The Final Enemy

Good morning, everyone! Thank you for that beautiful rendition, Mr. Dalton. I love that song. And of course, I love those verses. I don't pray those, but I pray about those. Like Jesus said, pray thus, not pray this. So anyway, it's really nice to have a beautiful song on this last great day. And today is a last great day. You want to look up...we had some issues going around before us. What's the eighth day? And it wasn't the last great day when Jesus stood up and said that. Read the commentaries on it. They all say it's the eighth day. And some of them will even say, Sukkot, the Feast of Booths, they extend it even to the eighth day. Some commentaries say that. When did the water ceremony begin that people want to pay so much attention to? Show me in the scriptures where there's a water ceremony. So sometimes, in the years we've said, it's the last great day, last great day. So I started saying, well, the eighth day. And certainly the Bible talks about eighth, no doubt. But when you look up at John 737 in commentaries, I don't know how many different commentaries I checked last night again. I've done it before. It's the last great day, the eighth, that great day of the feast. Today is a great day. It's not a great day because we'll be all packing up and going home, but it is a great day. And I want to say at the outset, I want to thank you for being here. I want to thank you for enduring. I want to thank you for all the pain and effort that goes through to be here, because as I get older, it is more painful to get ready to go. It is more painful to get dressed. It is more painful to... So I'm grateful for all of you for being here. I'm grateful for whatever difficulties you had to go through to be here, because you are walking with God and showing Him His way matters to you. And it matters to me. I also want to say a special shout out to Dr. Dunkel and for his assistant for helping Andy Duran, for all the help that they... all the effort and organizing, but also to all of you who serve. And at some of the feast sites, I've asked people to stand. Everybody who served at this feast site, in some way, to stand. And it was most of the audience. I won't ask it.

But you're just getting ready up here in front. So...

I mean, there are a lot of you who've served. You've served others. You've helped people. You've helped people with wheelchairs or with walkers or whatever else. You've helped me coming up on the stage. You've helped in giving sermonettes. You've helped in being in the choir. When you put all those together, you have a major part of the whole feast of people who served. And I want to thank you, because that's what it's all about. And that's what we're preparing for, the greatest in the kingdom of those who serve. So thank you for serving.

We've enjoyed seven days of picturing the one thousand year period. We've been picturing the saints and those who are living at the beginning of the millennium, living in this world and making this world a better place. Bringing about the physical aspect of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is spiritual. Please identify the difference. The kingdom of God will reign over human beings. Flesh and blood can't enter the kingdom of God. So all those who are alive and remain when Christ returns, they will be enjoying the benefits of what the kingdom of God does for this earth. The kingdom of God is that ruling body of spirit believers and spirit-born Christians, as well as God and Jesus Christ and the angels that are all serving Him too.

The kingdom of God is about the Christians who've been changed. But the kingdom of God will be over the earth, will be creating a place where human beings can prepare to be a part of that kingdom too, the hope that we heard spoken of. But what have they been doing? What have we been doing? We've been preparing a world. We've been preparing a world for billions upon billions of people. I mean, the estimates given on just the numbers who died at Noah's flood go anywhere from 3 million to 17 million who died. Was it million or billion? I'll give it to you. I think it's billion. Let me get it to you here. Yeah, 3 billion to 17 billion. Different ones calculate how many died at Noah's flood. Revelation 20 and verse 5. What's this day about? Revelation 20 and verse 5.

Jesus Christ explained what those who are His that His coming will be. They will be resurrected to be with Him, and they will help Him rule. That's Revelation 20 and verse 4. But verse 5 we read, But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. That's whom we're talking about today. I'm going to focus my attention on the second resurrection, because we'll go on to read after that. He said, Blessed and holy is He who has part in the first resurrection. Those are the saints. Jesus Christ comes back. 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15, and those at the last trump, that's what the people were going to be resurrected in the first resurrection. But now He says, Blessed and holy is He who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power. But then we're going to see that that second resurrection is going to take place of all people who lived and died small and great, who never understood God's way of life, who never practiced God's way of life, who never walked in God's way of life. Even if you take all the people who are Christians, name and name only, perhaps, who just profess that they believe in Christ, even if you just take that group, you still have most of the world dying, most of the world going the opposite way. So there are going to be a lot of people who need some help. I want to quote to you from the Encyclopedia of 7,700 illustrations by Lee Tan. The total number of deaths in the world, here's what he estimates, got it right here, the number of deaths in the world may fluctuate widely from one year to the next. A rough estimate of annual deaths is 60 million every year, or about two every second. By the time this 50-minute five-zero-minute sermon is over, 6,000 people would have died somewhere in the world. Death claims a lot of people and has held them in the grave, or wherever, for many years. So it's about two every second. So when I added it all up, for 6,000 years, at 60 million a year, guess what you have? 360 billion people all at once. When I taught at Ambassador College, I tried to know everybody who came. We would have classes of 250 new freshmen. They all get dumped on you all at once. Now, the other class, the other sophomore, junior, senior, I knew them pretty well. But that whole new group coming in, you're John? No, I'm Jacob. Oh, you're Nancy? No, I'm Mary. Oh, you're trying to get the name straight.

Try doing 360 billion all at once, coming up from various parts of the world, from parts of the oceans, from wherever they died, or their ashes coming out of the ground, and down the ground. And becoming a human being. What an awesome time that's going to be. You know, the largest graveyard in the world is in Iraq. It's the Wadi al-Salam. Five million people have been buried there. The reason it's the largest as far as burials is concerned is because they have more record about how long it's been in existence. But there's another one in Olsdorf, Germany, in which 972,000 burials plus 408,000 cremations in that cemetery. And then one in Leningrad, Russia, with over one-half million, 500,000 victims of the German siege. When the Germans laid siege to Russia in World War II, 500,000 died in that. So what about these dead? What about the dead who died and did not ever have a chance? Because God is not an unfair god, because you're born in the mountains of Tibet and never had a chance to hear a radio program, never had a chance to get a magazine in your language, never had a chance to understand that you're consigned to hell, because you didn't believe in Jesus before you died. Is that the fair god? And plus, add into that, Satan the devil's great deception of the world. All he does is to try to keep the truth from getting the people who might have the truth accessible to them. And you have a world that needs some help. You have people who need to understand. You have people who need the veil stripped from their eyes that they might clearly see. No more influence of Satan the devil taking away the truth and trying to cause them a lot of other issues so that they have no chance to hear and understand the truth. Satan won't be there, but death is an enemy. The title of this sermon is The Final Enemy. Death is an enemy. People say, oh, I could just die. Death is not the way out. Some people commit suicide. They commit suicide. They think they're saving themselves. They say, I'm tired of checking out of this world. Oh, no, you're coming back alive again. You're still going to have to cope with all the issues you had before you died.

Plus, you're going to have to repent for murdering yourself.

So when people in this world don't understand, they don't get it. They have to be taught, and they have to be given a fair chance. You and I were called out by God. Our minds were opened. Our hearts were made malleable, not a heart of stone, but a heart of flesh that could be changing by the Spirit of God. These other people do not have that because today it's only those whom God calls. But as we had read to us, come all you who want. The Spirit of God, Joel says, will be poured out on all flesh. People have access to it. But how's this going to happen? So this great day, we're going to focus on the second resurrection. I want to share with you how some groups think of death. Atheists and communists say, once you're dead, you're done for. That's it.

Hindus and Buddhists, some Buddhists, say there's a return trip when you die. At death, the soul enters a new body for a return trip. The process is called reincarnation.

Universalists and modernists say, everybody will be okay. You're okay. I'm okay. Everybody will be okay. And we'll all go to heaven. Nice. Nice thought. Some will be okay, according to Jovah's Witnesses in Christadelphian. Some will be okay. Others will be annihilated with no consciousness as if they were permanently asleep.

Mormonism says those who do not go to heaven will have another chance after death to make the right decision to alter their destiny.

Roman Catholics and spiritualisms say, there will be some sort of a semi-hell after death called purgatory. I think they're getting rid of purgatory. I'm not mistaken. This current pope is getting rid of a lot of things, by the way. But anyway, the typical teaching of purgatory is you go there because you still have some stain of sin on you. That has to be burned off. But once you go to purgatory, you eventually will be released to heaven. They will burn out their personal wickedness until some are ready to enter heaven. Then they say the Holy Bible, but I say this is basically Protestant teaching, judgment for all. The saved, quote, unquote, go to heaven on the basis that Jesus Christ was punished for their sins on the cross, and that during their lives they turned from sin to his forgiveness. The lost are judged according to their sins and punished in hell. What kind of a life would it be for you to make it to heaven according to this teaching? Or make it into the kingdom of God. But you know, down there in that hell, your mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle is dancing around on the coals, jumping from coal to coals. They're trying to be warmed up or heated down there. Is that going to be fun for you for all eternity to know? Your dad or mom is down there roasting, but never gets quite done. That's not a very good world, and that's not a very good God. You see, brethren, what I love about our church and the teachings of the Bible, because I believe the church is supposed to teach the Bible the pillar and ground of truth. So when I use church, I usually use church as the guardian of the Bible and the believer of the Bible. But God talks about a lively hope for all. You're begotten by the red to a lively hope, as was brought out. We have a lively hope. It isn't about just us. You know what?

If we were just about ourselves, guess what we should have stopped keeping the feasts? After trumpets. After trumpets. Why? You made it! At the last trump, the dead in Christ will rise, and they'll be changed. Your skin is saved. But what do you have after trumpets? You have atonement, showing the world it's going to be a better place because Satan is not going to be there, and they're going to be coming at one with God after all the cataclysmic problems that the world will experience as a result of the tribulation, as a result of the trumpet plagues, as a result of the seven last plagues, and as a result of Jesus Christ coming back to this earth. So you have all that that those people have experienced. There's hope. We say these individuals are going to have a chance. And we fast on the day of atonement. I love the day of atonement. I fast, not for me, although it's always helpful to me. I fast for a world that's going to be getting closer to God. We always taught the day of atonement. You can find that in some Bibles. Actually, at one meant a world licking its wounds and saying, we now see God. We want to become one with God. This is our God. We've waited for Him. They're going to begin to understand. And it's a great day. And then, Feast of Tabernacles, which you've been picturing, you've been picturing the Kingdom of God being on this earth for the human beings that are here. The beautiful splendor of God's Kingdom doesn't just mean a parking lot. It means how it's going to be, how the people are going to act and react. What a glorious, wonderful time that will be. And then today, what about the rest of the dead? What happens to them? So it's a great opportunity. Let's take a look at 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 20 to 26, and see that the resurrection is what will eliminate this last enemy. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, we always call it the resurrection chapter. 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 20, beginning.

But now Christ has risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by man, also came the resurrection of the dead. Man breeds death, Jesus Christ, the hope of the resurrection. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ the second Adam shall all be made alive, all be made alive. But each one in his own order, Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Christ that is coming, and then comes the end. When he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, and when he puts an end to all rule, and all authority, and all power. For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. And what is the last enemy? The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. A lot of people think death is a gift. It's not. Death is an enemy. It ends everything for you and me.

I've seen people die. I've been with them when they died. I've seen done funerals for many people. I share with you just three. One a little baby, hardly six months old. I don't even think it was six months old. Probably six weeks to three months. A little tiny pine box, died of whooping cough.

I tell you the name Richard Martin. I performed the funeral service for that little baby. Never had a chance for life. Another one that stands out is a man who taunted his wife.

He was not a church member. His wife was, and her three, four children. They all came to church.

This man hated the Sabbath day so much that one Sabbath, when he was going to church, getting ready to drive, he said, I'm going to go out and chop down some trees. Now, he was experienced at chopping down trees. And he cursed God and defied God. I'll defy God to do anything to me. I'm going to just go out and work. Didn't have to. Deliberately on his Sabbath day. Guess what happened to him?

A tree fell on him and killed him that day. Guess who did his funeral?

I did. His wife asked me to do it.

So, there are people who lived and died, and I remember one more. It was a Catholic girl, probably 20, 21, who had some health issues, but she came to understand the truth.

I don't think she was baptized yet. She counseled with me a few times.

And she had asked her mother if something should happen to her because her disease could kill her for me to do it. She was Catholic. Her mother was Catholic. The whole family was Catholic, except her. She was turning away from being a Catholic. And I remember doing the funeral. All the people in the audience, except for my funeral crew. We always had people in our crew who came and give me support. You know, five or six or so, they'd sit there and I had to see their smiling supportive faces. I sent them in a whole large group. And I remember walking with the mother of this young lady. Put my arm around her as I was after the interment.

Walking back and I just said, I want to tell you something. I promise you, on the authority of the Bible, you will see your daughter again. You will see her again. Because that's what the Bible teaches. The dead will live again. Job 14, verses 14 and 15. We use this at many funerals. Job 14. Job was going through a lot of issues. Probably wished he were dying, but anyway, he did say a couple times. So, Job 14, verses 14 and 15. He said, if a man dies, will he live again? Is death the end of it all?

All the days of my hard service will I wait. All the struggles with life, struggles with trying. And he had a lot of hard service. All the pain and accusations flying at him. I will wait till my change comes. You shall call and I will answer you. You will have desire. You shall desire the work of your hands. Job said, if a man die, will he live again? He said, yes, he will live again. John 5, verses 28 and 29. There's going to come a giant alarm clock. John 5, verses 28 and 29, actually, there are words, but the sound of a trumpet is going to wake people up. But John 5, verses 28 and 29, Jesus Christ said this, do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in their graves will hear his voice. He is going to wake them up, those who are in the grave. All!

Now, we also read before there's an order, right, in which they're going to come alive. First, those who are dead in Christ. Then after that, those who are on the earth at that time, or those who remain alive and are changed instantaneously, undergo an instantaneous death and resurrection, who are still alive when Christ comes back. And then, of course, after that time, those who died outside of Christ, who never had a chance, who never knew the truth, who never heard the truth.

And if they heard it, it was taken away from them through circumstance and situations. But verse 29, And they shall come forth, when a dead person comes forth, that's a resurrection, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation. No, the resurrection of judgment.

See, how many of you here can judge me on how well I play hockey?

Anybody can say, Gary Antion really can play hockey well or can't play hockey. You have to teach me how to play. Now, I can skate, but I can't skate backwards. It'd be hard to be a good hockey player, right? If you're gassy enough to make these wide circles and get back to where you were before. So I can skate, I skate, but I can't skate backwards. But I would be horrible trying to be a defenseman, wouldn't I? No, I could make it be good at rushing, but then, once I got up there and they went to the other dress, I'd have to make this wide circle to turn around and go back or stop and then go back. Going forward all the time, you wouldn't make a good player. If you want to, if you want to, if you don't know how to play softball, I can't judge you on how you play softball. You know what I have to do? I have to teach you to play softball. I have to practice with you playing softball so you can now be judged as to whether you can play softball well or not. All these people are going to come alive. They're going to have to be taught God's way. They're going to have to come to acknowledge and believe in Jesus Christ and His Word and His way and what He has, the kingdom of God, that they see the effects of it. They have to come to believe that. They have to come to see themselves and repent. Do you think they won't have to believe and repent to receive God's Spirit? God's going to pour out His Spirit, but when does He pour out His Spirit upon you? After you're baptized. After you're baptized, after you've believed, repented, and are baptized. So these people are going to have to be taught God's way. I believe most of them will accept it. That doesn't mean some won't, because as we know, there's a third resurrection, which I'm not going to cover today, of those who knew better, those who knew better and still turned their back on God. That's a very sad state for a person to be in.

So that great alarm clock will come. The word for judgment is creasis.

Creasis, not condemnation. Condemnation is part of judgment, but you can't judge me on how I play soccer, to play hockey, until you teach me how. Until I can practice, until I can stick handle, until I can skate forwards and backwards, and I'm fast. You can't judge me, because I don't know how yet. I know how the game goes, but I've never practiced and played. You can't judge me. That's how we will judge the world. God has given us that judgment. Before I go any further, I want to play a beautiful love song. It's by Jim Reeves, and it's called, Welcome to My World, but I'll play it in a moment.

Picture yourself as a spirit being in the very family of God. I think Dr. Fauch mentioned something about this. Picture yourself waiting a thousand years. By the way, you waited a day, right? Because a day is as a thousand years with God. You don't have to wait a thousand years. I have to wait a thousand years to see my loved ones who weren't in the church. It's like a day! Tomorrow, you'll get to see them. The day is as a thousand years with God. It goes fast!

But whom are you looking forward to seeing? A child that died unexpectedly early. One of the saddest things is when a child dies and the parents are still alive. Are you waiting to see perhaps your parents, a sibling, a neighbor, a friend, a schoolmate, a fellow employee from work?

Whom are you waiting to see? I'm looking forward to seeing my paternal grandparents. On my dad's side, I never saw them, never knew them. His dad died when he was just a baby. His mother died sadly at the hands of a mean stepdad who was told, don't get her pregnant anymore. Got her pregnant four times in a row. She already had four children. Doctors told him, no more children or your wife could die. Got her pregnant. She died. The baby was born and he died.

And she had a hard life. I can't wait to see them. I can't wait to see my mom and dad who came to our church but never were baptized. It's been since 13 years since my dad died and it's been nine since my mom. Neither one was in the church. Neither one that I perceived that God's Holy Spirit. Now let me say another thing. God can put anybody in his kingdom he wants to. I'm not going to say, they shouldn't be here. Why didn't you make them? He's going to say to me, neither should you be here. God can save anybody he wants to. I'm not telling you. I'm only supposing that I never saw these people follow God, walk in his ways, keep the Sabbath and so on. I never saw them walking with God after they repented. So there are lots of nice people out there in the world. We're going to take a look at the small and great in a moment. The picture yourself waiting as you listen to this song, and it's a love song by Jim Reeves called, Welcome to My World from RCA Records. He died at a young age 41, plane crash. But listen to this beautiful song. Welcome to my world. Won't you come on in? Miracles I get still happen now and then. Step into my heart.

Leave your cares behind.

Welcome to my world.

Built with you in mind. Knock and the door will open.

Seek and you will find.

As in your beginning. The key to this world of mine.

I'll be waiting here.

With my arms unfurled.

Waiting just for you. Welcome to my world.

Waiting just for you. Welcome to my world.

I have played that song at, I don't know how many different feast sites, and every year my daughters most of the time went with us to the feast. They would say to me, dad, this last great day, you got to play welcome to my world. It almost became like synonymous with the feast, the last great day.

Because you'll be waiting there with your arms open, unfurled, waiting to hug them. And I would answer, Dr. Fouch, what do you want to say to these people? I wouldn't say anything. I'm just going to grab them and hug them and love them.

Tell them I'm happy, how happy I am to see them again. So let's take a look at Revelation 20, verses 4-6. Revelation 20, verses 4-6, and then verses 11 and 12. We'll see about the dead.

And we're going to see the dead, small and great. Revelation 20 and verse 4. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them. Judgment was given, committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus, for the Word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, nor received his mark on their foreheads, or on their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. That's like a parenthetical statement. Like you say, well, they're living, but what about the rest of the dead?

And that's what that answers. Then he says, this is the first resurrection, not the second resurrection is not the first. Those he talked about in verse 4 are already in the first resurrection. They're living for a thousand years. Verse 6, Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power. They can never die again.

But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. That's the first resurrection. Skipping down to verse 11.

Then I saw a great white throne, a great white throne, and he who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.

Move out of the way, here comes God. And I saw the dead, small and great.

The dead, small and great. Listen.

Standing before God. And when the dead stand, you have a resurrection. Standing before God. And books were open. What books? It's in your lap. You have a Bible. It's called books. Biblia. It's a book. Books. It's a collection of books. Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea, Haggai. They're books of the Bible.

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 those things which were written in the books. What judges you today? The Word of God. Are you living up to it or not living up to it? It's the words of God that will judge us at the end. But these people don't know the words of God. So if you just say, okay, let's resurrect these people. What would their life look like? Oh, their life was a mess. Put them back in the grave.

Throw them in the lake of fire.

They haven't had a chance to practice Christianity. They haven't had a chance to live God's way of life. They haven't had a chance to know it. But now they don't have to be called because God opens their minds and hearts. And they see a beautiful kingdom, the effects of that kingdom on this earth, as they are resurrected. Wow, look at this! You can be a part of this. You can have your own home. You can keep your own culture. You just have to get rid of the religious paganism that's part of it.

I don't think God's going to make Italians quit drinking wine.

I don't think he's going to make Greeks give up feta, cheese. I don't think he's going to cause Germans to quit drinking beer. He won't. Not to excess. They could drink, but they could. So he's going to let people have their own personality, just like he lets you.

But it'll be all under the guidance and direction of God. God is not making a lot of yellow pencils. Just manufacture these yellow pencils. They all come. They all walk the same way, talk the same way, look the same way, act the same way.

God is a God of variety. We could see that in his creation.

He's going to let people be themselves, but under God, teach them the truth. Let them live God's way. For how many years? Some say a hundred.

Let them live God's way and see how they do. And as they grow and overcome whatever is sufficiently, that you could change them into God's kingdom. Spirit beings.

So verse 11 says, and in verse 12, he says, And the dead, small and great, stand before God. Let's take a look at some of the small.

Some of the small.

First of all, there were three billion, the 17 billion who died in the flood at Noah's day.

All grabbing for that wood. All wanting to live that they didn't heed Noah, building it for 120 years and preaching to them. They didn't heed him. So they're going to have a chance. What about those who have died of diseases?

Horrible diseases like 9.6 million worldwide died in 2018 of heart disease, according to the World Health Organization. According to the, let's see, he has World Health Organization. Heart disease and cardiovascular issues. 17.9 million died in 2016.

In the United States of America, cancer killed yearly, kills yearly, 610,000. But that's nothing compared to the Black Death.

This is from Wikipedia. The Black Death, also known as the Great Plague or Bubonic Plague, less commonly, the Black Plague was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia and peaking in Europe between 1347 and 1351. Black Death is estimated to have killed 30 to 60 percent of the entire European population.

In total, the plague may have reduced the world population, world population at that time, from an estimated 450 million to 350 to 375 million in the 14th century. It took 200 years for the world population to recover to its previous level. How many people, small ones, have died of disease? How many have died in war? Estimates? 3 billion in war, according to the Wikipedia. 3 billion died in wars. I have a quote here.

This is from Lee Tan's 15,000 quotations. Since 3600 BC, the world has known only 292 years of peace. During this period, there have been 14,531 wars, large and small, in which 3,640,000,000 people have been killed. The value of the destruction – listen to this – this was devastation of war – would pay for a golden belt around the world 97.2 miles wide and 33 feet thick. 33 feet thick, over 10 yards thick.

And then, how many? 97 miles wide. Around the world in gold.

Wars of devastated individuals and left them when they come back, left them devastated. So let's take a look at some of the other small in the world. Nobody notices the unknowns. What about natural disasters? Take earthquakes, for instance, according to Wikipedia. In China in 1556, 830,000 Chinese died.

In 1976, 655,000 Chinese died. Earthquake.

In Haiti in 2010, 230,000 died in earthquakes. And in Japan, this is according to Britannica.com, 140,000 died of earthquakes. Many more died in other earthquakes, too. I just picked some of the highlight. How about people in automobile accidents? Are they small? Small ones, usually.

Since its invention in 1885 in Germany – it's where it was originally invented, brought to light in America – from 1899 to 2018, there are figures kept by the National Safety Board in America. 3.8 million people died in automobile accidents. They're going to be coming alive, most of them, in that time.

What about the Holocaust? Holocaust means burnt hole. The hole is burned. Holocaust in the Greek. Holus means hole, and kostas means burned. 6 million Jews, according to History.com, 1941 to 1945. And we don't forget, or we may forget, there are millions of gypsies and homosexuals who are also burned to death at that time, cremated. What about all the political exiles in Siberia? What about the American Indians, who once were a proud people and now live on reservations?

What about all of them, and their reduction, and their thinking? They're going to their happy hunting ground, which they're not. What about slaves throughout the world? Millions held against their will, and many of them have died in ignominy, because people didn't care about this slave that's not even a person. Even in biblical times, they were not considered people. They were just considered a living thing, like a cart that you have that has wheels you can pull. The only difference is, this is a living thing. It can speak and move by itself, but it wasn't considered human.

How sad. What about the male children of the Israelites in Egypt, who were slaughtered?

What about the first-born Egyptians, who were slaughtered? What about orphans, who died not knowing their families, or being left by their families?

What about aborted babies? Now again, that's another issue you get into. Will God put the baby abortion in various places? Phenos or the embryo? I don't know, but if the baby could have lived outside the womb, I can see God wanting to resurrect that one. I don't know, but we don't have any official stand on that. And many more unknowns, like the tomb of the unknown soldier. Those are the small in life. The small. Hebrews 9, verse 27 says, it's appointed to all men once to die. So everybody's going to die once, but then God also talks about Israel and how Israel will come to that in a moment. Let's talk about the great. Do you ever think about what that's going to be like in that last great day? What's pictured by it in that resurrection?

What socials will be able to have? Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Lawrence Welk Orchestra. A lot of champagne bubbles. That'll be great. We'll be able to dance to that. All kinds of singers. Now to do special music today, we have Frank Sinatra.

We have Bing Crosby singing, I'm dreaming of a green Passover. Think of the world that will be. Think of when we have a picnic. Let's have a softball game. Let's pick up and have a softball game. Okay, who's going to be on Babe Ruth's team?

Who's going to be on Lou Gehrig's team? How about basketball pickup? Oh, I'll take Wilt.

And other stars who've lived and died. Listen to this list of the great, the presidents. Almost all the presidents are going to come up in a resurrection. The prime ministers of various countries, the kings and the queens of the world, the prince and the princesses like Diana, the emperors, the dictators, the czars, the Caesars, the pharaohs, the chas, the caliphs, the rajahs, the Indian chiefs, the military generals, the religious leaders, the popes, the imams, the ayatollahs, the preachers, the Wesley's, the Calvin, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Mother Teresa, Muhammad, and Billy Graham. They come up in a resurrection to be taught God's way, to understand the fullness of God's way. Explorers like Magellan, who circled the world, right? Ponce de Leon, who looked throughout Florida, trying to find this fountain of youth. You say, Ponce, you didn't look in the right place.

We're going to talk to you about the fountain of youth, how you can take of it God's Spirit and live forever. What a blessing that will be. Columbus, Lewis and Clark. What about entertainers? Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe. Can you imagine how they'd be teaching kids at Sabbath school during that great white throne time? Using these people who have good abilities, but just misdirected. Desi Arnaz, will you go on a comedy show? Lucille Ball.

You're going to take care of your family night at the feast? What about Rock Hudson? Elvis Presley, wonderful singer, Elvis Presley. Enrique Caruso, he's going to sing special music at the feast.

Karen Carpenter, a wonderful singer, died of anorexia, the effects of anorexia, bulimia.

What a wonderful singer she was. All these people coming Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, comedians. Milton Burrow, Ed Sullivan. He could be the host for the evening.

You have Ed Sullivan, Frank Sinatra, Walt Disney, Jackie Gleason, John Lennon, Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston. How about cowboys like Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, the Bonanza stars, all three out of the four deceased. Dan Blocker, Lauren Green, and Michael Landon. Clayton Moore, who played the Lone Ranger. I have an autographed copy of a picture of his, from him, of the Lone Ranger. I always loved the Lone Ranger. You know why? He never killed anybody. You watched the movies. You shot the gun out of their hand, like Superman, whom I love, too. The greatest, best picture you could not get is Superman.

Except when you're a spirit being, you'll be able to see through lead, and he can't.

And Kryptonite will not affect you like it did him.

We will have a plethora of individuals coming alive. You have Wyatt Earp and Doc Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James, Jay Silverhills, who played Tonto. You have Annie Oakley and Dale Evans and Doc Holliday. Think of all those sports stars that we had. Arthur Ashe and Stan Musial and Bob Feller and Gordie Howe, Wilt Chamberlain, Muhammad Ali and Joe Lewis. Now, they won't be in boxing, necessarily, but they can teach you how to defend yourself. Although you won't have to defend yourself too much, hopefully, in the world tomorrow, in that wonderful time. Those are the great that God's going to bring about. Talk about an exciting time to be able to see all those people. And what about all the people from the Old Testament, the individuals that didn't end up so good? What about Jezebel? What did she look like? What about Adam and Eve? There's no sign they're going to be in the kingdom. I bet Eve was a knockout, and I bet Adam was handsome as an Adonis. After all, God made them both. He built them. What an awesome time that we have the privilege of picturing. We're not a church that wants to do away with people. We're a church that wants to see people live and have a chance and live life in a godly and a right way. You and I will have a chance to teach them and work with them. Hebrews 9.27, judgment after that first death. But Romans 11, verses 1 and 2, God's going to spare all of Israel. He's going to start out with Israel. I see in Scripture so many places. He's going to start out with Israel and bring them along as His nation. Jesus Christ, the king of that, was born to be a king over all of Israel. He's coming back to be that king. David will be there to assist him on the earth as well. But Romans 11, verses 1 and 2, I say, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! Paul said, for I also am an Israelite, seed of Abraham, the tribe of Benjamin. Verse 2, God has not cast away His people, whom He foreknew. Verse 26. And so all Israel shall be saved. How can all Israel be saved? They've been put in the ovens, in the concentration camps in Germany. How have so many been abused and mutilated and hurt and persecuted through the years? And many have died. They're going to have a chance to be worked with. All of them, when God begins to establish that second resurrection, He says, the Deliverer shall come out of Zion. He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins. All Israel shall be saved. So God's going to work with the Israelites, but He's also going to work with the Gentiles. Matthew 10, 11, and 12 all have sections of the resurrection. Matthew 10, 15. Sodom and Gomorrah are going to come up in a resurrection and condemn those cities that didn't believe. Matthew 11, 20 to 25. Various Palestinian cities. God is going to say, why didn't you believe? But they're going to have a chance when they come up in a resurrection. Matthew 12, verses 41 and 42. Nineveh is going to have a chance to be saved. The Queen of Sheba is going to have a chance to be saved. Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel 37, we heard a little bit about this from Dr. Fauch, but Ezekiel 37 is a key issue here that we want to look at. A prophecy and a vision. That vision was something that's going to have reality. It's going to take legs. In Ezekiel 37, verse 1. The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out of in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of a valley which was very full of bones. So this is a vision. Brought me out here, set me down in his valley. All around me are these 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, of course, from the winds and the sand blowing across them. And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live according to Job? Yes. Can the dead live again? Yes. So I answered and said, Oh, Lord, you know. I don't know. I'm in this vision. You're asking me questions. You're God. And again, he said to me, prophesy to these bones and say to them, Oh, dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. God's word has to be preached to them. Thus says the Lord God to these bones, Surely I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live. See, what does it take to live? Breath, air, to live.

And that's physically. In verse 6, I will put sinews upon you, your ligaments and your tendons. I will put sinews upon 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 the Lord. When I give you life, physical life. So I prophesied, as I was commanded, as I prophesied, there was a noise that suddenly a rattling and the bones came together, bone to bone. And that's where that old song, you know, the ankle bone, the foot bone connected to the ankle bone and the ankle bone connected to the shin bone and the shin bone connected to the knee bone, singing the word of the Lord. You know, yeah, that song. They used to do that at the feast. I think somebody didn't like it so they couldn't sing again, but it's basically coming to life.

Indeed, as I looked the sinews and all the flesh upon them, the skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. They stood up like a mannequin, stood up a living mannequin. I mean, standing up on flesh, but not breathing. There was no breath. And he said to me, prophesied to the breath or the wind, prophesied, said a man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God, Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live, air coming into their lungs to give them life.

So I prophesied as he commanded me, verse 10, and breath came into them, and they lived and stood, same thing we read in Revelation 20, stood up, right, stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

So all Israel shall be saved. That's what it pictures initially, but God's not a respecter of persons. If he does it for the Israelites, he'll do it for the Gentiles too. Then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, Our bones are dry, our hope is lost. Where's my harp? Where's my cloud nine that I could roll around on? Where's Don by the riverside? Where's the river? Their hope's lost. Where's the beatific vision?

Don't I get to just gaze on God? Their hope's lost until we explain to them what their hope is for you to be a part of God's kingdom, for you to be changed and become a son and a daughter of God. What an awesome time! They said, their hope is lost. We ourselves are cut off. Therefore prophesied, say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves.

I will cause you to come up from your graves. That's a resurrection. And bring you to the land of Israel. He's going to start with them. And then you shall know that I am the Lord when you have opened your graves. When I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up from your graves.

Verse 14, And I will put my spirit in you, and you shall live. Give you breath, and once they're converted, give you my spirit. And I will place you in your own land.

Then you shall know that I the Lord have spoken it and have performed it. God is going to bring to life people in a physical resurrection so that they may have their first chance to learn God's way. To come to know God. To come to believe in the knowledge of the truth. To come to repent once they see themselves in relationship to God. To receive God's Holy Spirit poured out upon them. They might need a little bit of encouragement. Isaiah 30 was read two or three times. That teacher is not put in a corner anymore, but behind them say, hey, this is the way walk in it.

Don't veer off the path of God. In Zechariah 14, verses 16 to 19, they're going to be taught God's plan. They're going to know where they are in God's plan, what it's all about for them. I know my dad and mom, they were so close to being. My mom had said she even wanted a council for baptism.

But then some issues came up with the church and all this stuff, so they finally just quit going. And toward the end, they were nice to me, kind to my wife and me. They loved us and honored us, but they didn't follow God's way anymore. So I look forward to when they can learn. And I'm sure they will be diligent at it. Zechariah 14, verses 16, and it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations, this is like this is going to happen, shall come up, that came against Jerusalem, shall come up, come from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts to keep the Feast of Taberna.

This is those who are left in the beginning of the millennium. But don't you think the same thing's going to happen for the next group that comes? They're going to have the opportunity to learn of God's way and keep His feasts. And it shall be that whoever of the families of the earth that do not come up to worship to Jerusalem to worship the King and the Lord of hosts, on them will be no rain.

And if they don't still don't come, there'll be a plague applied to them. And verse 19, this shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it'll be the punishment of those in the second resurrection if they're not willing to walk in God's ways and keep His commandments and do it. So they'll be learning.

They'll be learning what God's plan is all about to bring humans from physical to spirit, from human to divine. Christ conquered death, Hebrews 2, verses 14 to 15. Hebrews 2, verses 14 to 15. Christ tasted death for everybody, but Hebrews 2, verse 14, inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy Him who had the power of death. That is the devil. And in verse 15, And released those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. I love my mom dearly, but my mom toward the end of her life, she began to defend from dying.

Defending from dying so much that she didn't enjoy living. So I said, Mom, you've got to live every day, not defend from dying. Not think you're going to die. What can I do to keep from dying? What can I do to enjoy life? My dad left you enough money and resources to be able to enjoy life. You need to enjoy life while you can. She didn't understand. She feared death. She feared death. And it is something that's an enemy of all of us. And thank God one day it's going to be conquered. 1 Corinthians 15, verses 51 to 55. Bringing this to a close, I've got one more scripture after this. 1 Corinthians 15, verses 51 to 55.

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump, that's that first resurrection.

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, this mortal has put on immortality. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that was written, death is swallowed up in victory. And verse 55, O death, where is your sting, O Hades? Where is your victory? So God will bring it all.

He'll conquer it. It'll be over. Where is your death? Where is it anymore? You're gone. You're history. You're conquered. So there's one more scripture I want to read to you. Revelation 21. Revelation 21.

And God brings about that new heavens and new earth.

Who will be around at that time? Will be finishing up their time, the individuals that are brought up in the second resurrection. Revelation 21 verse 1. We read this. I saw a new heaven, John wrote, under God's inspiration in Christ's revelation. A new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. Verse 4. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death.

If there's no more death, there's no more enemy. And if there's no more death, there are no more human beings. So, pointed unto all human beings who wants to die. No more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. And there shall be no more pain, for the former things are passed away. And he that sat on the throne said to me, Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me, Write these words, for they are faithful and true. Today is a great day. Death, the final enemy, will be conquered. And for all those millions and billions of people, they will have their first chance. With you there, hopefully all of us will make it into God's kingdom to guide and help them to come to God. So, what a great day it is today. Waiting just for you.

Welcome to my world.