God's Liberation of Earth

Well, that was special, wasn't it? Whoa! Was that loud? Either that, I'm just too excited. Well, Happy Feast or Tabernacles, everybody? Happy Feast! Happy Feast! There we go. Thank you all. Somebody said, one of the choir members said, it's all yours. So, that's good. That was special. That was very nice. Appreciated the music, the offeratory music. Boy, who turned up the heat today, huh? Anyway, so delightful to be here with all of you, and a nice capacity crowd. Thanks to all of you who serve and work, and we're here early yesterday, and maybe even earlier.

But what a wonderful feast so far, brother. We've just begun, and we have a full, almost an eight-day festival yet in charge. I'm sorry to hear, though, about Jack Scruggs going back home. I happened to talk to Jack a little bit last night. I just got a glance at Ruby, and I haven't seen them in a few years. So, really, kind of sorry we can't see them more. Anyway, good to see all of you, and those on the webcast will welcome you, and hope you're having a good feast.

You know, I've got to tell you a short story. It happened. My first feast was at Tabernacles in Squaw Valley, California, 1968. How many of you were in Squaw Valley back in the day?

A number of you? Yeah. You know, this was the last great day, the eighth day, and my first time to be at the feast, first time to be at the sermon there for the eighth day. I was way up there in Nosebleed Alley in that arena. Remember that? And the flapping tent? Yeah, we could tell stories for hours. But it was never too hot in Squaw Valley. It was too cold a few times in Windy. But anyway, I was up there at the literal back area, the last row, and behind me, these large windows of the valley.

So the minister was really excited. He was going through Revelation 20, the last great day, or the great white throne judgment. And that's the first time I heard about the great white throne judgment. I looked back, and it was snowing! I thought, boy, this is the church! This is a powerful minister. He's calling for a white. We've got snow. But that same feast... let's see, this was probably mid-feast, but I was going back to the student dorm, and someone called behind me and said, hey, young man.

I turned around. I thought, yeah, I'm young. I'll qualify. So he said, you plan to have dinner tonight? I thought, well, I actually do. I said, yes, I do. He says, I think he gave me a ten-dollar bill. And that was great. I had a great meal that night, maybe the next night. But anyway, the idea here is, we've heard a number of times, to share the blessings you have. Share the blessings you have. Pass it on to somebody else. That's the feast spirit, isn't it? So anyway, let's continue to do that, as we heard in the sermon at last night.

And God is good and very plenteous and very, very generous God in so many ways. We have our two sons and our daughter and son-in-law here at the feast. We're glad to have them here. And also, I've got to tell you a short story here about these two old friends. These older ladies have played cards and been in activities over the years, but finally got down to a weekly card game. And so one lady looked across the table at her long-life friend, and she says, She says, Friend, I hope you're not offended, but I've been thinking and thinking, I just can't think of your name.

Could you please tell me your name? And her friend just glared and stared back for about three minutes. And the friend finally said, Hmm, well, how soon do you need to know? Just some days, aren't there? Now, you've got to listen carefully to this. This is called Three Senior Pals.

Three seniors out for a stroll. One of them remarks, Well, it's Wendy. The other replies, No, no, no, it's Thursday. And the last one says, Yeah, me too. Let's have a soda. You got it. Good for you. Oh, my. There's a lot of good stories. We've all got them, don't we? I'd like to take you back, brethren, to 1944 after D-Day, which was, of course, June the 6th, 1944, over Europe.

D-Day was, of course, the freedom, the liberation of beginning of Europe. And Europe had been under the domination of the Nazis since about 1940. So this is in June of 1944. The Allies landed, parachuted, into the shores of western France and other locations. This replayed many, many times over in that month of August, September, 1944, throughout Europe. But imagine being in a Nazi-occupied village of yours, where you've lived peaceably for many years, and then all of a sudden, to the extent of four years, you're under the Nazi boot. And then all of a sudden, these Allied troops come in, and you're free. How would that make you feel? Well, we actually know, because we have letters by the dozens and scores of mayors across Europe.

And they actually told the world, within hours, of the liberation of their little village, what it was like. I like to read one of those. This is the mayor of the city of Verdun, dated September the 1st, and his city had been liberated just the day before. So this is what happened, according to the mayor of the city of Verdun. And he addresses this to the Major General Lindsay McDonald Sylvester, commander of the 7th Armored Division.

Dear General, I would not know how to describe the sentiments that I experienced yesterday, the 31st of August, upon the entry of our old and glorious city to your first units of your division. He said, so I simply wept. That was my reaction. I just simply cried. Then he talks about the four years of occupation.

Mine, he said, it was a disaster. And he says, actually, the Nazis were about to continue some atrocities in their very town. It had just been announced the week before. And so he said, we've had a glorious history as a city, but he said, you're coming in. You and your troops coming in. August the 31st was amazing, the highlight ever. So he continues to write here about, dear General, I appreciate what you've done. All our fellow citizens do are gratitude and signed to Mayor Leon Chiesz.

So that happened many, many times over in Western France. It, of course, happened in Italy. It happened in Scandinavia. For that matter, it happened in the Philippines and other islands throughout the Pacific during World War II.

Now, let's just flash forward another 60, 80 years from 1944. We don't know when Jesus will return, but just imagine, brethren, Jesus Christ coming back to this earth and liberating hundreds and thousands of cities and villages across the world. Because that's a major job of His, along with you, of course, under Christ during that time.

That's what I'd like to speak about today. The joy, the jubilation of people around the world as Jesus Christ comes and liberates them. So the title of the sermon today is simply God's Kingdom and the Liberation of Earth. God's Kingdom and the Liberation of Earth. First of all, brethren, the first thing we have to have in terms of liberation is— and it involves all the firstfruits who have ever lived, you and me and all those who have ever lived since way back when.

And that is, we're first going to be liberated from Satan, from our human flesh, and from sin, and then, of course, given a glorious spirit body. First of all, the good news is Jesus Christ is coming. He's going to liberate you from sin, from our physical body, and He's going to liberate us from Satan the devil. And then, finally, of course, give us a wonderful spirit body.

Now, understand, brethren, the resurrection is not the same as resuscitation. Resuscitation implies, in fact, you're almost dead, and then you're alive again somehow. But no, no, the resurrection is going from flesh to spirit. And upon our resurrection, we are given a new body, a new mind, a whole new attitude.

But this will be the first time, brethren, that you will face reality, life, without physical effort, the limitations of the flesh. God will combine your spiritual DNA, as I like to call it, who you are, what you are in terms of your character, your spiritual character, your mind, and your attitude, along with some memory, because God doesn't want all memory for us. Do you want all your memory to be forever and ever? Of course we don't. So we're going to have limited memory, however God works that out. But all memory will be positive and good. But He's going to combine our spiritual DNA, our character, and who we are with, in fact, an immortal spirit body. And we won't have the corruptible flesh to deal with. We've already heard about some health issues here at this feast within 24 hours. Yeah, that's the reality of life. But that's going to be past and gone forever. You know, we're never going to have, of course, any spiritual battles anymore, either. Maybe that's even better. I don't know. What do you think? Having a spirit body or not having any problems with our mind and outlook.

But God is going to give all of that to us. There's no more foot and mouth disease of human nature. I have the shiny of shoes in town sometimes, I think. But all that's gone because you can't see Him. You can't ever say something that isn't right and pure and holy and good.

God is going to make our minds, His mind, a spiritual mind, just like His, fully. God in part, like we have today with God's spirit, but fully, actively His mind. And out of your mouth is Godly wisdom.

Just the perfect thing for everyone at that particular time. You'll never have to say, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. You'll say, I meant said that. That's exactly what I should have said. Because that's the mind of God at work through you and all of the first fruits. So what a change. What an incredible thing that God is going to do. He'll liberate us from Satan. He's going to be bound.

He'll liberate us from our human body. No health problems anymore. And then, of course, He'll liberate us from having to fight these spiritual battles that we do each and every day. Follow all of this. Let's turn over to Romans 8 with me to verse 16. Romans chapter 8, please, in verse 16.

We'll go down to verse 23. Romans 8, verse 16. Paul alludes to all of this, brethren, in pretty good detail, actually. In verse 16, the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, then heirs. Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. If indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. That's what we're talking about here. Glorification to a spirit life. God says that's glory. That's what He's preparing for every human life that's ever been on this earth.

Verse 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. It's hard to imagine, brethren, that in fact you're going to have glory, isn't it? It sounds blasphemous right now, in a way. But God is a giver. He's going to glorify you. He's going to give you that mind of His fully and that full spirit, wonderful, eternal body. And that is glorification. Be one of His sons and daughters. Notice in verse 19, for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

I don't know, brethren, how we might interpret all of the ramifications of that. I don't know if the physical creation around this world, in a sense, could say, look, we're not the reality. There is a whole new world coming. But I do know this. As God's people, we realize this is not reality, truly. This is a foretaste and a training period, but it's certainly not what God envisions for each and every one of you or of human life forever and ever.

There's a whole new creation coming. And notice verse 20, for the creation was subjected to futility. That's right. We're flesh and blood. Not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope. So God has allowed this because of that ultimate hope. And because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Brother, that doesn't mean we then don't have the laws of God.

We're not free from the laws of God, but we're free from the limitations of the flesh and our minds. What a joy that will be! What an incredible future. And verse 22, for we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pains until or together until now. And not only that, but we also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves, grown within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. Well, thank God that is coming. That's what we're going to be liberated from.

The flesh, the physical from Satan, the pulse of our nature. And then we're going to have that glorious, wonderful future as a member of the family of God. You know, we'll never see or have a spiritual drought. You ever had a spiritual drought in your life? I think I would admit, sometimes I'm in a drought. I don't have the Spirit of God as much today as I would like to, or things are a little confusing or a little depressing.

There'll never be a spiritual drought in your life for all eternity. Every day is fresh and whole and wholesome. So that liberation, rather, from Satan, our flesh, and from sin to a glorious body is so awe-inspiring. That's the first thing that Christ will liberate us from. That's very important. Now, once you are a Spirit, that's just the beginning. Well, what are you going to be doing after that?

Remember, this is not the face of trumpets today. This is the face of trampet-ackles. What are you going to be doing at the outset of the kingdom of God, the thousand-year reign? What are you going to be doing? Well, actually, the Scripture is very clear, and very specific, actually. One of the first things we're going to do is this.

You're going to liberate, proclaim liberty to the captives. You're going to proclaim liberty to the captives. Just like those GIs and those airmen and the naval personnel in World War II proclaim liberty to so many cities around the world, actually, we're going to proclaim liberty to the captives. Well, here's another letter. This is a sign from the mayor of the French village of Chateau Theory. And he wrote this letter to the Allied soldiers and airmen.

My dear General, permit us to express to you all our joy for the happy deliverance of our town by the fortieth battalion of assault tanks of the 7th armored division placed under your command. Since this morning, the 28th of August 1944, we have at last the possibility of expressing freely all our sentiments and gratitude toward your troops who courageously, for the second time, liberated us. Of course, he's alluding to the fact the same thing happened in 1918 during World War I.

For the first hours, the village brought out the flags made in silence and, destined to prove, if needed, all our gratitude for the American effort finer than our imagination could conceive. Just a day of rejoicing and hope by all of these people across Europe. Now, we might again project forward from 1944 to whatever you think Jesus Christ may come and nobody knows, Jesus himself said, only my Father knows. But how many hundreds of millions of men, women, and children will be, in fact, delivered from the hands of Satan and their fellow man?

Amazing. Well, billions, plural, for sure. So D-Day is Deliverance Day. Jesus Christ returning. Now, unfortunately, the glum reality, brethren, as Scripture is clear about the onslaught of Satan, and yes, humanity doing his best, his carnal best, to destroy human life on this earth.

The book of Ezekiel 5 describes, from modern-day Israel, the horrible future fact that a third of our population will die in disease and famine, a third will die in war, and a third go into captivity. If you've never studied Ezekiel 5, you may want to do that. That's the tragedy of what Satan and mankind together will do in the future.

Isaiah 6 could indicate that only 10% of modern-day Israel will actually be left when Jesus returns. Appalling. There's other Scriptures indicate, of course, this is a worldwide Holocaust conflict, taking untold hundreds of millions of people's lives. All that is unnecessary. That isn't God's will. And we still hope and pray it doesn't have to happen. But a likely will, Satan being Satan, he doesn't change, and human nature being what it is, and it doesn't change without God's Spirit, likely this is what the end-time Holocaust will be like those last three and a half years.

Nobody in the early 20th century, brethren, could have foreseen in that century 220 million people dying in that century because of politically-caused deaths. Nobody in that century early on could have envisioned that.

We can't envision today without prophecy what this century may bring and will bring. We don't certainly think we're going to have another century after this one. At least, I don't.

One of the trumpets in Revelation projects that one-third of the world's population could perish.

And again, that's not God's will. But that is likely going to be the case unless mankind drastically turns and goes to God.

Turn with me to Isaiah 27, verse 12. So we're not just creating a need here. Unfortunately, there is going to be a huge need for liberators to come to this earth with Jesus Christ, the called-out resurrected saints, the angelic army, and yes, brethren, go to proclaim liberty to all the captives. Isaiah 27, verse 12. Notice it says, It says, It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will thrash from the channel of the river of the brook of Egypt.

And He says, You will be gathered one by one, O you children of Israel.

Brethren, you're going to go literally into these hiding places during that time and seek out those held captive, those that have fled for their lives, those that are diseased and starving. It says, Call them out one by one.

Those, verse 13, Shall be in that day the great trumpet will be blown, and they will come, those who are about to perish in the land of Assyria, and that they who are outcast in the land of Egypt, who shall worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.

Brethren, these are hurting people, going after them one by one in caves. Wherever they are, around the world, islands, mountains, they fled, those that have survived. And you're calling them out, telling them the new king has come, and they are saved. They've made it. There's food, there's clothing. We're going to build cities, villages. We're going to have help there.

We're going to have schools, we're going to have stores filled with clothing and food, the amenities, and yes, finally, there will be peace in the land. Notice with me in Isaiah 61 and verse 1.

Isaiah 61 and verse 1, you know, Isaiah is known as the millennial book. He writes so much about the kingdom of God in the early period of that millennial reign of Christ.

And we're going to just notice verses 1 through 6 here of Isaiah 61 verse 1.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. It refers to Jesus Christ because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good tidings to the poor. And Jesus did this in part, didn't He? Luke 4 includes this.

He also sent me to heal the brokenhearted. Now here we have, brethren, the millennial rule, the very early months, very early weeks, even days of Christ's rulership.

What does He do? He preaches good tidings. That's the good news. Good news means glad tidings are good news, the gospel, doesn't it? It's positive. It's whole-filled.

And He has sent me going on in verse 1. He has sent me to the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty, notice, to the captives, and the opening of the prisons to those who were bound.

I don't think this is going to be anything like our American prisons today, where you get three full meals and, you know, some amenities. I've been in a number of prisons.

Maybe I should make a comment on that, but...

And they're terrible places.

But you're not starving, thankfully. You do have clean clothes.

Again, it's not God's will that have become that way in terms of life, but these people need comfort. They need clothes. They need food. Those that are bound.

Verse 2, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Now, in part, again, that's what Christ has fulfilled during His three and a half ministry, your ministry, but the full application is at this point. In the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn. Now, there'll be a lot of mourning, but there'll be a lot of rejoicing as well.

So God does, rather, reach the unreachable.

Of course, that's not us doing it. That's God in us. We're His army. We're His resurrected saints. But this is a part of our mission, especially early on during that thousand-year reign.

Mercy humbles the haughty. Repentance is rich and real.

And, of course, everyone is going to be reached because God is opening their minds.

Now, verse 3, To console those who mourn in Zion. Well, Zion is, of course, we know a major area, but around the world, to give beauty for ashes. Notice the contrast. Beauty for ashes. Ashes refers to what? Death, destruction, burning.

But you have beauty on the other hand. Then the other contrast, the oil of joy for mourning.

So you have joy, verses mourning. The world's been in ashes and mourning. And then the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Well, what a heavy world we live in. But God is going to take care of that. He says going on that they may be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might or may be glorified.

And they will rebuild the old ruins, and they will raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. Stranger shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine dressers. Verse 6, But you shall be named the priest of the Lord, and shall call you the servants of our God. And you shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory you do boast.

Now down to verse 10, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God. And he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with a robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as the bride adorns herself with jewels. Verse 11 says, As for the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations. Everybody will be released and relieved to see Jesus Christ come with a liberating army, with hope, the gospel, food, clothing, everything they need, housing. It's going to be, like we say, a full meal deal. They need that. They're crying out for that.

I'm going to have you turn, Brella, if you will, to Isaiah 56 and verse 1. I want to look at verse 5, but let's go to verse 1, Isaiah 56. I'm going to describe something there in verse 5 in a second. But verse 1, Isaiah 56 verse 1, Thus says the Lord, the context here is again millennial.

Keep justice and do righteousness, for my salvation is about to come in my righteousness to be revealed. Now verse 5, Even to them I will give in my house and within my walls a place and a name better than that of sons and daughters.

I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. In context, and I think that's in verse 3, but we did not read that, but it's in context about eunuchs even having offspring in terms of their name, not offspring literally, but their name known throughout generations. It may also refer to the chilis. God says, I won't cut off your name. Now the contrast here, I'd like to, in verse 5, go to the Hebrew here a little bit. The wall's there, and the context that I'm going to speak about here means memorial.

And in the Hebrew a place means Yod, Y-A-D, means a place, Yod. And a name in Hebrew is Vashim, God Vashim. Have you been in Washington, D.C. at the Holocaust Museum? Have any of you been to Yod Vashim in Israel? I've been there, one or two. You know what that's like. So Yod Vashim means a place or a name. And again, God says you won't be cut off. Those in the Holocaust will have a name. That's why the Hebrews or the Jews have picked that particular verse.

Yeah, so that's good news, isn't it? It's very interesting, in the late 30s and early 40s, you know, Europe, by and large, rather, ignored the Jews from what was taking place to the Jews. You know that history. If you don't, you probably should look it up.

There were some that did not ignore them. They gave food. Sometimes it was a place to stay for one night and said, I'm sorry, I risk my life if you're here in the morning. You can stay tonight and you must be gone. Because, at least in Eastern Europe, the penalty for keeping a Jew in your house was death. And so many did not risk that, understandably. Gave them a few crumbs of food or a place to stay in one night, but most did not care in that era. So Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, depicts what happened during that era in Europe.

But those that did really reach out were unique. In fact, a very small minority. Those, in fact, are called in this era, Righteous Among the Nations. That's their name. All right, so here you have a few people in World War II in Europe risking their lives to harbor Jews, who, in fact, were beaten.

Their houses destroyed, carried off in cattle cars, and, of course, to the death camp, so many. But the liberators did hide them, clothe them, feed them, and, in fact, save their lives in some cases, in many cases. So what a contrast to what we see here in Isaiah, where, in fact, your name won't be cut off. Because in the Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem, their names are recorded. If you ever go there, you'll hear a name after name after name.

Six and a half million Holocaust. That's what you hear. So that's what that verse, in a sense, too, a typical Jew would interpret verse 5 as, and say, that's Yad Vashem for us. All right, notice in Isaiah 25 and verse 6. Now here, Prelin talks about the Kingdom of God, the mountain of the Lord of Hosts. In verse 6, again referring to the great time of Jesus Christ's return and the liberating army, he says, a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the leaves, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the leaves.

See, that's what Jesus Christ is bringing. He's going to liberate, he's going to feed and clothe and house, and he's going to preach the gospel. Verse 7, he will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, which, of course, without God we all have, a veil that is spread over all nations. And, brother, you're the few, because that veil has been eliminated from your eyes. It may have happened because you grew up in God's church, and that's the best way.

Growing up in God's church is the best way. I came in, like some of you, from, well, I was a mid-teen, but I grew up in a different group, for sure. Sunday, you know, the whole thing. Growing up in God's church is the best way. That's what's going to happen in the kingdom of God, right? That's the model now for them. So by far, that's the best way. You'll learn God right from the start.

So let's go on here in Isaiah 25. He says, He'll destroy that veil, eliminate it. He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from their faces, the rebuke of His people. He will take away from all the earth, and the Lord has spoken.

And it will be said that, that day, Behold, this is our God, and we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord. We have waited for Him. We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Once that veil is opened up, taken off, rather, people are going to say, Oh, we have actually waited for something that makes sense, because what we were taught didn't make sense. It was a mystery. We never could prove it. We just were taught to accept it on faith. And then their blindness is removed, and they learn, and they grow, and say, Now! That's what is right. The liberator will do all of this further.

No more body banks for the terrible Holocaust that is coming. We sing way too much of that already. So, yes, a good portion of your job throughout this period, this area, is to teach. Teach and preach and show everyone the way. That's why we go through ups and downs and experiences today. We need that.

Who better to teach in the Kingdom than those that have been through it already, through the life experiences and their opportunities for growth. So that's the second liberation, rather, and you're going to proclaim that to these captives and have a hands-on part. Let's move to our last point about liberation. So as liberators under Jesus Christ, we shall be known by our love and our service. By our love and our service. You know, again, referring to some in Europe who took their lives in their hands, and they really loved these Jews.

They protected them. They harbored them. Even at the risk of their own lives. And today, of course, we have a chance to preach the Gospel, to live the Gospel, to pray for the future, the coming Kingdom. And I like to read another letter. This is from, again, the mayor of Verdun. But this he refers to back to 1918. It's the same letter I read earlier, but back to World War I. Quote, During the last Great War, World War I, I served for 17 months in permanent contact with the valiant American soldiers.

Certain of them have been great friends to me. I know them, and I know their fine qualities, solid character, hidden under a placid and phlegmatic aspect of which many Frenchmen are not accustomed. The mayor continues to write, quote, The sacrifices which the American soldier has generously made to liberate this corner of France, the calm and disciplined and magnificent appearance of your soldiers are produced to the Verdunois, an impression that will never be erased.

Again, the mayor has just seen his city freed in 1944, and he's referring back in the same letter to what happened in 1917. He said, I served with Americans in that war in the French army. And he said, I remember back then, 27, 28 years ago, how dignified they were and courageous.

So we are called the ambassadors now of God's way of life. Kings in priests, of course, in training. We heard in the sermonette earlier about God's way of love. Let's turn to 1 John 4 and verse 7, please. 1 John 4 and verse 7. I'll just come at it from virtually the same angle, but a different series of verses. 1 John 4 and starting in verse 7. John is really direct here. He says, Beloved, let us love one another. Why? Because God is of love.

That's what God's major characteristic is. And he says, everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Now, verse 8, he says, who does not love, does not know God, for God is love. That's pretty correct, isn't it? Wow! You know, it gets you right here, doesn't it? Right between the eyes.

Now, notice in verse 9, for this is the love of God as manifested toward us, that God has sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. And this is love, that we might be... that we loved God, that he has loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Now, that is love. That is the ultimate love, when you lay down in your life for your friends. No greater love. And that's what Jesus Christ and the Father have done. Father gave up his Son's life, and the Son gave up his life. In verse 11, beloved, if God so loved us, so he's established that, we also ought to love one another. Now, no one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and his love has been perfected in us. So we have not seen God, have we, brethren? Don't say you have, please. But, he says, the characteristic I'm talking about is love. So if you love each other, then he says you've seen God. That's how you know God. Alright, so verse 15, Whosoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, abides in him, and he in God. So you confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and again, the fruits of that is to love one another. Now verse 18, there is no fear in love. Now that's amazing, because I fear things. I don't know about you, but I don't have perfect love. You know, you have fear, you have doubts, you have carnality, you kind of go back and forth like, you know, the Son, up and down, up and down. But he says, God doesn't give fear. That's not of him. That's of man. So if we fear, that's what God wants to drive out, because that's not good for us. Fear is not good. Fear is unhealthy. Fear is a very negative emotion that leads to a hard life. You know, we fear people, we fear a mate, we fear job loss, we fear what? Loss of health.

Whatever. But he says, God is not a fear. Perfect love casts fear out. You don't doubt. You have faith. You don't worry. And worry doesn't do any good, does it? Tell me one thing, worry ever solved. When I worry, you know, it just wastes some time. Worry doesn't help. Anything. So, verse 18, there is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear because fear involves torment. It sure does. God doesn't want us to have torment. That's not something He sends to us. That's fear. But He who fears has not been made perfect in love. So, a barometer, brethren, of how much love we have is, yes, how much love we're showing to one another.

But there's another barometer here, and that is how much fear or doubt or trepidation we have in life. That's another barometer. How much do you have? Do you worry about things? Do you have doubts about, oh, I can't do that. We're talking about me here, you know. You know, the negativism, the doubtism, the worryism.

Well, that's because, again, the barometer of love needs to move forward. And God will do that. God is a gibber of that. And then in verse 19, we love Him because He first loved us. So that's a fact. If someone says, I have love and hates His brother, well, He's a liar. For He who does not love His brother, whom He has seen, how can He love God, whom He has not seen? That's really direct as well. And then in verse 21, this commandment we have found from Him, or have from Him, that He who loves God must love His brother also. Now, that's a command. There's two great commands, aren't there? Love God with all your heart and love your fellow man. This is a summary of the second great commandment. And, of course, the Big Ten are specific definitions of love toward God and love toward man. So let's notice verse 21 again. This is commandment that we have from Him, that He who loves God must love His brother also. That's a very direct opportunity for growth. So there's a spiritual plan for growth right there in those verses. Spiritual plan for growth during the feast, and yes, all year round. Well, let's start wrapping things up around a couple more scriptures. But Isaiah 40, verse 1, please. Isaiah 40, verse 1. Again, liberators are known by, of course, their captain, their king, and that is love. These people are known by their service, their love, because they have God's Spirit in them. Isaiah 40 it is in verse 1. Comfort, yes, comfort my people. Says your God. So how will Christ win the masses through service, love, hands-on? It won't be a distant king in Jerusalem, but remember He is in Jerusalem. He's come from the 3rd heaven. He's here on this earth, raining from Mount Zion, Jerusalem. So hands-on love, comfort, is going to be coming from Jesus Christ. Then verse 2, speak comfort to Jerusalem and cry out to her. Now, comfort here means to the heart, not merely to the intellectual or the intellect, excuse me. It means in the Hebrew to the heart, comfort to the heart and not just the intellect. Christ isn't going to say, well, brethren, you know, I'm here, peace and love, without doing things. And neither will He allow you and me and all the first fruits in His army of liberators. We're going to be hands-on people, getting things done, getting things accomplished every day, helping people. So the Hebrew is very informative. It means to the heart. And then going on to verse 2, their warfare has ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, where she is received from the Lord's hand, double for her sins. Well, again, that's the bad news of man and Satan. Much of it Satan, some of it's man. Hence the Day of Atonement, which is a day of justice, isn't it? God is not going to allow Satan to get off without judgment. And He is castigated from mankind any power, any control for that thousand years. And then, of course, you know the rest of the story after that. Verse 3, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway of our God. And every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low, and the crooked places shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth. Well, I think there's duality. We know God reshapes the earth because we frankly don't need the huge oceans right now. At that point, we're going to need it for earth, mankind, and growth.

But also talking about the government of God, brethren, is smooth. God is able to do things, get things done efficiently. There's no ups and downs, in and outs with Christ. It's all done. It's taken care of. And those governments, those mountains and hills, brought low. There won't be any subservient secondary governments of this world. It'll be one kingdom, Jesus Christ, on this earth, on behalf of His Father. In verse 5, the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Now verse 9, O Zion, you who bring good tidings. Again, it means, actually in Hebrew, to announce. Glad news, messenger, preach, or tell good tidings. That's the message. Get up into the high mountains, O Jerusalem. You who bring glad tidings. Lift up your voice with strength, and lift it up. Be not afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God. What a powerful, wonderful, encouraging message. One last comment from what happened in World War II. A Jewish man, Primo Levi, describes his rescuer, Lorenzo Peroni, in his book, If This Is a Man.

So, understand, a Jewish Holocaust victim was saved from death by his rescuer, Lorenzo Peroni. And he wrote a book about this. And here's a quote from Mr. Levi. I believe that it was really due to Lorenzo that I am alive today. Not so much for his material aid as for having constantly reminded me of by his presence that there still existed a just world outside our own. Something and someone still pure and whole for which it was worth surviving. You know, what's the four-letter word? Hope. Right? Now, this Jewish, Mr. Levi, helped him physically. I don't have the book. I just read an excerpt. But he says he not only helped me physically, but he helped me with hope. Realizing there's a better world out there. Because all of this Mr. Peroni could see is death. There's no hope. There's destruction. And Mr. Levi was able to convince him, no, no. There's a future. You're going to survive. You're going to get through this. You're going to have a future in Europe here. And it did work out that way for this Mr. Peroni, thankfully. So the good news means what? Hope. Good news. Plant idings. What a message. What a fantastic message. That is for all concerned. Let's go to a few verses in Ezekiel and wrap things up here. Ezekiel 36, brethren. This is, of course, about the New Covenant. Ezekiel 36. And that's the one that Jesus Christ will make with all the world in the kingdom. And that's the one He's already made with us. It's not a different kingdom. It's the one, brethren, that you and I are living and have in our hearts. So Ezekiel 36, verse 24. For I will take away from you the nations, gather you out of all the countries, and I will bring you into your land. Again, there's this wonderful future that God will spare and bring and help and gather. And then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean. And, of course, spiritually this is what it's talking about here, cleansing from all your filthiness and your idols. And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of... the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them. How can that happen? It's only because of God's Spirit. You can't walk God's way unless you have God's Spirit. This is why, brethren, we're being trained today for the New Covenant, because you have that in your heart. You can teach that as future priests and kings in the kingdom of God. And now verse 31.

And then verse 37.

That's a positive future, and then some. It's going to end just fine. The kingdom is coming. Nothing's going to stop that. So we have that hope, don't we, right today? So brethren, let's make this one of our best feasts yet. Will you? Give, share, pray for each other, encourage each other, and certainly God will bless each and every one of us. So let's have a wonderful feast with God's blessing, and pray God's kingdom come. Amen.