it. Leviticus chapter 23, but we do recognize that it has no name in Scripture. In verse 34, it says, then the Lord said to Moses, speak to the children of Israel, saying... I want you to start noticing here the adjectives... or the adverbs. Speak to the children of Israel saying, the fifteenth day of this month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days. All right? So do we call the Feast of Tabernacles the fifteenth? No, we don't. It has a name. It's called the Feast of Tabernacles, but it happens on the fifteenth day of the month. Let's continue on. On the first day, there's another descriptor, right? On the first day, you'll have a holy convocation.

You shall do no work on it. And then for seven days, there's another descriptor, seven days, you'll make an offering. On the eighth day, you will have a holy convocation. That's what we're doing now. But you see how it's just a description of which day is not a title. If we go to John 7, verse 37, we find a description of something Jesus was doing.

If you understand what is happening, John 7, verse 37, it says, on the last day, that great of the feast. All right? So we don't have a name of this day. It's just a last. There's your description. A last day. That great of the feast. Now, again, we call it often the last great day, and throughout most of our church's history, we've called it the last great day because of this verse. And we don't know exactly, people can argue, when that happened because the Jews had their own customs that took place and some wonder, well, was there a water ceremony? Well, there's none in the Bible, but maybe the Jews did something, and the Jews always were doing something. You've got to remember, brethren, God never appointed the Jews to teach anybody anything. All right? It's the Levites that were the teachers. The priests were the teachers, not the Jews. And so, when the Jews are doing something, you had like 24 different segments of Jewish leaders in Jesus' day. We tend to hear about the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Scribes, the Sanhedrin, but there's a whole bunch of Jews doing a whole bunch of different things. And so, when we look here on this last day, that great, and it says, day in parentheses, of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Now, what we have then is no name, no name for this feast. And so, that's why sometimes you'll see this referred to as the last great day, traditionally, or about, I don't know, eight years ago or so. It started appearing more as the eighth day in some of our literature. But that's what it is. The seventh day has no great elements. It says, that last, that great of the feast. Sounds like a holy day, in a way, doesn't it? That term would be to something really big, but just the seventh day didn't really have anything associated with it. So, oftentimes, we associate this with the day that we're celebrating right now.

But this is the final annual holy day of God. Godly things. And things portraying God, his government, his rule. And this last feast, it's a great feast. It's a day that we're celebrating. It is the eighth of the eight-day festival season here at the end. It's something really big. Let's go to Revelation chapter 20 and verse 6. And we're going to see what's so great about this day, numerically especially. Or really, this is kind of what God has been building up for as far as a day of salvation. In Revelation chapter 20 and verse 6, we see the helper crew blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Now, where our church is different than churches around the world is that we teach a second resurrection. We teach this day. Others don't know this. It's hiding right here in plain sight. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. So we just celebrated seven days of reigning with Christ in the future as this group of people, and it's called the first resurrection. You can't have a first resurrection without a second resurrection and other resurrections. You've got to have another resurrection. Now, where is this other resurrection? Well, we go back one verse. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. The Bible doesn't say much about the second resurrection. There's not a whole lot of passages in Scripture that speak of this big, huge resurrection. But right here we see that after the thousand years were finished, the dead do live again.

The dead live again. If we go a little bit further down to verse 11, "'Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead.'" Oh, here are the dead in verse five. "'The rest of the dead, I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God.'" They're alive. They're resurrected. They're on their feet. Small, little ones, great, big ones, small in, say, stature or, you know, previous, maybe, ability or position, great previously. Here they all are, standing before God. And books were opened. We know that, as we saw before, their eyes previously had been blinded and their hearts hardened. But now, these books are opened. Their eyes can see, their ears can hear for the first time. And another book was opened. This book is not mentioned to anyone except you and me right now. It's called The Book of Life.

When you were baptized, your names were written in the Book of Life. God intends for you to be in the kingdom. Yes, you will be there from His standpoint. If you're not, well, shame on you and me, because it's His will that we're there. Your name is already there. You're expected to show up. So, this book was opened, which indicates they have a new covenant, like you and I do now. They have repentance. They have baptism. They receive the Holy Spirit. These books are open, and for a lifetime, they will get to live. So, as we focus on this group of individuals, they will have a totally different contrast to their previous life's experience. That one they lived, they died. This is going to be something brand new. We can't begin to imagine what world they will wake up to, what garden of Eden landscape. With that many people, 90 billion people, will they fit on this landscape, like we talked about earlier in the feast? Will God raise up more? Will He change landscapes to accommodate 90 billion people or more? Whatever that number is.

Wow. Here's how that's going to look. In Isaiah chapter 61 and verse 7, Isaiah 61 and verse 7, instead of your shame, just think how life has been lived down through time. It's been shameful.

Instead of your shame, being shamed by others, put down, despised, kicked around, shortened life, run over. You will have double honor. Instead of confusion, Satan is the author of confusion. The whole society they grew up in there has been confusing.

Instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their double portion. Therefore, in their land, they shall possess double. Everlasting joy shall be theirs.

Now we can just pull out certain scriptures from the future for certain individuals, and we can apply them to this type of living under the reign of Jesus Christ, because it will apply then as well.

A real blessing. You know, the eighth-day feast illuminates the blessings that come from God's way of life, from godliness. If we go to Deuteronomy chapter 28, there's a principle that works in your life and mine. It worked in ancient times. It works in the millennium. It'll work in the second resurrection. Deuteronomy chapter 28. If we look in verse 2, and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, they're going to clobber you. These blessings are going to be like a tsunami. It's going to overtake you and just overtake you because you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Bless shall you be in the city, and bless shall you be in the country. Bless shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground, the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle. Bless, verse 5, shall your basket and kneading bowl be. Bless will you be, verse 6, when you come in and when you go out. Who?

The Lord will command the blessing on your... Command, verse 8, the blessing on your storehouse, and upon all in which you set your hand. He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. What a great time it's going to be for those who come up. Verse 9, the Lord will establish you as a holy people to himself, just as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his way. You see, that's what God's feast from beginning to end. That's what this life, that's what the human experience is all about. Coming under God's rule, doing what he says, and being blessed for it. Now, in contrast, lawlessness, ungodliness, brings curses. All we have to do is look in verse 15. But it shall come to pass if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully all his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you. I like to ask this question. What do you want in your tsunami?

It's a good question I ask myself. What do I want in my tsunami? Because you're going to get a tsunami, one or the other. You don't want to go through the second one. When we look at the world in which humanity has lived and those who have never known God before the second resurrection, all we have to do is go to Galatians chapter 5 verses 19 through 21. Because you know there's this way that seems right to a man, right? We're going to pursue it with Satan's inspiration.

Galatians 5 verse 19. I hate to even read this stuff, but let's just glimpse at it, right? Now the works of the flesh are these.

Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murderer, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. Of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's not going to be in the kingdom, but that's where humanity has lived. That's been its experience.

Now, let's go to our reality in contrast. 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 6. Here we can spend a moment, a little more joyfully.

2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse 6. In Satan's age, there's a different way we can live, and you and I are living that way. There's a small group of firstfruits in stripes, in prismens, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fasting.

These are some of the things that we bump into. And now in verse 6, But by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the love of the truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and the left. You know, these are some things that you and I are able to achieve because of God's Spirit in us, in preparing us to be teachers and examples in that world tomorrow. An early crew, kind of like the feast crew, and months before the feast starts, but the early crew getting it ready. In verse 9, As unknown and yet well known, as dying, and behold we live, Chasing yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, As poor yet making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

That's our reality, the body of Christ's reality. You know, when you look at the world, reality, and body of Christ's reality, the two shouldn't mix. I've learned years ago, Monica Knudsen taught me this when we were going to Africa. Don't read the news on the Sabbath or the Holy Days.

Come out of that. That's not you. That's not us. That's not the body of Christ. Focus on the body of Christ. Come out of that. That's not you. That's not us. That's not the body of Christ. Focus. Focus on who we are and who we are becoming as God's people. The result is a clearer focus on our goal, on our identity. When we consider the most monumental event in human history, it's kind of hard to have fathom it. I mean, it's big.

Back in Revelation, Chapter 20. Again, we don't have many Scriptures, so let's read it again. So now, when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released. Whoo! That's bad. And he'll go out and deceive the nations. That's what this world has always experienced. But, we go to verse 12.

Then these dead, small and great, who came out of that, they're standing before God. Like you and me. And now it's about right and good. And they're forgetting those things of the past. They don't have the news of the day. They don't have the entertainment and the politics. They don't have the strife and the wars. They instead have these books. Books of life and words of life and spirit of life and teachers of life.

In verse 12, in the second half, it says, And the dead were judged according to their works. Just like you and me, just like in the millennium, the dead are judged while they're standing alive.

These formerly dead, as they're living their lives, are judged according to their works. Now the interesting thing about this time period is it's the end opportunity. It's the last. Because coming right behind it, the dead are being judged according to their works by the things that are written in the books. In verse 13, the sea now gives up the dead that are in it. Death and the grave delivered up the dead who are in it, and they were judged each one according to the works.

And then, verse 14, death and the grave were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And that's the end. You can read that in 1 Corinthians 15. Then comes the end, when everything burns up and it's gone. If we go over to 2 Peter 3 and verse 9, we read of this. 2 Peter 3 and verse 9.

It begins with, it is not God's will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but He is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord, there's several days of the Lord. Well, this day of the Lord is going to be the end of physical heavens and earth.

This one is in which the heavens will pass away. The word pass away means gone. It's something that never comes back. When you die, you don't want to pass away. You just want to die. Because everything in Scripture that passes away doesn't come back. It's a nice little term, and it's okay if people use that. But the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with a fervent heath.

Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? That would be a sermon we can give during that second resurrection individual.

This is coming next. What person ought you ought to be in holy conduct and godliness? Looking for and hastening the coming day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless, according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. Beloved, therefore, looking forward to these things, verse 14, be diligent, be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless. So there's your sermon. You can get that kind of going in your mind for the millennium, and then especially for the second resurrection, because, folks, this is what's coming next, you can tell them.

This is next up, the end, and you don't want to be there. How might you teach your portion of 90 billion people? There's a lot of good stuff in here to use, and we're learning it now. We'll be able to use it then. When you think of who you will be teaching, ever think about who you'll be teaching of the 90 billion that come up, who you'll be working with? Remember that relative you had that was never converted? You wish, maybe, wow, I'd love to teach that person.

Neighbor? We've got some lovely neighbors. We really like our neighbors, but nothing gets through of what we believe. We really would like to see some fine people that God made. Some friends? How about family members? Your own personal family member? Do you kind of grieve and would love to help them? Perhaps you had a child of your own that was born and maybe lived in a way that their mental chemistry didn't permit them in this particular lifetime.

To go through the conversion process and really have the new covenant yet. Maybe that's an individual that you're really looking forward to working with at that time. How about a child who died too young? A child that died way before that child should have died and never had the chance to grow up and mature and be converted and go through repentance and baptism.

Won't it be wonderful to teach that person? What about a child that never got to fully be born? What about a child that was in its mother, maybe you were its mother and you really had a passion for that child? And that child never droopled. But you love that child. You may have named that child. Probably carry that child in your heart. You know God loves that child more than you many times over? God created you to love that unborn child and every other child.

But your love for another is small compared to his. And if God created you to love a child of any age and even an unborn child that you miss, he's got to love it a lot more than you. What about that great loss? Is there something for your baby? Your little one? Your unborn child? When does God consider life to have begun? We can't answer that question dramatically or definitely, but the Bible gives us a few clues. Let's go to Exodus 21 and verse 22.

Didn't mean to get emotional. Exodus 21 verse 22. It says here, Somebody was injured, but everybody survived.

What that tells us is an unborn child is a life. And that life was growing in God's image. And it's wrong. It's murder to kill something that is life. Let's go to Psalm 139 and verse 19. Psalm 139 and verse 19. These little, forming children are precious to God. Let's notice here. Psalm 139 and verse 19.

Oh, verse 13. 139 verse 13. It says, You wove me in my mother's womb. You wove me in my mother's womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You know, God knows an unborn fetus, unborn baby. He forms. He's known us before we were born. Little is said in Scripture about the last great day, but perhaps this applies. Over in Isaiah chapter 65 and verse 20. Isaiah 65 and verse 20.

You know, sometimes, well, let me just say, first of all, Isaiah 65, if you look at all the context, it doesn't just speak to the last great day, the second resurrection, the white throne judgment, the hundred-year period, whatever you want to call it. But oftentimes, in prophecies that were fulfilled in the New Testament, you'll see, it was fulfilled just like it says back here. And it's just a verse or two that's plucked out.

Isaiah 65 and 20 says, No more shall an infant from there live but a few days.

And the second resurrection is this talking about infants who would be resurrected and not just live a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days. This is talking about old folks who had died of old age but never know God.

For the child shall die one hundred years old. Sometimes we call this the hundred-year period, because if this applied, well, there's a hundred years. Maybe we always say maybe this second resurrection, this great white throne judgment will last a lifetime for everybody, maybe a hundred years. Sometimes we called it a hundred-year period.

Who will rise?

Now, let's ask this question. At what age will the dead rise? They're all dead. They're all dust. They don't exist. So what age will they come back? The age in which they died? Will the person who died at ninety-nine years old come up? You know, I've got to live a hundred years. Methuselah, what? 966 years old. Oh, back.

What if somebody died young, but everybody else grew old? Would they recognize, would the young guy recognize the old ones that come up? Would anybody recognize anybody?

I don't know. I don't know, but I do know this. In Genesis chapter 1 and verse 27, So God created man in his own image. In the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. God's going to create them again, isn't he? Seems like he made Adam and Eve as young adults.

What age will God make human beings that are resurrected? Will an unborn fetus come back as an unborn fetus and start there? If so, in whom?

I mean, these are things we wait to see. Will a baby that's six months old come back a baby six months old? Whose kid will it be? Who's going to raise it? We don't know. We just know that in Revelation chapter 20 it says, All those who have not died will live again. And the individuals will all have these books and an understanding of them and be able to live. So to answer all those questions, God knows. I don't. We need to be there. We need to be there and find out. Whatever their ages, you and I are going to help teaching them. We're going to teach them to move forward in a new covenant. If we go to Psalm 16 and verse 7, the basic principles, you don't have to worry about what you're going to teach. It's all here. By then it'll be all here. As God beings, we'll know Godliness, we'll know God's law, His ways, His mind. I presume, maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it, that God beings don't require on airwaves to process thought transfer like we do. I'm making airwaves that are going through the air. They're hitting something in your ear that's tapping out little electronic things that are going into your brain, and your brain's processing, and you think, Oh, I think I know what He's saying. But you don't really know. I'm trying to put into words what's in my mind, but it's buzzing along a lot faster, and I'm stumbling over words along the way. I think God can just transfer thought. God and Jesus Christ are one. Just, you want to know history? Just be resurrected. You probably got it. We transfer things in little...well, let's talk about via the web, the internet. One terabyte per second, whatever, transfer rate. Ooh, that's really fast. How fast can your flash drive, you know, grab a file?

How fast can God transfer thought, history, stuff into our minds? I don't know. I'm looking forward to finding out. I bet it's fast. I bet it's real. I bet it's not just a bunch of, oh, let me tell you about history and try to describe it to you. Let me show it to you. Here's the video. At least of the good stuff. Psalm 16 and verse 7. And we'll go 7 through 11.

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. Think about how the people will feel then. They'll bless God. My heart instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He's at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore, my heart is glad. My glory rejoices. My flesh will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in the grave, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.

You will show the path of life to me, and your presence is fullness of joy at your right hand or pleasures forevermore. That's how Jesus Christ saw it. That's how David saw it. That's how you and I see it. That's how everybody will see it. Because Jesus Christ was the first one, the first pilgrim, to come and live this way of life and move forward into the Promised Land.

A blessed life, plus an eternity with God. That's what we're offering. You and I can't imagine what the people are going to be like who are resurrected. What state of mind they are in. Will they be in the last thing they knew?

Like, what's happening? Don't hit me again! I don't know. I don't know. But I know the lives have been pretty miserable. But with repentance in God's Holy Spirit, in the mind of God given to humans, new things are going to happen. I had an experience that happened last week. A new person, to me and to you, sent a letter in the mail. It's interesting. He says, Father God used you to enlighten me and unveil His Word and truth.

Think of yourself receiving this in the Second Resurrection. You've unveiled His truth to me. I grew up in poverty, abuse, foster care, group homes, juvenile detention, psychiatric hospitals, which led me to a life of gangs, drugs, violence, lust, and lies. I have almost died and gotten killed more times than I can count.

And I've made many horrible decisions in my life. Imagine working with someone like that as a starting point. But wait a minute. It gets better. He goes on, but now I am grateful for all the trials and tribulations I've endured. Everything that's occurred in my life, God has used to draw me to His Son and His Word. And I'm so undeserving of being called to His truth and His Son, but I am extremely grateful. Something has begun in me that I did not understand and is transforming me from the man I was into a new creation.

God removed my desire to smoke and use drugs, which I couldn't do on my own, and my desire to lessfully chase people I shouldn't have and my prideful nature. And He's transforming me to a man who was in his seeking more understanding of His truth, more obedience to His Word. He performed, and He puts in quotes, open heart surgery on me and gave me a new, softer heart. It's His testimony that I'm even here alive and breathing at this moment.

And currently, I am awaiting baptism to be a member of God's spiritual family in the United Church of God. You know, God wants to bless people. In Luke 11, verse 13, Jesus Christ says, you know, you all know blessings. You all like to bless others.

Bless your kids. He says in Luke 11, 13, if you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? And humans are like, oh, I kind of wanted the new car, better iPhone. But no, the Holy Spirit is what God wants to give.

That's the blessing, a different mindset, a mindset with a future, with happiness now, eternal happiness forever. He says in verse 28 of Luke 11, but He said, more than that, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. See? There it is. Hear the Word of God and keep it.

That's what we're teaching now. Not many are hearing. But then everybody will want to hear. Then the ears will be open. The eyes will see. People like our friend there will say, wow, this is great. This is a change. Here's a news flash. God intends for right living to be a blessing and very enjoyable.

Here's the challenge. Humans on their own don't know the right way to live, and that's the problem. So you've got the right way, and it works. But you have people who don't know, and they're not convicted to live that way. And that's where you come in. That's why God has called you now. That's why God is bringing you to the righteous works of the bride, making herself ready to come and help teach, help Jesus Christ teach and shepherd. Let's go to Psalm chapter 23 as we wrap this up. Psalm chapter 23.

Humans do not know how to live, how to direct their step. We are like sheep, and we must all come to this place of saying, the Lord. The word Lord means supreme authority, the great authority. The Lord is my shepherd. I don't know how to walk. I don't know where to go. I mean, I think I do, but I don't. With Him I shall not have want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures. If I follow Him, everything is blessed. He leads me beside the still waters, where I can drink. He leads me. He restores my life. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. This is about the kingdom of God, not about self-promotion. And yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because you are with me. Your rod defending me and your staff directing, correcting me, pulling me back in, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. You are set aside by God with that Holy Spirit.

My cup runs over with blessings. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. That's for us now. That's for those in the millennium. That's for those we will teach in the second resurrection. So, in conclusion, all those who died are waiting in their graves to live again, and they're currently waiting for you to be resurrected to help Jesus Christ, teach them and lead them like sheep. Living God's way is all good. It always has been, but people don't know how to live God's way. They need help. And there are unbelievable blessings waiting for all humans who will finally keep them. Let's conclude by looking at Ezekiel 37.

Ezekiel 37. I'll begin in verse 1. Again, here's a prophecy. The context doesn't exactly say exactly last great day, but what else do you have something like this?

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. Can you imagine a whole valley full of just bones? Not people, bones. He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were many in the open valley, and they were all very dry.

What size were the bones? I'm not sure it mattered. They're just bones. They didn't have anything else. He said to me, Son of Man, can these bones live? I said, you, O Lord, you know. That's what we have to trust here. We don't know all things, but God knows. And he said to me, Thus says the Lord to these bones, Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. And I will put sinews on you, and bring flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and then you shall know that I am the Lord. Oh, you know when people come back to life, it's like, whoa, wow, there is a God. That evolution thing, that was fake. You know? Wow, there is a God. And look, he's a creator, after all. Wow. So he goes on. And I looked, and the sinews and flesh came upon him, verse 8, the skin covered them over, but there was no breath. And he said, prophesy to the breath, say, say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, people who were killed, that they may live.

So I prophesied, as he commanded, and breath came into them, and they lived, and they stood upon their feet, an exceeding great number. Wow.

He says, verse 12, Therefore prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves. Verse 13, You shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves and brought you up from your graves. Verse 14, I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live. What a wonderful, wonderful future. Well, brethren, we've celebrated now an entire cycle of God's annual Holy Days. We've seen his plan of salvation, and we can rejoice that you and I are actually part of every one of them. The Passover for the bride, the unleavened bread for you and me to grow, the feast of the harvest of firstfruits, rising at trumpets to be with Christ, to be a witness of Satan and his demons, and ultimately to judge them to be removed and ultimately destroyed, and to work with that millennial period and all the people in it, and ultimately to teach and help bring in the great harvest of 90 billion or whatever the number might be of individuals that God is looking forward to bringing into his kingdom. What an unbelievable opportunity that we have. So let's be diligent to obey God. Let's go back with more diligent, more zeal to really put off anything to do with this age and really be part of a new age, an age of God and godliness in the kingdom of God.