The Eight Day and New Jerusalem

That was beautiful. Thank you very much. Happy feast! Happy feast! Towards the beginning of the days of the Feast of Tabernacles, Mr. Shaw had mentioned about going to an escape room. I'd never been to an escape room, and he made it sound so exciting.

And talked about how, out of what, over 700 people? Your group was number 10? I was impressed with that, but as he went on and on, I thought maybe he was showing a little too much pride.

So a group of us, eight of us, family members and friends got together. The youngest was 16. I was the oldest at 61. Eight of us went over there. None of us had ever been in one before.

We walked in and said, we're from the church. Did we get a discount? He said, oh yes. He said, your leader called. And my son-in-law said, Jesus?

Because we assured him that we got a bigger discount if he called.

So we went in and we figured it out. It was fun! It was fun. Now we did ask. He said, oh, he said, Brian Shaw and his group, they did great. We just couldn't believe how well they did. They went on and on and on. So we went in and we asked now, did they get any extra help? They said, oh no. Because there's extra clues they can get. We don't want any. So when we got out, I mean, I'd lost track of time. We walked out. The guy comes running down the hall. He says, you beat Brian! You beat Brian!

The title of my sermon today is, Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen.

It's just beginner's luck. But it doesn't matter. We're number seven. We knocked him out of number 10. He's not even in the 10 anymore. So it hasn't... You just wait for those kinds of things to happen. If you're the speaker at the end, you can't make it up. You just hope something like that happens.

Well, we have just finished the seven days of celebrating the millennial rule of Jesus Christ on this earth. And it's always strange when you get out of your normal routine. And one way, this seems like it just went by. I mean, it's gone. And the other way, it seems like we've been here for a month. It's funny how time feels differently when you get out of your routine. But today, we are here to commemorate and celebrate something different. As the sermonette speaker said, in what we're celebrating, the thousand years is done. It's finished. Now, during the Bible study, I talked about how all of the Holy Days picture God's plan of salvation and what Christ is doing in each of the Holy Days. We went through the Passover, how without His death for us, we have no hope. Because before the law of God, we're all guilty, and it requires our blood. And through His resurrection there, we went through the days of Unleavened Bread, and how we learned that sin is to be removed from us. And His life, we become His disciples to be lived in us, and then Pentecost. How we can't do that without God's Spirit, the very mind and power of God in us, so that that work can be completed. We talked about trumpets, the return of Jesus Christ. We talked about the Day of Atonement, and we've just celebrated all those times. And the Day of Atonement, when we see Christ as the High Priest, reconciling all of humanity to God the Father. Then we celebrated His Millennial Rule. And now we're to what the Old Testament simply calls the Eighth Day. We call it the Last Great Day, which is a good description of it. But what does that mean? What does it mean? You look at all the other Holy Days, and there's a lot of description you can find through the Scripture. There's actually a lot of description of this day, too. You just have to look for it a little bit.

What I want to do today is, in this short period of time, be able to give you an overview of the events of what this day pictures. Because this day pictures the very focal point. This is the completion of all the other Holy Days. All the other Holy Days lead to this point in time when something very incredible happens.

Let's go to 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15. I always really enjoy speaking on the last day, but I have to admit that it's like all the other Holy Days. It really would take three or four sermons to cover everything. Every Holy Day contains so much information in what it pictures, what God is teaching us through it. 1 Corinthians 15. Let's start in verse 22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. When Adam sinned, every one of his progeny was going to sin. And we've all just followed that path because we have been under the rule of Satan. That's a very important part of this day, too. The rule of Satan is actually part of this day. And God's plan for that. He says, but each one in his own order. So this being made alive, this resurrection starts with Christ the firstfruits. The first one was resurrected from the dead to eternal life. Because he returned to his eternal life. We will actually come up and receive eternal life. And that's why there's a second mention here. Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those are Christ at His coming. The first resurrection. And of course that was talked about on the Feast of Trumpets. Because when Christ returns, there's a resurrection of the dead, the resurrection of the saints. It is a spiritual resurrection. In fact, all of this chapter, 1 Corinthians 15, is about the spiritual resurrection. What it means to receive a spirit body. These are the saints. The Old Testament, the New Testament saints. The saints that have lived since the New Testament are resurrected to become the very children of God and live in His kingdom. He says, then comes the end. Now, he looks down and he's looking at these resurrections, and he says, then comes the end. But what he says next is very, very important. 1 Corinthians 15 is a prophecy. You don't think of Paul as a prophet, but this 1 Corinthians 15 is all about prophecy. The return of Jesus Christ. It's all about the resurrection of the dead. And this next statement is very important. Then comes the end, when he, speaking of Christ, delivers the kingdom to God the Father. And he puts an end. Christ is going to have to do something here. He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign. Christ must reign until something happens. He must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. Christ must reign until certain things are accomplished, and they're accomplished in this day. He reigns until all the enemies of God are destroyed. And he says, the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he has put all things under him that is accepted. In other words, God says, okay, Christ, all things are under your feet. That doesn't mean the Father is under him. But he says all things are under your feet, under your control. And he has to do some things. And when he completes these things, the plan of salvation begins with Christ's sacrifice, and it ends with today. And this is what happens when he completes his work. When he has put all things under his feet, he says, but when he says all things put under him, it is evident that he who put all things under him is accepted. Now, when all things are made subject to him, then subject to the Son, because then the Son himself will also be subject to him and put all things under him that God may be all in all. He delivers the kingdom to God. Look what that says. It says he delivers the kingdom to God.

But a couple things have to happen before he does that, and this is important. He must conquer everything. Then he gives the kingdom to God. He has completed his work when he has done those things. We're going to see how it is in this day that he conquers all those things.

He puts an end to all authority, all power, and all rule. But the last enemy destroyed is death. He doesn't give the kingdom to the Father until death no longer exists.

And until then he shall reign. Now, let's review a few things that have led up to this point. Revelation 19. This is what we have commemorated in the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement. The Feast of Tabernacles. Revelation 19.

Verse 11.

John sees this vision of the future and he says, Now I saw heaven open to behold a white horse. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns.

And he had a name written that no one knew except himself. And he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, the blood that covers our sins. And his name is called the Word of God. Already a couple of times during the Feast of Tabernacles here, it was mentioned that, of course, Jesus Christ is the Word. And 1 John was mentioned. This is Christ's coming. His robe is dipped in his blood, his own blood. And he's coming to make war. One of the great ironies when the king of peace comes.

He has to fight a war to make peace. His humanity doesn't want him. And he comes, and it says, And the armies in heaven clothed and fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses.

Now out of his mouth was a sharp sword, with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fiercest and wrath of Almighty God. And he has on his robe and on his thighs a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus Christ returns to reign. Now remember we read what Paul says in verse 15, He will reign until certain things are accomplished.

And establishing, or as I talked about, re-establishing God's kingdom on this earth, because God's kingdom never stopped existing. Re-establishing God's kingdom on this earth is just one step. The plan isn't completed. The millennium isn't all there is to this. Interesting, we were getting on the elevator today, and he said, wow, you think at the end of the millennium, we'll say, wow, this was so great, let's do it again. Because that's how we all feel about the feast. And I said, you know, really, if that's all there was, yes. But it's not all there is. The millennium is just one more step than the plan. The culmination of it is what this day is.

Revelation 20, verse 1, we're just setting up all the things that are happening. Revelation 20, verse 1 through verse 3 talks about Satan being removed. But he's not removed forever. All things must be conquered. You know, the removal of Satan at the beginning of the millennium isn't the conquering of Satan.

Why I say that? Verse 3, And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up, and put a seal on him that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were finished. Satan's impact isn't gone yet. It's not here during the millennium. But the total conquering of Satan is not finished yet. That's why Christ does not give the kingdom to the Father at the beginning of the millennium. He hasn't completed His work. And so He establishes that kingdom on this earth. Then, look at verse 4, it says, Now, we know this resurrection takes place, and I'm not going to go through all those scriptures because we talk about those on the Feast of Trumpets.

But this is a different kind of resurrection. These people, as we read in 1 Corinthians, are those at Christ's return who are raised spiritual, given spirit bodies, as 1 Corinthians talks about. Totally different than the existence we have now. And so this resurrection of these people is for a purpose. When we are resurrected, when Christ returns, it is for a purpose. And here's the purpose.

And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. It is to serve Christ as He reigns for a thousand years. And we have this remarkable statement, But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. He says, this is the first resurrection, those who come up at Christ's return. Blessed and only is He who is part of the first resurrection. Next statement, very important again. Over such the second death has no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

It's interesting that in that short little passage, that's mentioned twice, to reign with Christ. And Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. And then He gives the kingdom to the Father. The culmination of everything God is doing is for Christ to present the kingdom to Him.

That's the whole focal point of all the Holy Days. This day isn't just sort of a Holy Day that got attached to the end of the Peace of Tabernacles. This is the focal point of all the Holy Days. Now, the resurrection that takes place when the rest of the dead live not, or I mean the rest until the thousand years are finished, is a different kind of resurrection.

There's actually many scriptures to talk about this. We're just going to look at a couple. There are scriptures to talk about this throughout the entire Old and New Testament, about a different resurrection because this resurrection is physical. These people aren't brought up and given spirit bodies. In fact, the first place that really talks about this is back in Deuteronomy. Let's go to Deuteronomy. I find this one really fascinating because Israel was about to go into the Promised Land. They hadn't gone in yet. They hadn't gone into the Promised Land yet. They hadn't received their blessing.

They hadn't received the land. But they were told, you know, the chapters before this are about the blessings and the cursings. And God said, you obey me and these good things will happen, and you disobey me, and these bad things will happen. And then He gives this incredible, incredible prophecy. Deuteronomy 30, now shall come to pass when all these things come upon you.

This is verse 1, Deuteronomy 30, shall come to pass when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you. And you call them to mind among the nations where the Lord your God drives you. Now, they haven't even gone in yet. And God says, now there's going to come a time I will drive you out of this land. Now that had to be a bit of a shock to a group of people who hadn't even got into the land yet. And it didn't happen in their lifetime.

It didn't happen for many, many, many generations. Millions and millions of Israelites were born in the land through the time of the Judges and the kings.

And when Israel and Judah were separated, then Israel is destroyed and it's only Judah.

And then Judah is destroyed.

And because Jews are brought back. All that time, all these Israelites are born and they die and they're born and they die. And yet eventually this prophecy took place. And He says, I will drive you and you will return to the Lord your God and obey His voice according to all that I commanded you today, you and your children, and with all your heart and with all your soul, that the Lord your God will bring you back from captivity and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where the Lord your God has scattered you.

Now notice He's not just saying, your future generations, the people He's talking to right there also.

I will bring you back. Well they died and their children died and their grandchildren died and their great-grandchildren, I mean generation after generation after generation of Israelites died. They weren't brought back. And the ones who went into captivity, most of them lost their identity. They weren't brought back. He says, and if any of you, verse 4, are driven to the farthest parts under heaven from where the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will bring you, then the Lord your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed and you shall possess it. And He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the Lord will, this is real important, and the Lord will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live.

He says, I'm going to bring you all back. All generations will be brought back. That means they have to be brought back alive. They have to be resurrected. You can't be brought back to some place if you died 5,000 or 3,000 years before, unless you're resurrected from the dead. And of course, we attach this to that passage that's read so many times on this day in Ezekiel 37. Where Ezekiel was told, look at this valley of all these just bones. So many bones of so many people that have died, you can't even count them.

And God says to Ezekiel, can these live again? And Ezekiel, being very smart, I always tell people, God asked you a question, always answers it this way. You know. It takes a while to figure this one out, but I think I finally figured out God isn't really ever asking me for my opinion. So it's best just to say, you know. And he asked him, can they live? Ezekiel says, I don't know. He says, who are these people? He says, these are all the children of Israel that ever lived. And you know the passage. They come together, the bones come together, flesh comes upon them, God breathes into them, and they live. But they are physical. It's not at all what is described at the first resurrection. And then he says, he will bring them out of the grave and give them his spirit. That's what this means here in Deuteronomy. I will circumcise your heart. The prophecies given to ancient Israel is that they will die without truly receiving forgiveness from God. But they would be resurrected and given an opportunity to receive God's Spirit. You cannot have eternal life without God's Spirit in you. You cannot. It's not possible. We can't produce eternal life. Resurrect yourself. We can't do this. God's Spirit is in us. It changes us. It molds us into what we're supposed to be as we follow Christ's example and we relate to our Father, and then we are changed. But these people have to go through that process. But it's not just Israel. There are numerous prophecies about this and statements about this. I'm just going to go to Matthew 11.

Remember, the whole focal point, at the end, Jesus delivers the kingdom to the Father. Matthew 11.20 Matthew 11. And let's start in verse 20. Jesus Christ here begins to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works have been done because they did not repent. He went to these different places, different cities, and most of the cities in which He was done.

He went to these different places, different cities, and most of the Jewish people that lived there did not repent in these places. And He says, Woe to you, Tereiza, woe to you, Bessidia. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, two Gentile peoples, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.

Now, that can't be the first resurrection. First resurrection is just people being changed. The second resurrection is this physical resurrection. And He tells them, You know what? It's going to be easier for the people, these Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon, which they looked down upon, and God punished. He said, It'll be easier for them than you. Now, that's... What's that mean? He says, What a shocking statement that must have been to a group of people who kept the Sabbath, kept the Holy Days, kept the Ten Commandments, didn't worship Bibles.

And He said, It's going to be easier in Sodom in this type of judgment the people they looked down on as the most horrendous, and we still look at the people of Sodom and say, What are the most abominable people, right? And Christ says, It'll be easier for them in this resurrection, in this day of judgment. I mean, for them to... For this whole thing to take place, for this to even make sense, there has to be a resurrection.

These people have to come back to life. And that's not the first resurrection. So now let's go back to Revelation 20. Let's start to put together what happens, or what this day pictures. Revelation 20. So there's obviously a second resurrection. It says so in Revelation 20. And the only other information we have about a second resurrection is its physical. And there's other scriptures other than the ones I've just touched upon here to show that this is a physical resurrection. And these people have access. They have access to the Spirit of God.

I remember seeing a tract one time. You know, on these little Baptists or Pentecostal tracts, I don't remember. I picked it up and it was about the great white throne judgment. And it showed, it was sort of strange.

God looked very, it looked like, have you ever been to the Lincoln Memorial? That's what it looked like. He was sitting on what looked like a giant stone throne. And he was really gruff. He was looking down and he had two levers. And people were lined up. And you could tell when you pushed one lever, people were screaming and you're going down into hell. And when you pushed the other level, they were going, floating up into heaven.

And that's what people see as the great white throne judgment. What we see when we put the Scriptures together is a resurrection of people who are going to receive a chance at salvation. But you know, this day is more than just, if you want to say, it's more than just the great white throne judgment.

Look what it says here in verse 7. Now, when the thousand years have expired. So the millennium is over. So here we are. We've commemorated the time of the millennium. We're now commemorating a time after the millennium. Now, when the millennium is, or thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison. And he will go out and deceive the nations, which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire in brimstone. Remember I said when we read what Paul wrote, before he delivers the kingdom to the Father, he must put all authority and rule under him. He must reign, it says, until that's done. And he must also destroy death, the last enemy, the last enemy to be conquered.

Remember when Christ first comes, Satan isn't totally removed from influencing creation. Satan is just bound, it says, until the thousand years are finished. And when they're finished, he releases them again. And these are people who have lived, they're alive at the end of the millennium.

And he goes out and he deceives people who have lived under the rule of Jesus Christ. That's just amazing to me. They've lived under the rule of Jesus Christ. Satan is released, and there's this group of people that follow him. But they are destroyed. And Satan is removed now forever. This day has to do with Jesus Christ finishing up the dirty work.

Satan is now going to be removed forever. All power, all authority must be brought into his control. And Satan's gone. This is part of the process of what this day is all about. And the last human attempt at human government is destroyed. He's completing what Paul says is the end. He's completing it. Then we get to verse 11. Verse 11. Then I saw the great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven flood away.

And there was found no place for them. We meet in other places where all judgment is given by God to Christ, and He carries out the Father's judgment. But He is Christ who will do this judging. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. This is everyone that wasn't in that first resurrection. They're now resurrected. And the books were opened.

And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The books here is a reference to Scripture. Have you ever thought about... And this is one of the great issues that plagued Christianity. I saw a sermon a while back from a major evangelist who's been evangelist for many, many years. Who was always taught that the only way for salvation is through Jesus Christ. And he got up and said, you know, I've just come to the conclusion there's lots of people out there that have Jesus in their heart, they just don't know it.

And the reason he was struggling with it is because... He was looking at people and saying, how can God throw all these people into hell? It's been one of the things that have plagued Christianity all this time. All Augustine came up with his explanation, which was carried on by Luther and others into the Protestant Reformation. And that basically is, God's so wonderful, God's so good, that he looks out through history, looks at all this mass of evil people and says, let's see, I'm going to call you, you, you, you, and you and save you and everybody else is going to hell.

And the ones I call have no choice in it. In fact, I'm deliberately going to pick bad people sometimes to give salvation to. And I'm deliberately going to let good people go to hell. That's the teaching of Catholicism and Protestantism until the last couple hundred years. And people started saying, wait a minute, what kind of God does that? He condemns everybody to hell and then just to show how good he is picks a few and says, oh, I'm going to save you. And nobody has any choice in the matter.

We read through this, they do have a choice. They do have a choice. They are resurrected and given a choice. We'll talk more about that in just a minute. Let's continue here. It says, then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

They all suffered their first death. They are resurrected and they face a second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. What is the last enemy destroyed? Anybody? Death. This is the last enemy. This enemy has to be destroyed so that Christ can give the kingdom to the Father. So that all the meaning of every holy day can be complete.

Now, when we look at these people and we look at them being resurrected, and then others people will argue, well, all these evil people, they don't deserve a chance. I mean, how can God give a chance to all those Israelites who worship Baal? Or how can God give a chance to a Nazi? How can God give an opportunity to all these evil people? Why doesn't He just send them all to hell? And I've heard people say, I've heard people very upset with our interpretation of these scriptures, with the Great White Throne Judgment, which, as I said at the Bible study, is quite unique.

You can find others understand. There are many Protestants who actually understand the meaning of the other holy days. They don't keep them, but they understand the meaning. Nobody understands this, or very few. That God literally loves the world so much, like John 3.16 says, that everybody has an opportunity. And the reason for that, we're going to come back to this in a minute. Let's just go to 2 Corinthians 4. You know this. I don't have anything new to give you today.

Just Bible scriptures. 3 Corinthians 4. Verse 3. But even if our gospel is veiled, Paul says, it is veiled to those who are dying or perishing, whose minds the God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel, the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. All their lives. You know, the little girl who lived in outer Mongolia in the 13th century and was killed when some Chinese soldiers came in and wiped out the village. What about her? Does God care for her? Does God care for some person who never heard about him 4,000 years ago, who lived in the Hittite empire, never heard of Abraham, and died from starvation?

Does God care about them? And you know what has been the answer for almost 2,000 years for mainstream Christianity? No! He does not. He does not care for them. But he does. And they come up here because they were blinded. They don't get a second chance. They get one chance. They never had a chance.

They were slaves to Satan and didn't even know it. They never had a chance. You and I are in a different boat. This is our chance. We don't get a second chance. Nobody gets a second chance. Everybody gets one. This is our chance because of what God has given to us. The power of His Spirit, of His mind, His love, the work of Jesus Christ. This is our chance. But they never had this. They have this chance.

So yes, the evil people of Sodom will come up in this time. Look at, and of course, Jesus just happened to be talking to some very self-righteous Jews. You could put any self-righteous people in there. And it says it'll be easier for them to repent. It'll be easier for them to receive the Holy Spirit than some people say, No, no, no, no, no, God, it doesn't work out this way.

They're supposed to go to hell, and I'm supposed to be one of your favorites. Where's Jonathan Edwards, the famous American evangelist taught, We'll all sit in hell. Look at all the people suffering in heaven. I'm sorry. All the Christians will be in heaven, looking at all the people suffering in hell, and laugh with glee. Laugh with glee? And God will laugh with us? That's not the loving God of the Bible. Turn to Romans 5.

I started to read this at the Bible study. This is known... I'll read it today. Romans 5. Verse 12. Paul sort of uses some of the same argument he does here, what we read in 1 Corinthians. Therefore, just as through one man, sintered into the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. Adam sinned, and then we just all just followed along. Why did we follow along? Because Adam and Eve came under the rule of the God of this world, who God said, you can have a little piece of my kingdom for a while.

And then I'm going to take it back. We all lived under it. We still live under it, don't we? God's pulling us out of this kingdom to be in His kingdom. He says, so everybody got kicked out into Satan's kingdom until we get tired of it enough, until we get sick of it enough, and then God's going to fix it.

He goes on, he says, for until the law, sin was in the world. Now, you have to understand Paul's arguments. You could cherry pick Paul to say whatever you want. In the same chapter, he says that I would not known sin except by the law. The law is a definition of sin.

If you ever look at Paul and he seems really against the law, if you study most passages, sometimes he's against forcing people to become Jewish or forcing people entirely under the Old Covenant. We don't do sacrifices and things. And sometimes in the church, they were trying to force Gentiles to do things that we don't do under the New Covenant. But he's not against the moral law of God. But he always says the law is a definition.

It can't save you. Because here's the problem with the law. Once you understand it, you discover you're a sinner and the law can't save you. So it defines sin for us. It defines good behavior and bad behavior, which is great.

We need the law. People who think the law is done away with become lawless. And Jesus says when He comes back, He'll say, I'm sorry, I don't know you because you're lawless. But if we think the law can save us, if I just stack up enough good things, God says, wow, you're so good I've got to keep you. He doesn't work that way. And Paul's against that. But here he says, before the law was given, he's talking here about the codified law on Mount Sinai.

It was before people knew all these laws as the way it was given on Mount Sinai. He says before, until the law, sin was in the world. Now when he says sin is the breaking of the law, so you put his arguments together and you realize what he's saying is, look, before anybody knew there was law, they still were breaking it.

They didn't know there was a law, but they were breaking it. Isn't that the way much of the world today? They don't know the law of God. They don't know they're breaking it. He says, for until the law, sin was in the world, but sin was not imputed where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who was a type of him who was to come.

He says, even those who didn't commit the exact same sin Adam did, all sinned, but they didn't know it. They didn't have the law. They didn't even know they were sinning. And for that reason, it was not imputed to them. That's an enormous statement. In Greek, it literally means, put on their account.

There's two kinds of judgments we get. One is the temporary judgment for every sin we commit, and you and I suffer for every sin we've ever committed, don't we? There's emotional stress, there's physical stress, there's a spiritual breaking of our relationship with God that has to be restored, there's damaged relationships. Every sin costs us. And sometimes, there's even punishment that God gives us for our sins. Over and above the physical things that happen, I mean, just the natural law.

You commit adultery, there's a natural law involved. And there's damage to you and your wife or your husband and all kinds of people. There's a damage on society. And so, there's other penalties that come on upon us. But eternal judgment is when God, we stand before God. Christ, actually, He cares about God's judgment. We stand before Him and He says, Here are your sins, and they are not forgiven.

They're still on your account. You know what? Your sins aren't on your account anymore. It's the blood of Jesus Christ. We just read about it, the great white throne judgment, that there will be those who stand before Christ. And He says, Here is what on your account. And what He says here is, all these people who have died under the rule of Satan, it's not on their account. In other words, they have a chance to have that erased. They still face the chance to have it erased in the great white throne judgment because they will have access to God's Spirit, and Christ will be ruling on the earth.

That's the law of God. Perfect judgment. No, we don't get away with anything. Either we die or Christ died for us. There's only two choices. You either go in the light of fire because you pay the penalty of your sin, or you've accepted that penalty and you've let God live in you. There's only two choices here. But it's not put to their account. I just find that fascinating. That's just a remarkable statement to me.

Yeah, okay, the sins are recorded, but the account book isn't closed because he didn't know. But the account can be washed free, just like yours has. Just like mine has. Our account was cleaned. We appeared before God after baptism and having hands laid on us and received God's Spirit. On our account in heaven, you know what the book said? There's nothing on your account.

There was, and it's gone. So they haven't received eternal judgment yet. That's why they have this opportunity. Because it is their only opportunity. They never had one yet. So these masses of people, billions of people, are resurrected. You wonder what we're going to do for a thousand years? You wonder what human beings are going to do for a thousand years? How long does it take to prepare the world for billions of people?

You know what I worry about? I worry about weird things. Okay, did they come up clothed or naked? Because if they're naked, we better have a lot of clothing ready. How about food, housing, a whole society for billions of people to be resurrected into? But that's another subject. At the end of that great white judgment we just read, all those who have accepted God, have turned to God, repented, received His Spirit, they're changed. And those who have not are thrown in the lake of fire and suffer the second death.

They're not tortured forever. God is not going to sit up and gleefully look at people being tortured forever. His children. He simply lets them die. Why? I tell you what, I've actually prayed this. If God, you can't finish the work you started in me, put me in the lake of fire and let it be quick. I do not want to spend eternity as insane. Because that's what it is. To be like Satan is to be insane.

To spend eternity insane, in an insane asylum with Satan, who wants that? I look on the lake of fire as a remarkable, that is remarkable love, but it's also judgment. There's a God who's going to put up with evil. He is not going to put up with it. Not in His kingdom. So there'll be no evil. But He's not going to let people live forever in sanity, either.

It's remarkable what happens here. Now, you think about Satan's gone. The last human government is gone with Gog and Magog. All those who are incorrigible are gone. All power, all rule, all authority is gone. The only ones left is the great mass of people who were converted, and they are now spirit members of God's family. Only now, at this point, at the end of the great white throne judgment, death is finally destroyed. It's gone. There's nobody left to die. You've either been changed and you're in the kingdom of God, or you're gone. And what did Paul say Jesus' last act to do is in the salvation plan?

He's got a lot to do in eternity. But in the salvation plan? Remember what we read? To deliver the kingdom to the Father. Revelation 21. Revelation 21. The last part of chapter 20, of course there were no chapters... John didn't write this in chapters. That was put in later, okay? But the last part of chapter 20 is, Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Death is finally destroyed. There's no more rule or authority. There's nothing but Christ. And the entire family. The entire family! Verse 1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And there was no more sea. When it says passed away here, it means the heavens and the earth are going to go through a massive change like nothing else in history.

Then I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. God isn't taking us to heaven. God is coming to earth because the whole kingdom is done. What Christ has been working on since the moment Adam and Eve got kicked out. Well, no, it's before that because from the foundation of the earth he was slain.

The whole plan that has been given to him from the Father, he's been working on since creation is done. And he delivers the kingdom to the Father. He said, And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men. And he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people. And God himself will be with them and be their God.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death. Christ must reign until the last enemy is destroyed. And he isn't here anymore. Nobody can die. Everybody has been changed into the children of God. And finally, there's no more death. He's completed what he was told to do. He said, Nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. It's all gone. All the corruption on earth is gone.

All the influence of Satan is gone. Everything's gone. What you and I look at the millennium, with all the physical things that are going to be happening on this earth, as Christ heals the environment, and He sets up His capital, Jerusalem, and the spirit beings go out and work with physical people and bring them into the kingdom of God. And we read those scriptures. How the plowman won't be able to...

The plowman and the person that's harvesting will run over each other. All that stuff, all those physical things, the changing of the nature of animals. That's all part of what we just celebrated. That is so exciting to us. But that's actually not God's focal point. That's still... That's child's play to God. It's this. He says, you can't even imagine what I have been a creed for you at this time.

At this time, when the Father lives with us, and the Son lives with us, and we are a family in that kingdom. He says in verse 5, That he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he says to John, Write, for these words are true and faithful.

And he says to him, to John, It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. And I will give the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirst. And he who overcomes will inherit all things, all things. I've asked this over the years, over and over again, would someone explain to me what is left out of all? Everything that is God's is given to his family. Everything that is God's, you inherit everything. And we're not talking about, Oh good, I can get some good bottom land in Tennessee. Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

I'm sorry, I couldn't let it go. I promised myself I wouldn't have just slept out.

That's okay. I was corrected probably for at least two months after I moved. I mispronounced it for two months.

It is not interesting you have a little bottom land in Tennessee. He's not interested in you, Oh, wouldn't it be nice to have a nice house in the Rocky Mountains? Nope. He says, Why do you see what I'm going to create next?

Why do you see what I'm going to do next? After all the holy days are done.

After what? All these pictures completed.

And then he says, And I will be his God, and he shall be my Son. This is why God has done everything He has done throughout the holy days. This is why Christ fulfills all these things as Passover Lamb, as Master who is over the disciples, as High Priest, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This is why He does all those things, is because God wants children.

That's the purpose. That's all of it. He just wanted children. He didn't want pets. The hard part about children is anyone who has been a parent knows this. You have to give them choices. Or you've got pets. God didn't want pets. He can make all the pets He wanted. So He gave us the choices. And this is why the world is not yet eternally judged because they really haven't had a choice. Not in the fairness of God they haven't. Not in the fairness of God they haven't.

And then He finishes this little statement here with verse 8. But the cowardly. That's interesting. We're all afraid. I mean, fear is part of the human condition. What He's talking about here are those who knew to follow God and didn't. Those whom God worked with and refused Him. The cowardly because they were afraid they'd lose out on something. Or they were afraid that someone wouldn't like them. Or they were afraid of persecution. So they would not follow God. The cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murders, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolatries, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone which is the second death. He says, in this kingdom, which the New Jerusalem is the capital, this kingdom, it comes to earth. Within the kingdom, now that covers the entire earth, He said these people do not exist anymore because they've been destroyed by the second death. And there is no more death. This day means so much. This day means so much. Let's go back to 1 Corinthians 15, and I want to finish just by reviewing these verses again. These verses help us understand this day. This day starts with Satan's last attempt and a human government's last attempt to overthrow God and His region, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords who will be raiding on the earth, and He destroys them. This day moves forward into the resurrection of all those people who will be resurrected to meet and understand God's way for the first time and make a choice. At the end of that period, those who refuse the incorrigibly wicked are destroyed by a second death. And then this great event happens. Let's go to verse 24.

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, and He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, for He must reign. Christ will continue to reign to this point, till He has put all enemies under His feet, and the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 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. In other words, the Father is not under Christ. Now, when all things are made subject to Him, when He has finished His work, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him, who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. God's Spirit will be in every being, every human being that is resurrected. You know, when we die, I mean, when we're resurrected, it's not like we lose God's Spirit. The conversion process is because God's Spirit is in us. When we are resurrected, when we are changed, when in the great white throne judgment, when those who knows how many untold billions repent and are changed, they will have God's Spirit in them forever. We will be united to God and to Christ forever, because He will be all in all. So, this time that we're picturing today ends with New Jerusalem coming down and Christ giving, delivering the Kingdom to His Father. There is hope for this world, and it's more than us. We look so much towards the millennium because that's when we get changed. But understand, it is this day. The culmination of the Salvation Plan. It is this day that is the focal point of God.

It is this day that you and I have been called to be there, to be with Christ, as He presents the Kingdom to the Father.