Fall Festivals Picture The Time

The world wants to view what's happening on the earth as a contest between God and Satan. The world believes you've got to be saved in this age. If you're not saved in this age, you're going to hell. And of course, if that were the case, the majority of mankind would be hellbound. Now, that's simply not the way the plan of God works. God is not inferior to Satan. God is not weaker than Satan. God has got a better plan than Satan. God is God. He's all-loving. He's compassionate. He's not willing that any should suffer to a place where they would be in the lake of fire.

That will befall some people because they simply don't want to go God's way, and that's their choice. But Jesus Christ long ago announced that His message, the good news of the kingdom of God, will be preached as a witness to all the world, not to convert everybody in this age. Let's take a look at Matthew 24. Just button this down with Scripture.

Matthew 24, verse 14. Matthew 24, verse 14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come. And we are proclaiming a tremendous witness around the world. Millions upon millions of people have gone to our website. They've taken a look at the literature that we offer. They've seen material about prophecy. They've seen material about Christian living. They've seen material about salvation issues. Now, that doesn't mean that they're going to come to the church, but we also see in prophecy about a great innumerable multitude that will come out of the Great Tribulation.

Maybe a good many people who have over the years been watching us and listening to us, and kind of standing afar off, staying at home, watching us at arm's length. At that point, those who are living on this planet will have a choice. Either they're going to go Satan's way or God's way. And some will continue to go Satan's way, but again, they're not been called, and so God will be able to bring them up in that second resurrection. So what I thought I would do today is give you a basic recap of the fall Holy Days.

Because the fall Holy Days, picture a time when the whole world will be called. The whole world will be called. The spring Holy Days, Passover, the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, those days largely deal with the first roots, with those of us in the church. But these last four, again, not exclusively, these last four deal with the outside world.

We certainly want to be a part of the first resurrection, pictured by trumpets. We certainly want Satan to be put away, as we see in a tone. But we certainly want to be ruling in the kingdom and serving in the last great day. But these last four largely highlight the rest of the world. And to me, it's a message as you look at that part of God's plan. It's a message of tremendous hope.

Tremendous hope. You know, today, as we were coming to services, I was listening, Mary and I were listening to a conservative talk radio host. And he made a comment that just the way he put it, I believe this, I thought this, but really never quite came to the forefront of my mind. How that our educational system today, whether we're talking about elementary school, middle school, high school, university level education, our educational system today has become a propaganda machine.

A propaganda machine that is purveying the science, the history that Satan wants people to grasp. It's a twisted education people are getting. And I can think of one person who is a very well-educated individual. This person and their mate, very conservative, taught their one child conservative values growing up.

That child went through the educational system, went to university, and that was very liberal. And the parents look at their child and say, how can a child with this background believe what they now believe? Well, it's because they basically were brainwashed, and I hate to put it that way, in our educational system. Now, most of us in this room, things were not that way when we were going through school. You know, we stood proudly. We pledged allegiance to the flag. We believed in the beauty of this country.

We know that this country is not perfect. No country is. But today, if you watch an NFL game, you find out that now we've got two national anthems that they want to play. I've stopped watching professional football. I just can't. I will not stand for that.

Gotta have two. Now, how much longer are we gonna have three? Does every group have to have their own national anthem? And who votes for this national anthem, this other national anthem? Who's put that in place, that the NFL, one of the strongest companies in the country, right now, that's what will be played before all NFL games? Sad state of affairs.

We need the coming kingdom of God. We need this plan of God to be fulfilled. So let's take a look at trumpets. Trumpets is a turning point in world history. It is a tremendous blessing from God to mankind. Now, we know, as we went through trumpets, what goes on in trumpets, on the day of trumpets, zero week ago, or several days ago, we know that the world is going to go through horrendous times.

But the other side of that is the fact that Jesus Christ is returning to establish sanity, spiritual sanity, in this world. Let's begin our discussion here by going back to Revelation 6. Revelation 6. Here we see God the Father and Jesus Christ in their plan, making sure people realize that there is a God, that He's getting people's attention. People talk about a secret rapture. Well, when you've got the blowing of these trumpets, when you've got Jesus Christ circling the earth and every eye will see Him, when we see the things that we have here in Revelation 6, how can you have a secret rapture?

God is very much making things known. Revelation 6, starting here in verse 12. I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. So how do people not see that? Understand something's happening here. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, and the fig tree drops its late face, when it's shaken by a mighty wind.

Then the sky receded out of the scroll, when it's rolled up, and every mountain and every island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and the rocks, Fall us, and hide us from the face of Him, who sits on a throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

For the great day of His wrath is come, and who is able to stand? So here we're saying there is no secret rapture. People are going to see something in the skies, and it's going to get everybody's attention. Now, what is this, as we see here in verse 16, what is the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the land? What's that talking about? Well, I alluded to it on trumpets, but let's go back to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew 24, the Olivet prophecy.

Matthew 24, starting here in verse 29. Matthew 24, verse 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. So verse 29 is talking about that sixth seal, the heavenly signs.

Then, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Remember, it was talking about that sixth seal, the heavenly signs. Then, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. Remember, it was talking about that in Revelation chapter 6 verse 16. Then, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Hardly a secret rapture, and he'll send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and he'll gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other.

So here we see Christ intervening. Thankfully, the time has come where all this government of man, all the woes of man, these are coming to an end. Let's go back to Revelation chapter 11. Revelation chapter 11.

Starting here in verse 15. Revelation chapter 11 verse 15. Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Now, in your notes, if you have a Bible, you like to take notes in your Bible, you might jot down there 1 Thessalonians 4.16.

Talking about the resurrection, the first resurrection, 1 Thessalonians 4.16. You've also got 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 52. Verse 16, Revelation 11.16. And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshipped God. So here we see in verse 16 a time of rejoicing in heaven by the angels in heaven, but it's also a time of rejoicing for those who've just been resurrected. You're with Jesus Christ in the clouds. You know exactly now that you have eternal life. You have a spirit body. You know you're going to live for eternity, and there's going to be all these beautiful work projects, and you're going to help teach people in the millennium and teach people in the Great White Throne Judgment period. It's going to be tremendous rejoicing that verse 16 is referring to. Verse 17 saying, We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come. In other words, that's talking about the Eternal, who is and was and is to come, because you've taken your great power and reigned. Taken the great power and reigned. No longer do we have all the politicians and dictators of this world. We've got God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. Verse 18, The nations were angry, and your wrath has come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, or the time of the nations, perhaps better put, time of the nations, or the time of the spiritually dead. No, Christ said, let the dead bury the dead. The time of the spiritual dead, or the time of the nations, that they should be judged. And you should reward your servants, the prophets, and the saints, and those who fear your name, small and great, and who should destroy those who destroy the earth.

So again, for us, these days represent a tremendous turning point in world history. A beautiful time in world history.

Let's take a look at this a little more personally. Let's go to 1 Corinthians chapter 15.

Let's go to the resurrection chapter.

1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 35.

You know, people in the church back in those days wanted to know how things are going to be, just like we want to know those things today. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 35.

But someone will say, how are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?

You know, when we're resurrected, how does that work?

We drop down to verse 42.

So also, as the resurrection of the dead, the body is sown in corruption.

It is raised in incorruption.

It is sown in dishonor. It is raised in glory.

It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power.

It is sown in natural body. It is raised a spiritual body.

So that's what we look forward to, what God has for us.

Verse 50.

Now thus I say, brethren, that the flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit an incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep. But we all shall be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound in a deadly race incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible was put on incorruption, and his mortal was put on immortality.

So when the corruptible is put on incorruption, and the mortal is put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

That's what we have to look forward to, an incorruptible eternal body.

And, mind, God is going to take that spirit and man, that computer that you have inside of you, a recording of all that you've said and done. The sins will have been erased because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

But all the sermons you heard that were good sermons, sermons that were doctrinally correct, those will remain.

And think on this, brethren, you've all read the Bible from cover to cover.

You will have a perfect memory of every word of Scripture.

No longer will you have this, you know, if you're working with people on planet earth, and you want to discuss something with them, you're not saying, now how did that go in the Bible? No, you know how it goes in the Bible. You've got, your mind is like a computer at that point.

And it brings, you want to bring up Nahum chapter 1 and verse 5?

Well, you just, you know, you just think about it, and there it is.

That is a tremendous blessing that you and I have to look forward to.

A tremendous blessing. There will be at our fingertips on the day of trumpets, the Feast of Trumpets.

It's a great turning point in history. Let's move on now to the next Holy Day, the Day of Atonement.

The Day of Atonement, as we're so well aware, is a time when Satan and his work is shut down.

Satan is bound.

Again, Christ intervenes in world events to depose Satan from his leadership and being God of this world.

We can talk more about that on the Day of Atonement, but we want to just talk about some of these things here. Let's go to Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation chapter 20.

Verses 1 through 3.

Revelation 20 verse 1. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who was the devil.

And Satan bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more, till a thousand years were finished. After these things, he must be released for a little while.

So during the millennium, know Satan, as you, as Spirit beings, are working with the people on planet Earth. Now, the people who've lived through the Holocaust at the end of the age, as we brought out before, these people are going to be battered and smashed and dysfunctional. They're going to be living in a world that's been battered and smashed, barely able to support life.

Those first days of the millennium are not going to be pleasant days, in terms of the surroundings, the environment. They'll be very pleasant days, in terms of you being rulers with Christ.

There'll be very great days, in terms of you being able to now teach people.

And we're going to need, as Spirit beings, tremendous amounts of compassion, and love, and empathy, for the people who've come through this horrible time at the end of the world and have lived into the millennium.

But just as there is no Satan around, that doesn't mean all the people who've lived into the millennium have had their minds erased.

Satan's fingerprints are all over their hearts and minds.

Satan worked with them all the years of their life prior to him being bound.

And so there's a great deal of work for us to do, even though Satan is bound.

Let's look at Revelation 18. Go back to Revelation 18.

I think it's important to mention this as well.

Revelation 18, verse 1.

After these things, I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having a great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, Babylon the greatest fallen has fallen, and has become the dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hateful bird.

So not only will Satan be bound, the demons will also be bound. They will also be restrained. They also will not be able to do what they've been doing for 6,000 years against humankind.

So Satan is bound. The demons are bound.

Another area that needs to be taken care of, and this is done on a day of atonement. Let's take a look at Ezekiel chapter 33. Again, we mentioned this, I think, on trumpets, but let's go back there.

Ezekiel 33.

No, excuse me. Ezekiel 13, not 33.

Ezekiel 13.

Ezekiel 13.

Here is a prophecy against false prophets.

I know that for many years, those of us who were around, I think most all of us were, when Mr. Waterhouse would come into the area, Mr. Waterhouse would quote this section of scripture, and make a comment about what I'm about to make.

Ezekiel 13.

Verse 4.

O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the desert.

You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on this day of the Lord. In other words, the prophets have not been doing what God wanted a prophet to do.

They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, Thus the Lord, thus says the Lord, but the Lord has not sent them.

Yet they hope that the word may be confirmed.

Now, people sometimes, even in God's church, will listen to various people in the world. And I never understand that. Why do you want to go listen to this person or that person who is a worldly minister? I don't get it.

But the Lord has not sent them.

Why would we want to listen to somebody the Lord has not sent?

It says that they hope their word may be confirmed.

Like the old saying, a broken watch is right twice during the day.

Verse 7. Have you not seen feudal vision? Have you not spoken false divination? You say, The Lord says, But I have not spoken.

Therefore, thus says the Lord God, because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you, says the Lord.

My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and divine lies. They shall not be in the assembly of my people, they shall not be in the assembly of my people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel. No, so they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.

Now that last verse, verse 9, Mr. Waterhouse would stand nigh on that verse and say, not only is Satan bound and the demons bound, but God's not going to let these false ministers live into the world tomorrow.

He's going to let them go to sleep.

No, they can be resurrected in the second resurrection, they can be taught like anybody else.

But why would you want them in the world tomorrow to preach their lies and their heresies?

Let them rest, let them sleep in the dust of the earth until the time they should be brought up.

One last scripture regarding the Day of Atonement is over here in Acts chapter 3.

Again, this is just an overview. There's plenty more to talk about each of these holy days.

Acts chapter 3 starting in verse 19.

Acts 3, 19, Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.

A time of refreshing.

Satan is going to be bound, the demons bound, the false prophets nowhere to be seen. So that people can be hearing the truth of God, the unadulterated, unvarnished truth of God, and be refreshed by that word.

Verse 20, that he may lead Jesus Christ, who has preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration.

Let's go back to the time when there wasn't a sin on the planet earth, other than Satan lurking on planet earth. Back in the time before Adam and Eve did their sin, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all of his holy prophets since the world began.

So we look forward to a time when Satan and the demons and the false prophets are bound. We look forward to a time of refreshing and restoration that this day pictures.

Now we move on to the Feast of Tabernacles.

Feast of Tabernacles.

Here's where we see where the world, those who have lived into the millennium, really begin to see the vision, really begin to be spiritually and physically even saved.

A tremendous time.

Tremendous time.

Now this time is preceded by the trumpets, it's preceded by the Day of Atonement, but it's also a time of great spiritual rejoicing.

Let's take a look at Zechariah in the Old Testament just before the last Malachi.

Go to Zechariah.

Zechariah chapter 14.

Zechariah chapter 14 and verse 9.

Zechariah 14-9, Zechariah 14-9, I don't know what the people in the world say regarding this. Now some of the ministers of the world would admit that in the world tomorrow, God's feasts will be kept, and surely they will. We see it right here.

We see where the New Testament Church never walked away from God's holy days.

Certainly that was true in the Old Testament. It's true here in the future.

God's holy days must be kept. They are beautiful steps in the plan of God. God's holy days must be kept. So the nations now are going to come up to Jerusalem, not for warfare, as we see in the great battle of God Almighty, where they gathered together in Medigo, 55 miles north of Jerusalem, when they come down just into the environs of Jerusalem for battle. Now they're coming for worship and not battle.

Let's look over to Isaiah chapter 2. Isaiah chapter 2.

Starting here in verse 1.

The word that Isaiah the son of Amos saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, now shall come to pass in the latter days, the end of the age, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and the nations shall flow to it.

Now, this flowing process may be more of a trickle at the beginning.

Again, remember, these people are just coming into the millennium from dark earth ruled by dark Satan.

You know, they're not going to have the vision, many of them, at the very beginning.

We're going to have to be patient with them.

But that trickle will eventually become a raging river, so to speak, a tremendous flow. verse 3.

Many people, as time goes along, many people shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, and we shall walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

No longer will people think that the law is a curse, something that should be done away. People want to seek out the law, understand the law, understand the beautiful precepts behind the law.

Verse 4. He shall judge between the nations and rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords and the plowshirs and their spears and the pruning hooks.

So life is going to change. Tremendous change in the world tomorrow.

Let's go back to Zechariah, this time chapter 8.

Zechariah chapter 8. Zechariah chapter 8. Starting in verse 20, going through the end of the chapter.

Zechariah chapter 8 verse 20.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, people shall yet come, inhabitants of many cities, the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, Let us continue to go up and pray before the Lord, and seek the Lord of hosts. I myself will go also.

So there's a seeking after the ways of God.

That can't be possible until Satan's put away in his demons in the false prophets.

Verse 22. Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. Here we see a tremendous turning around here.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, in those days ten men from every nation, every language of the nations, shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.

No longer will Jewish people be put in the ovens.

No longer will people say things about, Well, those Jews, they killed Christ, slandered, and so on. Now, because of the Jewish people, of course, the rest of the people who are accepting God are learning how to obey God.

Those who are have been far away from God are going to say, Look, we know that you know the true God. And we want you to lead us there. We want you to help us there. And God will do just that.

Ezekiel 36 You know, why would you not want to keep these days? Yes, as it is, it is. As Ezekiel 36 When you see all that God has here for us, all the beauty that God has, the hope, the encouragement, the vision, the light.

Ezekiel 36 verse 26 So here you see a new outlook given to the people because a new heart is put in them. You see the basic attitude of the people is changed as God begins to work with them, and they accept God and accept the ways of God. And the result of that, as we go further and further into the millennium, let's go to Jeremiah chapter 31. Jeremiah chapter 31 verse 34.

Jeremiah 31-34.

No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord, for I will forgive their iniquity and their sin I will remember no more.

This is how successful we will be under God, under Christ, as teachers in the millennium.

They shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, showing a tremendous success in our teaching. Now that's just the physical aspect of the millennium. Let's take a look at the spiritual aspect of the millennium. Let's take a look at the physical aspect. Let's go to Isaiah chapter 35.

One of the sermonette men during the feast is going to cover this, that I'm going to cover with you here, as I've done in the past.

Isaiah 35 is a beautiful section of Scripture that we can see both physical and spiritual blessings. Isaiah 35 verse 1, The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose. So you see here where the land is going to be beautified. But that's also picturing how the people, who once were desert-like and barren of spiritual knowledge, they will also blossom like the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, verse 2, and rejoice. Even with joy and singing, the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God. Again, more discussion about how people are going to blossom under the loving care of Jesus Christ and the saints who are now spirit beings. Strengthen the weak hands, make firm the feeble knees. Well, as I've made mention to you, when people come into the millennium, their lives are going to be shattered. You know, maybe some of you have seen or been around rescue animals. I've been around a number of them in my life. And those poor animals. You know, I love animals. When you see a dog or a cat that's afraid of itself, you know, you make a sound and it runs and hides, that's not what God wants for those creatures. But human beings are going to be much like that because they have gone through the worst time the world has ever seen. And so physically we need to be there to strengthen the weak hands and the feeble knees. But also spiritually. People need spiritual fortification. They need to understand why things happen the way they did. It's more than just, well, we had bad leadership on planet earth. I mean, that's true. But they had a wrong frame of mind, a wrong frame of reference.

They were living by Satan's rules and not God's. Verse 4, say to those who are fearful-hearted, Be strong and do not fear, behold your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God, He will come and save you.

As we go further and further into the millennium, people won't be fearful-hearted. They understand the family of God. They understand love and compassion. They understand that we've been empathetic toward them. And they will no longer be fearful-hearted. They'll be strong-hearted. They know that we are there as a blessing for them, to serve them. Verse 5, The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

Physically true, but also spiritually true. Where the eyes will be able to see, and ears be able to hear the spiritual things of God.

Then a lame shall leap like the deer, and a tongue of the dumb shall sing.

Yes, those who are physically lame will be healed, but those who have been walking in Satan's ways will also be healed. Will walk in God's ways, not like a lame man, and a tongue of the dumb will sing.

Not just the songs that people like to sing, but the songs that praise to God. The water shall burst forth into wilderness, and streams in the desert, the parched ground shall become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water, and the inhabitation of jackals where each lay, that shall be grass with reeds and rushes. In other words, plenty of water. Yes, physically, but also that water represents the Holy Spirit of God. Plenty of that.

Plenty of that.

Let's go to Isaiah chapter 9.

One last scripture here. I want to hit Isaiah chapter 9 on verse 7.

Isaiah chapter 9 on verse 7.

Of the increase of his government and peace, there will be no end upon the throne of David and his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice, even from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. What we've taken a look at is just the beginning. It's just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The increase of his government and peace, there will be no end. Brethren, we are on the ground floor of eternity with God.

Our God is a worker. Our God is a builder. Our God is a designer and creator.

He wants his children to learn to do those same things. There's a whole universe out there to be worked with. Now, we don't know explicitly what God's plan is after we get done with the last great day, but I don't think God just wants us to sit around and have bridge tournaments.

We're not going to testify, well, where's the nearest Starbucks? God's going to want us to do things and be creative. As a spirit being, as human beings, we want to have goals. We want to have a zest for life. We want to have direction and do things and accomplish how much more so has spirit beings. This is just talking about the beginning of the government of God.

This brings us to the last great day, the eighth day of the feast, truly a beautiful day. Just this last week, I got a phone call from a person who was interested in the faith. Grandmother, five kids, and then the grandkids. She's kind of all alone in what she's coming to see and believe. Some of you understand that. You've been there. I've been there.

And she's coming to see the truth about the Sabbath. She's just beginning to see the truth about the Holy Days. We probably talked on the phone for a better part of 45 minutes.

She said, just this last week, on Tuesday, her dad died. I began discussing with her the last great day. She started to cry. Her dad was not a religious man. I told her about my dad and my brother. They were not religious people by any stretch of the imagination. I told her how much I'm looking forward to my dad being resurrected and my brother being resurrected. All those people, I may mention when I go to buildings that have, like when I was going to the University of Michigan Hospital for various things, like my open heart. As I was going to where I had to see the doctor, there were all these pictures of graduating classes of the University of Michigan Medical School. Going back to the late 1800s, every time I see that, I don't know why my mind works this way, but every time I see that, I look at those pictures. These people are long dead. They're dust.

But I think those people are going to be resurrected again. They're going to have life again. They don't know what their future is going to be like. It's going to be wondrous. You know, I don't know what they have, how long they live, what they achieved, but it's nothing compared to what they will have in the future. And we began to discuss that with a lady. And again, she was really taken by that.

This is the beauty of what we believe.

This is the beauty of what we believe. There are some people back there. I think we want to come in and find out what we believe. But we should never feel ashamed or not ashamed, but be hesitant to discuss the truth of God. When you think of what the world believes versus what we believe, we have such beautiful belief here. Let's go to 2 Peter 3.

Talking about the last great day. 2 Peter 3 verse 9. 2 Peter 3 verse 9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise of some kind of slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Long suffering. God's long suffering lasts 6,000 years, and if He had a longer plan, it would last that long, too. As long as it takes, God is going to be long suffering with people. As long as they've not been called, God knows they've not been called, they don't understand, but God is going to give them an opportunity. Let's go back to the resurrection chapter and see a principle here. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, starting in verse 22. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 22.

It was interesting, as I was talking to this lady this last week, every time I made a statement that was revelatory to her, she would ask for a scripture. I was happy to give her those scriptures.

Just let her know that we just don't create doctrine out of thin air, that we live by every word of God. In one sense, my job is simple. People ask questions. It's my job to say, well, here's what the Bible says about that. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 22.

For as an Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Then notice verse 23. But each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, after those who are Christ, and is coming. Afterwards, those who are Christ that is coming. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to the God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. So there is an order of resurrections. The first resurrection is referred to, Christ. After that, there's Christ coming. But we know, and I related to the lady, in Revelation chapter 20, you see the outline of three resurrections there. You see a first resurrection for the saints. You see a second resurrection for those who never had an opportunity to understand. And you see a third resurrection for those who did have an opportunity and rejected the plan of God. Acts chapter 4. Here's a key verse when we're talking about the last great day.

When you're thinking about the last great day, this has got to be in your spiritual vocabulary. Acts chapter 4 and verse 12. Acts 4, 12. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. No other name under heaven.

If we don't understand Christ and the teachings of Christ and been called to understand those, then we can't have an opportunity. We're not being called if we're not understanding this. How many people have lived on our planet earth before Jesus Christ ever came to planet earth and His first coming? How many people since His first coming have never really understood the truth?

God wants to make sure people understand that truth.

Let's look at Ezekiel chapter 37. Again, I quoted this to the lady in reference to her dad dying.

This gave her a great deal of comfort. She was kind of aware with this chapter, by the way.

So maybe she had seen some of this herself. I read on our website.

Ezekiel chapter 37, verse 1, 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 was full of bones.

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. Whereas they've been dead a long time. And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? So I answered, O Lord God, you know.

Then he said, 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. Now this breath is the spirit in man. This breath is what makes us human beings.

I will put sinews, I'll put muscle on you, and bring flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you. Again, the spirit in man.

And you shall live, then you shall know that I am the Lord.

I think when a person comes up from the grave, that's going to be quite something astonishing to those folks. So I prophesied as I was commanded, and I say, prophesy, there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling of the bones came together, bone to bone.

You know, we drop down now to verse 11. Then he said to me, Son of man, this is after these people have been resurrected to physical life, then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.

They indeed say, our bones are dry. They had a long time. Our hope is lost, at least the way they viewed it. We ourselves are cut off. That's how they view where they're at.

Therefore, prophesy and say to them, Thus is the Lord God, behold, O my people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up from your graves. Now verse 14, I will put my spirit in you. That's not just the spirit and man. They already have that. They're already alive. I'll put my Holy Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I'll place you in your own land, and you shall know that I, the Lord, has spoken it and performed it, says the Lord.

Truly, truly, there's not a one of us in this room who doesn't have people in our lives, many people in our lives, who never knew the truth. All of us in this room, if we saw some of our loved ones standing at that door or this door over here, and if I saw my dad standing there, I'd run over there and give him a big hug. Or my brother, or various aunts and uncles, and cousins, and people I've known. Really nice people. We look forward to that. That's a... Every one of us enjoys the thought behind this day. So let's turn as a final verse today over the book of Revelation, chapter 21. Revelation chapter 21.

Revelation 21, verse 1. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, where the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city of the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

This is after all the plan of God has been done, it's all been fulfilled. Everybody is a spirit being. There's no human beings left. Either we have been made a spirit being, or people have been annihilated in the lake of fire. But now we can rejoice because it's the family of God, and we've got a whole new universe here to look at. We see the new Jerusalem, the headquarters of God's government. We read verse 3. 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. Not only Jesus Christ, but the Father will live among us.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Death has passed away. We talk about people passing away. Death is going to pass away. At this point in universal history, it's just the family of God standing.

Then he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write for these things are true and faithful. These are things, brethren, you and I can look forward to. So this Holy Day season, this fall season, let's rejoice at the beauty of the truth that God has given to us. Let us go to the Feast of Tabernacles with high spirits, hearts that are just yearning for hearing more of the truth of God.

And let's be the lights in that community where we're going that God wants us to be.