Lucifer and the Day of Atonement

Today, I see people a little bit weaker than you normally are. On this day, I will probably be after I get done speaking, so forth. But I encourage you to...I call this the Feast of Atonement. Many people don't. I get juiced by this day. It's been one of my favorite days because I get to spend it, one, on...I appreciate Chris taking part of my sermon I was going to give and covering some of that this morning, as you see some of the basis for this day.

But it is interesting, as you drive, you see all the people. So, but very few people know...I guess you can know this sermon has started already... that this day is actually called the Shabbat of Shabbaton. Some even said Sabbath of Sabaton. And it's the Sabbath of Sabbath is what it actually means in Hebrew. This is the highest day on a rank of days to...in the Old Testament to the Jews. And there's hardly anyone today that is not a Jew other than the Church of God that keeps this day.

Oh, we have people in secular religion that keeps Pentecost. They look at there and make a big celebration in Pentecost. And you have some that might even keep a type of Passover. And there's even some that keep some bit of fall feast days. But this is a day that's unique. This is a day that...in the Old Testament you read that if the people didn't show up and weren't there on the day of atonement, or Yom Kippur, as they called it, you're covering, they, for one thing, were not allowed to go to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

But they were also almost like you say excommunicated for that time. They didn't want you around other people at that time. But the Jews do keep this day different. A little different than we do. Their focus is different. Mainly because they don't really understand, nor do they desire to understand the New Testament. And we understand what this day pictures by not only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. And as you notice, Chris went to the book of Hebrews. This was a book written to the Hebrews. Sure, because we know from Acts that there were actually some Pharisees, teachers actually, in the congregation at the time.

So I'm sure this was striking to them that there's a new high priest in town, and it's Jesus Christ. And all these sacrifices were no longer necessary because he came and replaced them as they were just a picture, just a symbol for the thousands of years, the four thousand years before Jesus Christ walked on this earth. They pictured him being sacrificed. But they also, some of these holy days, as we talked about last Sabbath, they also picture things in the future.

And that's what this day, that's what I'd like to talk about because I've gone in in the past about the the washings, the high priest going into the Holy of Holies. I appreciate Auntie telling me that for my sermon a week from this week. I didn't even think of another seven, but she did. But I'd like to tell you something about, for your knowledge, about Yom Kippur because that's what this Day of Atonement is called by the Jewish Synagogues and during the Jewish Synagogues.

In fact, I have a book here, in case you'd like to look something up today while I'm still here, called The Jewish Book of Why. Why they do what they do. And it has probably a thousand different questions in this book and it answers in a very short form why they do what they do. I found it to be very interesting because I found that most of it were either traditions or really false belief in angels and various things like that, that I found shocking.

And why they do what they do. But Yom Kippur, according to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a book. That book is called The Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah or the Feast of Trumpets that happened nine days ago. And waits until today, Yom Kippur, to seal the verdict.

During the days of all, which are nine days, a Jew tries to amend his or her behavior and seek forgiveness for wrongs done against God and other human beings. And that's why it's very important. It kind of reminds me of secular Christianity that they will not miss either Christmas or Easter. But they'll go to every other. They'll miss every other day, just like a Jew will not miss today. Because when you read from rabbis, which this book was written by, you read that story, you find that today, according to them, is the day they need to show up for church.

Because if they show up to church and God says you've been a good person, then that determines whether you will be rich or poor during the next year. Whether you will be healthy or sick during the next year. So it all has to do with these nine or ten days. Days of awe, is what they call them. Now, if you know the true intent of the Bible, and you read the entire thing, God doesn't expect us to be good just nine or ten days out of the year.

But He wants us to be like Christ, like Him, become you perfect all the time. But as you can see, that kind of lets a lot of the Jewish faith off the hook, except for these nine or ten days. Then you can speed up and act good, look good, feel good, treat everybody good, and then, whew, after that, you don't have to worry about it for another almost a year. A little flawed logic in there. But I do suggest this afternoon, because this is a day of atonement, because we recognize that Jesus Christ, as Chris said, was the atonement for us.

Don't eat any bulls, don't eat any goats. All they did was cover where Jesus Christ, the blood of Christ, completely took it away. There is no covering. It's gone. Never to be remembered, ever again. And that's nice, as I walked on the beach this morning and was praying to God and asking Him to forgive me for the sins that I committed, even during the night.

Even in my subconscious and everything, since I prayed last night, but I also prayed the morning. But it's nice to be cleansed, because that's what it's all about. When the high priest...I know Neil has a book back there that I've read about the Feast of the Lord.

I saw it over at his house. I wasn't sneaking a look. I just saw it as new one I had. But it's a very good book by a Messianic Jew, who actually described what happened with the high priest. I've actually given a message on that probably four years ago here about all the cleansings and the washings that were done on this day by the high priest. And all those cleansings and washings were symbolic of that we need to be cleansed of our sins, which pictures...

And they had many washings as He would make each trip into the Holy of Holies come out, change clothes, take a bath, come in again, do all these things. Like five times He actually entered the Holy of Holies that day between lightings and the spreading the blood on the horn and also the leaving. But it's interesting because God is into cleansing. And you might even recall how one of those sayings from Judaism in the past is even thought about today.

Cleanliness is next to godliness because they believed that ever they could clean themselves. And all they did in the past was picture Jesus Christ coming and being able to cleanse us of our sins. Cleanse us and make us clean. That was so good to be able to tell God, Thank you for cleansing me, for cleaning this vessel this morning, which helps me to keep this day even better.

And it's so nice to be clean. If you've ever gone two or three days without a shower, hopefully you didn't today. Okay? It'd be interesting because the Jewish book of Y, there were... no eating or drinking on this day for 25 hours. There's 24, it's actually 25 hours. No wearing of leather shoes. Do you have leather shoes? I've already broken that one. No leather shoes. But you can wear tennis shoes, sneakers, to a synagogue. Because leather is a luxury, and luxury is not supposed to be done when you're supposed to be coming before them and repenting and asking God for forgiveness. No bathing or washing is what they require. I'm glad we don't have that part, and I'm sure you're glad I don't do that either.

But no anointing oneself with perfumes or lotions or anything like that.

So there are certain things that come with this cleansing. It's so interesting. I don't know where they get that because the high priest, if you go back to the Torah, the high priest went in and cleansed many times. But yet, you're not supposed to cleanse any according to their tradition. Well, the most important thing is we're cleansed of our sins.

And we can take a shower or a bath with the blood of Jesus Christ many times during the day.

And the one thing it does and it helps us to do, it helps us draw close to God. And when we look at the word atonement, it can actually be at-one-ment.

Because this is what God has wanted all the way back to Genesis. He just wanted to be one.

One with His creation, one with us. And so He helps us. Not only is this a good day to become at one with God because we're not going to eat, we don't have to worry about that. We don't know we're not going to drink, we don't have to worry about that. Our main focus today is what? Him.

Him. Being at one with Him. Being able to pray to Him more than you would on an average day at Stuut.

The Shabbat of Shabbaton. The Sabbath of Sabbaths. It's a very, very important day to God. But He wants us to become at one with Him. Now for all you married people, you know what being coming at one means because that's what it is. It's a blending of everything. It's a giving of all yourself to your mate. And vice versa. God is asking this one day, let's blend, let's become one. But you see, God is so holy, so righteous, so good, so perfect, He can't come down here.

So what's it mean? It means we have to come up to His level. We communicate with Him.

And isn't it fantastic? So no matter what you've done, no matter what you've done in the last week or month, that He says, hey, I want to become one with you. No matter how many times you might have slipped up, said something, thought something, did something. It's like that incredible story of the prodigal son. How He wants him to come back. And He keeps looking for us. And you notice that son that left him, you know, it says when the son finally comes to himself and repents, the father in the story which represents God is standing out there looking for him, waiting for him. As soon as he sees him, he doesn't go, oh, that's him. No, he runs. He runs to him. He runs to his son. God ran. The only time in the Bible where any reference to God running, but God runs to his son. See, that pictures us. Pictures us to even today. It's a beautiful story because He wants you and He wants me to become one with Him. Mary and I will not be one today.

Okay? God and I will be one, and I want her to be one with her Creator.

And that's all of us. That's what He wants us to do. So it's a beautiful day as we have gone from actually the fourth or fifth chapter in...oh, we actually went from the first chapter of Revelation during the last month or six weeks of sermons, and we've gone and we've went through all the way to Revelation 19, as we did before the preparation for trumpets, and we talked about trumpets and the sounding of the trumpets, and Stan was here, and Maurice was here, and talked about those messages and what it means, and then we saw how the wedding supper, on trumpets, the seventh trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ will rise, and we who are alive will be caught up together with Him. The time, and then in chapter 19 of Revelation, it talks about a wedding supper of as Christ actually marries the bride that God has picked out. God has picked out the bride. God picked out us to marry perfection, and we're far from it, aren't we?

Wow, we are far from it, but yet He sees. He sees something in us, and I've said time and time again, it's because of here. Nothing we show on the outside is that something inside that He knows He wants for His Son. Now, my mother will tell you who's here. She will tell you she would, of all the girls I ever dated, she picked out Mary and was hoping I would marry Mary.

Well, I did marry Mary, so it makes my mother happy. I don't know if it makes Mary that happy, but it makes my mother happy, my father happy, because they knew me at that time, even though I dated quite a few and liked them, but they thought, this would be, this is who you need to, and they even pushed me that way, even when I didn't want to go that way at times. But they knew, and God does that for us, and that's something about this day that we can be so thankful of. He wants us to become one, and He wants us to be so used to spending time with Him that it's no big deal when you spend eternity with God, because, hey, you're used to it.

This day gives us a chance to spend a day like a God. See, God doesn't have to eat, He doesn't have to drink. It also gives us a chance to see how far we are from there, from God, because we're all going to be on my mouse a little dry with love. No, Chris didn't stick water just to tempt me today. My mouth will get dry, yours is probably dry too, by three, four, five o'clock this afternoon. It'll be very dry, and it's going to tell me that I'm very human, and God's not. But yet, He chooses us. He chooses us. He chooses us that He wants us to be there and spend eternity, because all this stuff of our problems are frail bodies. Right, Nora? I mean, she's not like she was 30 years ago, are you, Nora? But she's not always going to be that way.

And He knows these frail bodies don't really mean a lot, because He can change all that like that, and He's going to. But He wants to make sure that we develop that character, and He knows who to call.

Sometimes we doubt ourselves. I walked and saw the big waves coming in this morning, I walked a little bit into the water about my knees. And I thought, man, I am so flawed, God.

I am so flawed, and yet, you still want me. That's a beautiful, beautiful thought, brethren. No matter how flawed we are, He still chose us, and He still wants us, and He still wants to give us eternal life, so that He can spend eternity with us.

I've not had anyone love me that much. These two women on the front row probably love me as much as anybody, and they don't love me anything near what God does. So imagine that. Now they're looking at each other, won't they? But, you know, there's something that I would like to focus on today, because I want to bring those points out, because I think they're so important.

I know Humberto, which I gave my notes, none of this has been in the notes, so I'm sure he's having to do whatever, but it was something that's very important. But there's something else that this day pictures, not just being at one with God. This pictures a time in the future, as we saw in Revelation 19, as we saw the wedding supper, which is in the future, which is pictured by the blowing of the seventh trumpet, and it also pictures, you know, we know there is a time of war later on as Christ and His saints and the armies, as you go on down chapter 19.

And we know that they defeat the armies, the saints, that's us, that's family, okay, that God called. We're going to be with Christ, with all that power, all that glory, that none of us deserve, that none of us are even close to even dreaming what that's going to be like. But he said, that's all right, because you can't even dream, 1 Corinthians 2.9. You can't even think about it, but I want you to, when you see that gift, when you feel that gift, you're going to go, I'm overwhelmed. I can't believe that. We'll probably break down and cry, because we realize how great it is that he's wanting to give us.

But something happens at this day, pictures. The Jews tend to look backward. They look back, they look even at the...and I think it's a good time also to see the symbolism in Leviticus 16 that Ampei and I talked about that she read. I'd like you to read that, maybe even this afternoon when you go home. Also read Hebrews 10, if you have a New Living Translation. Hebrews 10 really lays it out for you very well in the New Living Translation. Give you things to read about and think about and pray about and talk to God about. Or if you choose to, like I did this morning, just get up and say, I'm going to the ocean. And boy, you see how small you are and you see how great he is and those clouds and the waves and this little speck of sand down on the ground. And that's what I am like to him. And he still knows, can look down through the three heavens and find me and know that I'm standing right there talking to him. Awesome! Brethren, it is just, it is totally awesome. But it's not just for us. This day is not for us by itself. This day pictures a day, a time, and a future that Revelation 20 talks about. And I'd like you to go there with me. Revelation 20 in verse 1. Revelation 20, verse 1 I read from the New King James. After the wedding supper, after the armies are defeated and all the birds of the air get to feast on the 200 million man army and all the other millions and as they have fought and they are defeated by Christ and his saints, his army, it says then, which is a continuation of verse 21 of 19, then I saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

This is an angel. It doesn't say who. Maybe it's Michael. Maybe it's Gabriel. I could see both of them being archangels being the one to go. We've been fighting with you for 6,000 years, Satan.

Now, you're going to be bound.

And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit, shut him up, set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more to the thousand years we're over. So Satan, finally, pictured by the day of atonement, is going to be put away. And all humanity will get to see what life was meant to be because he has been here tormenting, deceiving, lying, causing mankind all the problems, and he will be bound for a thousand years.

And that's why one of the rewards of eternal life that he has called those two now, he has called us to, is that we, like most of the people in the world, they have not been called to stand and fight him. You can see because he deceives the whole world, but he doesn't deceive you.

But we have to fight the fight now. And you realize we fight the fight now however long our life is, however long God has called us. We fight the fight with Satan daily. We fight the fight now, but guess what? We don't fight it with him. That's over. The angel binds him.

And then the kingdom of God, in reality, really starts.

And of course, as days are pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles that we will be celebrating in a very short amount of time.

But Satan has influenced this world for the last 6,000 years, more than we sometimes want to give him credit for.

But we also, we have a job because God will help us through because he knows he works on us, he accuses us, right?

But he wants us. God wants us to do our part.

And you know what? He's made it just so that we can.

He doesn't expect us to be perfect and walk on water yet. There's time when we will.

There's a time in the future where it may be necessary. But he just asked us to fight now, to stand up and live God's way of life in an ungodly world.

That's all he asks. Man is that, you know, and he knows we're not going to do it perfectly, but that's okay. Just repent. It's cleansing. Come back. See, because every time you repent and come back, you, God realizes that you realize you need him, because most of the world, they don't really need him. But every time you repent, every time you ask, God, please forgive me for saying that, for thinking that, for doing that. Help me get back on. Help me. Every time we do that, it shows God that we were the right decision, that we can't do it on our own, that we need his Son, and we need him, and we need his Holy Spirit. That's what's encouraging about this day.

But there is a time in the future when the entire world will not have to deal with the prince of the power of the air, the negativity, the hateful attitude. And as I was thinking about it last night, I wanted to go back, and I want you to with me, go with me to Isaiah 14, because this is going to be an incredible day. And the incredible thing is we will get to see it.

We will get to see what is talked about right here. Isaiah 14 talks about the fall of Lucifer in chapter 14 and verse 12. Okay? And in verse 12 of Isaiah 14, it says, O how you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning, how you are cut down to the ground, you who weaken the nations, for you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven.

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will also sit on the Mount of the congregation on the farther side of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like, or as one translation says, I will be the Most High. He wanted to overthrow God. He wanted to become God, and he rebelled.

And even though he was so beautiful, at one time things changed.

Verse 15, yet you shall be brought down to Sheol.

That's the day that this day pictures. To the lowest depths of the pit. You remember what Revelation said? Put you and seal you in the pit. Those, and here's the beautiful future, that people are going to be able to see this because how many people today say, if you said raise your hand, how many people believe there's really a devil? Not that many. Oh, he's this little guy with a tail that comes out here and horns and a pitchfork.

Because it's become comical today that, oh, the devil made me do it. You remember what Flip Wilson used to say that? And people just kind of laughed about it. So now, the devil's even become a joke that he's not really there. People really don't believe. That's why so many of our booklets we bring out about, there is a devil. Why the suffering? Why is man evil? So evil that it's hard for people to comprehend what they do. They follow this devil, this dragon. But it says in verse 16, here's what's going to happen. He's going to be put into a pit and people are going to see this angel that was once so beautiful, most beautiful of all God's creation of all the angels. But he turned because of his beauty.

And he said, and those who see you will gaze at you and consider saying, is this the... As a matter of fact, translation there says man, but one is more accurate from one of the translation. Is this the one who made the earth tremble? Who shook the kingdoms? Who made the world as a witness?

Who destroyed its cities?

They're going to look and say, who is this? Look at this hideous creature. This is the one that caused all those problems?

Go with me to Isaiah 28 as we see the rest of the story about him.

See, this is something Satan does not want to hear. He doesn't want you to hear it.

He doesn't really, in his own mind, he doesn't believe this day is really going to take place.

And he hates this day more than any other days. That's why he would love for people not to come.

Because this is God-ordained day that says, sorry, big boy, it's over.

You're going to be put away for a thousand years.

Isaiah 28. Isaiah 28, let's go down to verse 16. As he describes there, you can read the rest of Isaiah 28 as you can actually see as he talks about the King of Tyre, which was a very powerful ruler at the time, wicked ruler, when this was written. So he's just using this form to say, this is the one that's behind this King of Tyre. So he's saying, those seem the same actions that you see from this wicked king. Where did it come from? It comes from...he's following his father.

Satan. So let's go Ezekiel 28 verse 16. He said, by the abundance of your trading, rich commerce. What was he trading? What did he have to trade?

He had promises to trade. How did he get a third of the angels to follow him? Trady. Oh, if you follow me, you're just not going to be an angel anymore.

You'll be up there with me because I'm going to be the most high.

You became filled with violence within and you sinned. Interesting. He became filled with violence within and he sinned because before this time he had not sinned. It's that iniquity was found.

He had not sinned. He was doing what? But all of a sudden, this violence. You ever feel like sometimes it's you get angry and you almost lose control. Or you get angry and you realize, you know, if I don't reign over this, it's going to control me. How many people have had that happened to them where they don't know why. They just flew off and they committed this crime. They wouldn't know.

You became filled with violence and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God. That means out of heaven. And I destroyed or removed you, O covering carob. Did he destroy him? Totally no. Did he change what he looked like? Well, we're seeing that in Isaiah 14 and 28. From the midst of the fiery stones, which you can see these fiery stones are all at the throne of God because here Lucifer was right up there at covering carob. He was at the throne of God. He was up there. Your heart was lifted up. You became proud because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground. I laid you before kings that they may gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading. Therefore, I brought fire from your midst. It devoured you. Get this? And I turned you to ashes upon the earth. In the sight of all those who saw you and all who knew you among the people are astonished at you. This is that time that talked about in Isaiah 14. We get to see. Humanity gets to see Satan exposed and brought out as he's cast down, as he's about to be put into the pit, exactly what and who he is. And they say, you have become a whore. You shall be no more forever.

All this beauty he had, we're gonna see he's a hideous creature.

God made the outside look like the inside. And aren't you thankful he doesn't do that to us sometimes? So we will see this hideous creature. And he's totally upset. See, that's why he hates his day. He knows this day's coming and all are going to see him. And he loses his power.

And he is very upset.

Brethren, I'd like you to take the time that we have left, not that much, to realize what an influence Satan has had in our lives and the lives that God has called out.

See, Satan's desire, Satan's passion, his obsession is to keep you from being at one with God.

That's why he hates his day.

That's why it's so important that we are here.

We are standing up because this is a stand-up day that we are telling Satan, we're gods. We're gods and we are going to be gods with our Father and that we have reign over you. That's why it's so important. Look, traffic. Traffic. Go to a mall. Satan's not worried about them.

They're not in tune. They don't even know what this day represents. They don't even know, they don't even believe Satan. Plus, that there's going to be pieces of dirt that God is going to turn into divine beings that are going to be god-like people, god-people, God-spirit-entity, eternal beings that have total control over this world.

And we're taking his world because right now it says he's the god of this world because more people are following him and he's going to lose it all.

Isn't that a powerful statement that we, of all the 6.5 million people that live in three or four counties here, he calls us and expects us to stand tall and to stand with him on this day? You go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, you remember, in Genesis? And this is where Satan got his first foothold, not only with Eve by deceiving her because he did deceive her but he blamed Adam because he said, you weren't deceived. So we know he's a deceiver. But then what happens?

He waits until there are sons, there are two sons, and then he... What?

He got one. That's right. He got one that started to think like him.

And God actually said, whoa, whoa, whoa, as he does us. You always realize he does this. Maybe he doesn't do it to you. He does it to me quite often. Wait a minute. Sin is at the door. Sin is at the door. And unless you get a hold, it's going to take hold of you.

He told that to Cain. God was trying to warn him. But what happened?

Cain chose a different father. He chose a different father. And he followed the father, and he killed, murdered. He killed. He murdered his brother, and he knew exactly what he was doing. Oh, I'm sorry. No, he lured him. He pulled him out away from the buddy and then killed him out there.

No, premeditated murder. Then he tried to lie about it. And then he tried to be more like Satan.

Am I my brother's keeper?

Oh, where is that? Well, his blood is crying out from the ground.

Let's go back, if you will, to John 8. John 8 takes place around the Feast of Tabernacles. John 8 is the end of a Feast of Tabernacles, and Christ has given an incredible message.

And then he made such an impact with the people that they were all like, wow!

And the leaders were going, ugh! How could we follow this guy? And he started to try to make fun of him.

Tried to take him down. But we find something here that Jesus said about those who have a different father.

That's hopefully we're not one of them. John 8, verse 44.

You are of your father the devil.

And the desires of your heart of your father you want to do. You want to do. Why were they wanting to do?

This is in the Feast of Tabernacles, six months before they kill him at Passover. They wanted to kill him then. They wanted to kill Christ right then. He knew they were already planning. They were going to send people out to get him, to kill him, to murder him.

He said, you are your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, and he is a liar and the father of it.

So, brethren, when we lie, when we hate, when we deceive, we have to watch and make sure that we repent of that and we turn around so we do not become sons and daughters of another father. See, unless you think about it, you will forget that even though you're born, you can be adopted. You can be adopted by Satan. Even though you have another father, you can start following him to where pretty soon you do what he wants more than what this book and what God's instructions to us is. And that's what he wants.

Now, we're all going to stumble. We're all going to... Well, we've probably told a lie in the last week. We may have told one today. I don't know. But hopefully you can repent of it. Even the sins of omission and commission, those you know you committed and those you don't know. I do, because I will say some things sometimes and quote somebody that's told a lot.

Don't want to, but I still did it.

I guess the old question is, who's your daddy? Who's your daddy?

Okay.

See, God wants to be our only Father. All right. He even goes to Father and says, okay, if you have a religious leader, don't call him Father. And what is one of the major religions? Call their priests. Father! He said, don't do that. And they do what? They do that.

We only have one religious Father, one Father who gives us everything, one who is all powerful.

Stay away. If it doesn't say it, we can't do it, brother.

But we have the opportunity today.

I want you to think about Revelation 12 and verse 10, where Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. Just like he accused Job, you think you're any different than Job? No. You are Job. You are Mr. Job. Mrs. Job today.

Like I said, we don't need to look at chapter 11, the faith chapter, and say we want to be like Abraham, because we're not. We are the Abrahams of today. We are the Sarahs of today. We have been given the Holy Spirit just like they were, and we will reign with them if we endure to the end.

What a powerful. But we've got to be able to do our best.

And you see, you have to understand, the best, the best from Bruce is not the best of winsome.

It isn't the same. Annie and Grace are not being graded the same way.

Each of us are graded on who we are and what we do.

Okay? Just do your best. That's all he asks, and keep putting that foot forward.

And that's what's beautiful about today. But you see, you have an accuser, accuser of the brethren, and he accuses you, he accuses God about you every day.

But you know what the beautiful part is? Remember what we read about in John 8? Half the stuff is probably not true. He's a liar. He's a liar, and he's a father of all eyes.

He's going to say, yeah, I saw them, they committed that sin, and they want to do it again, and again, and I'll get them to do it again, because that's in their hearts.

No, God knows what's in our hearts. We must realize we have an enemy, and he tries to accuse us. He tries to get us to think negative. He tries to get us to be depressed. He tries because he's that way, and he knows God is the opposite of that. God does not think negative. God does not get depressed. And he knows that. And whenever we don't allow Satan to get that foot in the door, it gives our Father to say, that's my boy. That's my daughter.

Look at him, Satan! Yeah, you've got all these. Look at mine. They're gathered today on this feast of atonement. Yeah, it's a feast to them because I'm in the center of their life.

They're not all worried about, oh my, oh, I'm hungry. Oh, I'm thirsty.

Because they don't live on bread alone as their older brother, right? See, that's a beautiful thing. So as we wrap up here today, I'd like you to turn to Ephesians 6.

All the time I've been here, I've never gone to Ephesians 6.

But I want to do it today and we'll wrap up in these verses.

Ephesians 6, because they needed it just like we do. Ephesus was a very carnal city, carnal region, carnal people, and so is Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm, you name it. We deal with it. So God wanted to tell them that. And I don't know that this, I just wondered if perhaps this was even given to them, this letter of given on of Day of Atonement or a holy day. But I could see it. I could see this given. So let's go through about six or eight verses here as we wrap this up today. Ephesians 6, verse 10. Finally, he's addressed everything else, finally my brother, my brothers, my family that is out before me today. There is an old one of you I didn't pray for on the beach this morning, by name. I look across, I can't think of anyone that I missed. You're my brethren, you're my family. My brethren, be strong in the Lord, in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, and we have heard that many times. There's TV shows, there's these whole things. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand, what? Wiles. Anybody else have something else in the Bible? Another translation? Besides wiles, what do you have today? What? Schemes. Oh, schemes. Be able to stand against the schemes. New Living Translation actually says strategies.

Is that what you got? Strategies of the devil, as Annie says. So he's telling the strategies. What is a strategy? Annie, you put together a strategy for your job, don't you? Yes, it's a plan. For things to work out, you've got the plan. You just can't go in there and go, here, let me stick them with this needle. Right? And he's got that. Satan's got strategies.

And each one, he's got a separate strategy for you, Janae, than he does for me. He's got a separate strategy for Stephanos, Cairo, Nellie.

And you know it. The reason I know is I've talked to many of you, right, face? And you know when he's working on you in your area of weakness or where he...

A lot of times it isn't weakness. He knows when. When. Just like today. I'm strong.

Started with last night, and it's going into day, and I feel this day. I know what God is about. I know why I'm here, and I feel, and I'm empowered by God, His Holy Spirit.

He's not affecting me today. But he's liable to get me tomorrow. He knows those strategies. He knows when we're weak. He knows when we've had a bad day. He knows when we're having a bad time. He knows when there's a problem on the job. He knows when the worst of people that you've ever had to deal with, they came up that day, and guess what? That's His day too. That strategy.

That you may be able to stand against the schemings, as Gena says, the strategies.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. The evil day. That's that day.

Okay, and stand at the end when He's had this big chain put around Him, and drug off. Therefore, it says, verse 14, Stand there, having girded your waste with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Here, because Ephesus was a Roman-controlled city, they had all kinds of soldiers there. The soldiers all had this armor when they went to war. And here was a breastplate that He's describing first. It goes right over here that does what? It protects against, gets you right in the heart. You're gone. And so Satan's gonna go for what?

He wants to take us out first. Go for the heart. Take you out totally. Right?

Having girded your waste with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Do we? Where do you find out how to be righteous? This. This. When something comes on, I have to determine whether it's right or wrong, and then make that decision. Put it across here.

And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, do we have peace in our life to where when He's coming at us and want to bring people who want to destroy our happiness, want to destroy your peace, we can handle it. This is amazing. They always like, they had to put on these things here because they didn't want to, because if soldiers, the one thing if you could do is get them knocked off their feet, they're pretty much defeated. Here, He's telling us He wants to knock us off our feet. And you know how He does that? Take our peace away.

Don't let Him take your peace. He's not allowed to, because the Prince of Peace has control over your peace. Above all, verse 16, above all those things right there, taking the shield of faith, do you have it with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one?

Have that faith. Know why you're called. Even when He tries to tell you, you know, you're really a mess. You know, this week we were a mess. You know, you really don't deserve to be called by God. You're a mess. No, it is by faith, right? What I say by what we do is by faith in God. It's faith in His works. It's faith in Him. It's faith in Him, in us. And He cannot stand that faith in us that God is in us, because He doesn't have any power over us. Wouldn't that be a wonderful day for all those people that won't have to contend with this?

And can you see now, just delving into this just a little bit, why God wants you to be able to be those leaders, to be those teachers, to be that priesthood, to be that kingship, to rule over these people, to be able to tell them, wow, this is what it was like.

I've been through some problems. I've been through it when Satan was here. And you can get through this, because I went through that about a dozen times in one week.

Finally, in 17, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is what? The sword of the Spirit, which is what? The Word. That's why I've stressed so much. That's why it's so important. You want to find me with a screwed-up week? You'll find me when I've gotten so busy in details that I didn't do this right. Oh, I may have read, but I didn't study the Bible. That's all of us. Get in here. Your week will go right. Oh, it won't be that you won't have a problem, as James says. You know, there's going to be these things, but you won't be tempted by God. God can't tempt. But He gets us through these things, because He wants to make us as strong. And finally, 18, as we talked to Mr. Rivera over there, as he laid out before us, praying always, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to the end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. It's all made for us. Brethren, this day is the day of atonement.

It is the feast of atonement. Please go home today. Please pray. Please walk with your Father.

Please study. Please read. Spend this whatever time we have left. The sun sets at 650-something, my wife said. Make this memorable.

Make it so memorable that you will remember this day, because God remembers this day. My mother can tell you when my father was alive, he wanted to have all the kids come together out at the farm, you know, all four kids and plus all the grandkids. And my dad just loved that, even though it was an incredible amount of work that he didn't do half as much as my mother did. And she would always remind me, but I gotta do this, but I gotta do this, you know, we've got to get all, Ellen, don't worry. Oh yeah, well, I'll be there.

And my mother remembers. But you know, and it was a lot of work. A lot of times you had all this food and 20 people showing up at the house and they just went all Sunday, all afternoon, all morning. And you know, I just remember my father, how much he enjoyed it. He enjoyed all those coming together. Oh, even if the kids were, you know, competing against each other or even this or whatever, it all came together. Because my father, he loved all the kids and he wanted him to pull together at that time. And he never forgot that and we never forgot it. Brethren, that's what this day is. You've come here together to be together because of your dad. But it doesn't end when we leave here. It isn't just about us coming together, it's about you staying at one with God through the rest of the day. Have a blessed rest of atonement and have a wonderful feast at Tabernacles.