The Eighth Day

Hallelujah! Happy feast, everyone! How has the music been this year? Wow! Wow! It has been so inspirational. God has certainly inspired the music and our messages this year. And here we are at a unique feast day. A separate feast from the Feast of Tabernacles. So as we consider this very day, how is your memory?

Are you one that maybe, like me, has a few senior moments? That's a good way to describe it, isn't it? Maybe you just forget things sometimes. I know I was reminded of the story of the two elderly men who were playing cards. And they'd done this for the past 50 years. And at the end of their game, one buddy said to his friend, Gus, you did great tonight. You didn't need any help remembering at all. Why is that? Well, Gus said, well, it's because of the memory clinic that I went to last month. And they taught us all the latest techniques of visualization and association. And it was really helpful. His friend said, wow, that is absolutely amazing. What's the name of that clinic? Gus thought about it for a moment. He said, oh, what's the name of that flower? You know, the one that's in a lot of bouquets, the one that's really pretty, and it's usually red, and it has thorns. And his friend said, oh, yeah, a rose, right? Well, right then, Gus turned to his wife and said, hey, rose, what was the name of that memory clinic that you sent me to last month?

Yeah, sometimes we need a little help remembering. How is your memory? I thought about this the other day. We were driving to my son and my daughter-in-law's home near Williamsburg, Ohio. And just before you get to their house, there's a very small cemetery just around the corner from where they live. It's the Clover Cemetery, a little small cemetery. And out in front of the cemetery, there's a small sign. And if you don't look, you'd miss it. And this little sign says, Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, buried here.

And so I did a little bit of research, and I found that John Waggeman, who was a corporal in the Union Army, Company I of the 60th Ohio Infantry, was awarded the Medal of Honor for action at Petersburg, Virginia. Now, this was near the close of the war, and he received that on June 17, 1864. And in the inscription, it says that he remained with command after being severely wounded until he had fired all his cartridges when he had to ultimately be carried from the field.

Now, that was all the information I could find out about John Waggeman. Now, in this same cemetery, there's a number of very old markers there as well. One of them is for Sarah T. B. Winter. On her gravestone, it just simply says, Wife of G. E. Winter, died August 30, 1848. And Sarah T. B. Winter, it says on her tombstone, was 23 years, 8 months, and 15 days old. That's all it says. A nearby marker says, William H. Earhart. The only thing on that marker is it says he died August 2, 1852, at 26 years old. Is there anybody alive today that remembers Sarah T. B. Winter? Or what about William Earhart? That's almost 170 years ago. Think about your life. I know some of us are into genealogies. Anybody into genealogies? You know your ancestors. You might know their names, but what about their personalities? What about their likes, their dislikes? How about their interests or their occupations? Do you know anything about them? Maybe the trials that they went through or the joys that they experienced in their life. In fact, how many people who died so long ago have no one to remember them? No one remembers them. All of their relatives have died. All of their friends are gone. All who knew them have also died. Now, of course, multiply that with the millions and millions of people, billions of people, human beings who have ever lived. Now, of course, we can read about a handful of those. We can look in the history books, and there's some written about these people's lives that lived hundreds of years ago or maybe even a thousand years ago. But do we really know those people? Do we know their smiles? Do we know their heart? Do we know their hopes and their dreams and their ideas? I mean, consider all the lives and the deaths of people down through the thousands of years, and they're people not so different from us. They lived their life. They laughed and they cried, and they ate, and they slept, and they worked, and they played. And yet, these long generations ago who lived and died and are buried in the countless graves around the world, what about them?

We may know they existed, but the vast majority of these people are long gone and long forgotten. But are they? Are they really?

Well, there is someone who does remember and has not forgotten them. Someone who, in fact, knows everything about them, about all of their likes and dislikes, everything about them. And that great someone, of course, is our Creator God. He made them, informed them, and knows everything about every aspect of their life. In fact, there's a passage over in Isaiah 49. If you'll join me in Isaiah 49, verse 14, here we have a description of a situation like I've been describing. Those who have long gone before us, who have been forgotten by seemingly everyone. And in this case, it's Zion. It's God's people. And God's people are looking at their life, recognizing their shortcomings, and they make a unique perspective here in Isaiah 49, verse 14.

Look at what their view is. It says, but Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me. That's how they felt. Of course, they had turned their back on God, and they felt like God left them for dead, long forgotten.

But how does God respond to that? Well, in verse 15, God says, can a woman forget her nursing child and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I, God says, will not forget you. Now, it's interesting, this is specifically addressed to the people of Israel, but we know by comparing other passages in the Bible, this also applies to every single individual who ever lived and died.

And think about that for a moment. I know many of us here are mothers. Okay, I'll put my hand down. I'm not a mother. But moms, could you ever forget your children? I mean, how would that be possible? That's not going to happen, is it? Not very likely. But God says, okay, even if a mother forgot their child, God says, I would never do that.

A mother's love is so great for their children, that just seems impossible. And yet here, God is expressing His heart, and He's saying His love even surpasses the love of a mother. And that's why this day, this eighth day, this amazing last great day, has such tremendous symbolism.

God never forgets. Never can. And so as we think about the wonderful symbolism of this eighth day, let's consider that. Let's consider what this day represents. Let's think about why we believe the things that we believe about this day. Can you explain it? Do you know how to prove what we believe about this day? Examining the deep meaning of what the eighth day is all about.

And in fact, taking it a step farther, not just knowing these things, but what about my personal responsibility when it comes to this very day? Because that's part of the meaning of what God has in mind with the symbolism of this very day. Well, as we think about that, what is it that God's holy days represent? If you had to verbalize that in a nutshell, what do God's holy days symbolize? Well, you'd probably say they represent God's plan for humanity, what God has in mind for all mankind, God's purpose, God's plan, His plan for salvation.

We'd say it's what the gospel is all about. That's the good news that God has a plan, not just for us, but for all mankind. His holy days reflect that meaning and that symbolism, don't they? Now, of course, as we come to this time of the year, we've lived through some great symbolic events. Now, if we make our way over to Revelation chapter 20, we can think about these days that we've kept at this end of the year time that reflect on not just the end of the year, but also reflect to end time events, really the culmination of God's plan itself.

And so here in Revelation chapter 20, it talks about the return of Jesus Christ. Now, what holy day represents that future event? Well, it's the one we just kept a few days ago. The Feast of Trumpets symbolizes the return of Christ. But we also know that's not all it represents. That Feast of Trumpets also symbolizes the resurrection of the saints. It's the first resurrection. It's where true Christians, the firstfruits, those who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ, will be changed in the twinkling of an eye at the return of Jesus Christ.

The Feast of Trumpets symbolizes that. And what about that resurrection? What kind of resurrection is it? Well, if we look here to verse 6 in Revelation chapter 20, it reminds us, 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 of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

This is pointing to what 1 Thessalonians 4 talks about. This is not a resurrection to physical life, but this resurrection of the saints, the faithful, the first resurrection is a resurrection to spirit life, being born into the family of God, being divine members of the household of God. That's what this first resurrection is all about. And we will live and reign and rule and serve with Jesus Christ. And how long will that be? Well, ultimately eternity, but initially a thousand years. That's symbolized in what holy day?

Well, the Feast of Tabernacles. We've just come through the Feast of Tabernacles, representing the millennium, that thousand years, symbolized in the days of the Feast of Tabernacles. And so, I don't know about you, but I don't want to experience the millennium physically.

I hope and pray I can be a spirit being during that time and be resurrected to spirit life when Christ returns. And of course then, that's not the end of the story. What happens next? Well, here we are on the eighth day, and we find that God remembers. If you look at verse 5 of Revelation chapter 20, it says, The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. You see, God hasn't forgotten all those who lived before and had died. In fact, we skip down to verse 11, and we see a description of what this day represents. Verse 11, chapter 20 of Revelation. Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which was the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. Now, this word for books is very interesting. It's the Greek word bibliion. That's the Greek word we get Bible from. These dead who are resurrected are judged by the things written in the books of the Bible. And there's this other book, the book of life. And when they choose rightly, their names are written in that book. And in fact, it describes these dead. Verse 13, the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. And so this isn't describing the first resurrection, the resurrection to spirit. This resurrection is different. This is what we could call a second resurrection, sometimes referred to as a general resurrection. It's a physical resurrection. Sometimes we call it the great white throne judgment. And we get that from verse 11, the great white throne judgment. And so we find that God never forgets, never forgets the dead. How different from the way we often find situations we're in when we forget. I was reminded of the story of a ministerial trainee. He was visiting a different church area than his own, and he was sitting listening to the sermon. He noticed that the congregation began to drift off. You know, does that ever happen? The sermon's going on. You begin to kind of lose focus a little bit. Well, right at that moment, the minister who was giving the sermon just suddenly said, the best years of my life have been spent in the arms of another man's wife.

The congregation just gasped. Boy, he had their attention. And he quickly said, it was my mother. Now, of course, the young trainee thought, wow, that's a really good way to get the congregation's attention. So later on, he was up giving the sermon back at home. And sure enough, during the sermon, he noticed people starting to kind of nod in agreement. And he remembered what that minister had done. And so suddenly he just cried out, the best years of my life have been spent in the arms of another man's wife. And somebody in the back jerked awake so quickly, they knocked their head on the seat in front of them. And he had their attention right where he wanted them. But he forgot what came next. And all he could think to say was, for the life of me, I can't remember her name. We don't want to be that forgetful, do we? It just makes the point, God never forgets. God never forgets. And we consider this second resurrection, this general resurrection, that great white throne judgment, who's going to be in that resurrection? People long forgotten. And yet, how can we know that? Can we prove who will be a part of that resurrection? In fact, Christ himself spoke about that very fact. If we go over to Matthew 11, verse 20, we'll find Jesus Christ himself referring to this great white throne judgment time period, this time of the second resurrection, the general resurrection, this time of physical resurrection that Revelation talked about. Notice what Christ says and reminds us who will be there. Matthew 11, verse 20. It says, Christ began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done because they did not repent. So we're talking about that time in the first century when Christ was Immanuel, God with us, and he was preaching and he was teaching, and the people generally didn't respond. They didn't repent. They didn't change. So Christ says in verse 21, Woe to you, Corazene! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, you think so great of yourself, you will be brought down to Hades, to the grave. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.

You see, Christ is referencing that white throne judgment, that time period. And he's saying Tyre and Sidon. Now these were ancient cities of Phoenicia. They weren't godly cities. These are pagan peoples. Then of course he refers to Sodom. Now compared to the time of Christ, we're looking back about 2,000 years in the past. And Christ says these people from the time of Sodom, from Abraham's time, are going to be resurrected at the same time people from Corazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum are resurrected. Different generations from different time periods of history all resurrected at the same time. In fact, if we turn the page and have a sneak peek at Matthew 12 verse 41, Christ also includes the people of Nineveh. Now Nineveh refers to the time of Jonah. And we're about 800 years before Christ. And here in Matthew 12 he also refers to the queen of Ethiopia. That's from the time of Solomon, a thousand years before Jesus Christ. And Christ points out during this second resurrection, during this great white throne judgment time period, these various peoples from different eras will rise up together after the thousand years, after the millennium. And this resurrection is very different than the first one. So very different is this resurrection when you consider what Christ is describing here. Well, we can know for certain it's not a resurrection to spirit life.

We can recognize that when we go back to Ezekiel chapter 37, an interesting section of Scripture that describes this second resurrection, this general resurrection. Ezekiel chapter 37, at the very beginning of that chapter, we can begin to see how different this second resurrection, this great white throne judgment time period is from the thousand years, from the spirit resurrection of the first resurrection. Let's notice how very different it is in Ezekiel's description that he was inspired to record for us. This is Ezekiel chapter 37, verse 1.

It begins, 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. Then he caused me to pass by them all around. And behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed, they were very dry. So what does that tell us? They are long dead, probably long forgotten, very dry. God said to him, verse 3, Son of man, can these bones live?

Ezekiel may not have been quite sure of the answer, so he said, Oh, Lord God, you know. verse 4, He said to me, prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones, Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put breath into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you, and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin, and put breath into you, and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am Lord. And the story goes on, making it very clear that God's bringing these people back to physical life. It's not a change in the twinkling of an eye to spirit. It's a physical resurrection, back to physical life with breath, with skin, and bones, and flesh. That's what they're coming back to. See, this is not some Halloween story, some ghosts and skeletons and things like that. This is about people returning to physical life. And of course, this section is also dual in a sense, because it's describing Israel being restored as a nation. Not the Jewish state today, it's not talking about that, but ultimately in the future, the nation of Israel will be restored. And this points to that fact. But it also is showing us those who lived so long ago in the past, not really knowing God or His way, will have an opportunity to be converted and receive God's Holy Spirit. In fact, if we skip down to verse 14, it makes it very clear. God says, I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it, says the Lord. You see, God never forgets. This is a reflection. He doesn't forget Israel. He doesn't forget anyone. He demonstrates His saving power for all mankind. It's a demonstration of His love that God loves the world, and He has a plan of salvation for all. And it's God's will that every single individual, whoever was conceived, will have an opportunity to choose life. And when you think about this day, this eighth day, what does it emphasize? Is there a particular aspect about this day that God emphasizes? I think when we consider it, the justice of God can't help but come to mind that God is fair. God is just. God is love. And He wants all to come to repentance. And so all those who never knew God, you see, they have not had their sins put on their account as yet. For them, eternal judgment, eternal sentencing, you might say, has not yet taken place.

They are going to be accountable. There's no lack of accountability with God. God is going to hold them responsible. And they're going to have to change. They're going to have to live God's way and prove they've accepted Christ as their Savior and demonstrate that very fact. There is accountability. There is justice of God. And God loves everyone. God doesn't just love Christians, but God loves the world. And He wants them to come to repentance. So justice is certainly emphasized on this day, as well as the fact that it's about hope. It's about hope for this sick and dying world. God never forgets. And this great white throne judgment period will be a length of time. It's not just going to be one day, but a measure of time, where all those who ever lived, who never heard the gospel, never heard the name of Jesus Christ proclaimed, never had an opportunity, which of course is the majority of mankind, who ever lived. Now they're going to have an opportunity to choose God's way or not. They're going to have an opportunity to learn the truth of God. They'll have that chance to be converted, to choose life, and as Ezekiel said, to receive God's Holy Spirit and ultimately have that potential for eternal life in the family of God. And so God emphasizes that fact on this day and its symbolism, that death does not defeat God. It can't. God can raise the dead, and He will raise the dead. And during this time, we're told that God's going to judge these people. The mass of humanity that comes back to physical life will be judged by the same standards that God has always judged people by. Revelation 20 said they will be judged, according to their works, by the things written in the biblion, written in the books, written in the Bible. And so having that opportunity to believe, to repent, to obey, to receive God's forgiveness and grace, and ultimately having the opportunity to have their names written in the book of life, which means God will give them the gift of eternal life. What fantastic symbolism this day holds. And in fact, they'll have that opportunity and a time period to live God's way and grow in understanding of God's plan and His purpose. And so we ask ourselves, well, how long is this great white throne judgment time period going to last?

Well, the Bible doesn't clearly say exactly how long this time period is. Now we may have a little bit of a hint in Isaiah 65 verse 20. Maybe a little hint. Now this section of Scripture is in the middle of a lot of passages that talk about the millennium, the thousand-year time period. So it may not be an exact indication, but it could be possible. I mean, we speculate that this may possibly be an indication of that length of time of this great white throne judgment period. Isaiah 65, 20 says, No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who's not fulfilled his days. For the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. So it may be an indication that there's going to be a pretty good length of time where people will live their lives and have that opportunity to choose God's way on a daily basis. And we look forward to that time, to the time when we will see those who haven't been forgotten, people that we remember. I mean, you may be thinking of someone that you can't wait to see. Now, if that's going to happen, we have to be sure we don't forget, because we are a forgetful people. And when we look at the history of God's people, forgetfulness is a chief characteristic of God's people. If we're going to be there to meet those who will be resurrected, we must not forget. I mean, how often do we forget? I was reminded of the story of husband and wife were trying to get rid of the junk, scaled down a little bit, and they were cleaning out this gigantic closet that they had. And as they were cleaning it out, they found a little ticket, and it was from the local shoe repair shop. And the date stamped on this ticket said it was from 11 years ago. And they found this ticket. They just laughed. You know, who forgot to pick up the shoes at the store? And they just thought that was the funniest thing that they found this ticket that was from more than a decade ago. Of course, the husband said to his wife, you think there's any chance that they could still be there? And I said, that's crazy. No way. Of course, you're not going to be there. Well, the husband took that ticket. He stuck it in his pocket, went out to the car, jumped in the car. The shop was still there. He drove to the shoe shop, tried to keep a very straight face as he handed the clerk this 11-year-old ticket.

Well, the clerk examined that thing, and he frowned as he was looking at it. Looked up at the man, and he said, just a minute. Took off, and he went to the back room. Well, after a long, long while in this dark corner of the back of the shop, the clerk's voice rang out. Here they are!

The husband could not believe this. You've got to be kidding. That is terrific. Who would have ever thought that the shoes would still be there after all this time? Well, the clerk came back to the counter empty-handed, and he said to the husband, they'll be ready Thursday.

Guess he forgot to fix them after all those years.

You see, the symbolism of this day impacts us. It's a day that reminds us not to forget. We cannot afford to forget, because remembering is a central theme of the Word of God. Isn't it? When you really begin to think about it? I mean, what was the biggest failure of God's people in the Old Testament? Well, they forgot God's commandments. They forgot about the Holy Days. They forgot about the Sabbath. They forgot about God, and they worshipped pagan gods. They forgot about the great things that God did, His great works, His miracles. And they mixed in with the culture around them. All right, fast forward. What's the biggest failure of the New Testament Church of God?

I don't think it's much different. Failure to remember. It's been our shortcoming. And as we think about this day, we recognize the fact that God knows. He knows that God knows He knows the pull of our human nature. He knows that that nature draws us toward forgetting, getting involved in our own ways, in our own thinking, because we are in danger of losing our memory and forgetting who we are and whose we are. This feast day, this eighth day, this last great day is not only about the great mass of humanity that would be resurrected to physical life. I believe God uses it as a great reminder for every one of us. Peter speaks to that in 1 Peter, chapter 4, verse 17. As we think about this great white throne judgment time period, when all those who never knew God's way, never heard the name of Christ, will be resurrected to physical life to live a time to choose God's way and be judged, we recognize it's different for us. Because we're not looking forward to a physical resurrection. We're looking forward to a spirit resurrection. Peter reminds us about the perspective that we need to have, especially on this day. 1 Peter, chapter 4, verse 17. Peter writes, for the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. Now who is that? Well, that's us. The house of God, the people of God, the church of God. Judgment has already begun for us. We're not waiting for some time period in the future. We're being judged right now. And Peter says, if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Obedience is absolutely critical. This day points toward obeying God now. We've been called now. Our minds have been opened to God's truth right now. We're being judged today. And he says in verse 18, if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear? Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God. That would be us, because sometimes we do suffer for obeying God. We go through trials and difficulties and challenges. And that is the case. But it says, when we find ourselves in that situation, we commit our souls to Him in doing good as to a faithful Creator. That means don't let those trials get you off track. Don't get distracted. Stay focused. Our judgment time is right now. And we have to continue in doing good, in obeying God, in following His commandments, in changing our lives, in repentance. Because there's no doubt God will remember all humanity. They will be in that second resurrection.

But the question is, will we? Will we remember? That's the question of the day. This day cannot be just about the facts that we know, or I can prove out of my Bible that God has a plan of salvation, and that this eighth day points to the fact humanity will have an opportunity. Just knowing those things, that's not the key. It's recognizing how transformational this information should be for each and every one of us. It should change who we are. It should change our perspective. It should change our understanding of what life is all about. It should change us to motivate us. This feast should be a motivation to rededicate our lives, to following God even more closely than ever before, to be recommitted, to pledge ourselves, to more closely follow God, and be rededicated. How much have we grown? Are we ready for judgment? Because we are being judged today, right now, at this very time. Can we look back to the eighth day last year and be honest with ourselves and say, you know, I have grown since last year. But if not, we've got to recognize this feast reminds us that it goes by so fast. Didn't we just get here? It seemed like that was yesterday. We just got here. We're ready, excited to celebrate the feast and the last day. But it's gone. It's done. And it's a little microcosm of our life. It goes by so fast. And we must be intentional. We can't just let it happen because the examples in the Bible show those who just let it happen, they're lost. So we have to be deliberate. And you know one thing about forgetting? It doesn't take any effort, does it? It doesn't take any special effort to forget. It just happens. And it's our gravitational pull to do just that. And so God reminds us on this day that we must see the importance to each and every one of us to see our sin for what it is. And don't overlook it. Recognize judgment is going on right now for me personally, for everyone as a part of the household of God. And we must repent and change. And as we look around us, this world is reminding us of that very fact as well, isn't it? I mean, look at the injustice in our world. Is it time for Christ to return? Well, of course it is. Look at the rioting that's been going on. Does man's government work? Is the election going to save us? I think we know it can't. It can't. And the coronavirus should also be a reminder. We're pushing ever closer to the edge when mankind's time will be done and God's government will come and replace all of man's governments. And the war and the strife that we see all around us should cause us to draw ever closer to God. So don't ignore the reminders. Don't ignore the evidence. Don't ignore the circumstances. This eighth day is such a reminder that we better be wary. We better be thoughtful. We better be careful and give God our full attention. We cannot afford to be careless. We cannot afford to allow ourselves to get distracted. God says, get your act together. Get your act together. Choose life. I'm going to do everything I possibly can to help you to choose life. But you've got to make the choice. Just like those people in that second resurrection, they're going to have to make the choice. And we do too. It's about having a deep accountability, making ourselves accountable to God's way. What kind of person am I? What do I want to be? In fact, what kind of church are we to be? This day reminds us of all of those things. And God says, it shouldn't be just this day. It's for us God's way every day. God's way every day, no matter what.

Now, I know here at St. George, many of us have been hiking. And we've been called by God to the great hike of our life. And like some of you who are going up to angels landing, climbing that steep path on this tall mountain. How did you do it? How would you ever make it? How would we ever make it to God's kingdom? Well, it's through faith in Jesus Christ. It's a gift to begin with. But as we strive to follow God, the only way you make it is one step at a time. One step at a time. That's the only way to change. It's that each of us must have a spiritual action plan. And step by step, we move in an intentional, deliberate way to be more spiritual and to draw closer to God. I'm not just going to say I'm going to study. I will study the Word of God. I'm not just going to hope I pray. I'm going to deliberately choose to get down on my knees before the Creator God of the universe and draw close to Him and ever closer. And so it's that conscious, intentional choice to never forget. That is so key. Remember the Lord our God. Remember what God has done for us and will do for us. And not only remember His words, but deliberately choose to live by His word. Because ultimately there is so much for us to look forward to. God's plan and His purpose, it is glorious. It is amazing. It is wonderful. And God can't wait for us to be a part of the whole thing. And so we can thank God for the wonderful meaning of this eighth day. Because the time is coming. God will not only remember John Wagaman. He will not only remember Sarah T. B. Winter or William Earhart. The time is coming. All will be remembered. So let's praise God and honor Him for His marvelous goodness, His amazing mercy, His loving compassion. And let's take heart because God never forgets.