The Mystery Of the Eighth Day

But here we are on the last great day. We're here on the eighth day, as God calls it. The Feast of Tabernacles has passed, and a new time has begun. You know, when God established the Holy Days, the Feast of Tabernacles lasted for seven days, and immediately following that day was a holy time that He simply called the eighth day.

And in that, there's a lot of the mystery that the world has never really understood that is wrapped up in these days, in this day as well as the Festival of Tabernacles that we just completed. Turn with me, if you will, over to Revelation 10. Revelation 10, an exciting and intriguing set of Scriptures here.

Chapter 10 of Revelation, verse 1. John, under inspiration, he writes, I saw still another, and in division he said, I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book opened in his hand, and he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, and he cried out with a loud voice as when a lion roars. When he cried out, seven thunders uttered their voices.

And when the seven thunders uttered their voices, I was about to write. But I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, Seal up the things which the seven thunders uttered, and do not write them. The angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land, raised up his hand to heaven, and swore by him, who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer.

But in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished as he declared to his servants the prophets. The mystery of God would be finished when that seventh angel was about to sound. Now, just not too long ago, we observed the Feast of Trumpets, and you heard about that seventh trumpet, that seventh angel that would sound, and at that time, the seventh angel would pour out God's wrath on this earth, the seven bowls of Revelation, I believe it's Revelation 16.

At the seventh trump, at the last trump, the dead in Christ rise, the first resurrection, a resurrection to immortal life, among those who lived the way of God's life. After they were called, after they received God's Holy Spirit, they lived it, and the rest of their lives, they lived God's way carefully, diligently, and completely, and completely. At that seventh trump, Jesus Christ returned to take the kingdoms of this earth and make them his own. Now, when he did that, then a 6,000-year period of time ended, and a new time began. For the prior 6,000 years before Jesus Christ returned, the world we live in today has been under the sway of Satan.

When Adam and Eve made the choice, back in the Garden of Eden, to reject God and the Tree of Life, and to choose the Tree of Death and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, as it's called in Genesis, God gave the world over to Satan. They chose him, and so for the last 6,000 years, Satan has been the God of this world, and he has deceived all nations, as we're told in Revelation.

He has hidden the truth of God from them. Mankind doesn't have any clue for the reason that he has created it on earth. He doesn't have any idea why the physical earth is or why we are even here. Satan has blinded man to that great truth, and only a few have had the opportunity through the ages to understand what life is about and what God is working out.

You and I and everyone here today and everyone keeping the Feast of Tabernacles around the world, we understand what that truth is. It's a tremendous, tremendous truth, tremendous truth that the world doesn't know yet. But as the 6,000 years ended, and Satan was put away, as we pictured on the Day of Atonement, a new time began. The seventh thousand-year period in mankind's history. Now Jesus Christ is God of the earth. Now Jesus Christ is King of King and Lord of Lords.

And physical man that continues to live on physical earth learns to live God's way. Not by their own rules, not by their own standards, but by the standard of the Word of God. And for a thousand years, we see complete restoration, we see complete renewal, we see everything change during that seventh thousand-year period. Even the nature of animals changed. The earth is productive again. It's a variable garden of Eden. And the nature of man changes as God pours his spirit out on all of mankind. It's an age of joy and peace and harmony and abundance that the world has not seen, has not seen at all.

Adam and Eve saw it during the time that they were in the Garden of Eden. Mankind hasn't seen it. And that thousand years goes on as we've just celebrated in the Feast of Tabernacles a joyous time. And then the thousand years ends. The thousand years ends. What next? What next? Let's go back to Leviticus. Leviticus 23. Leviticus 23. As God records all of his holy days, his annual Sabbath in Leviticus 23, and we read what the ancient Israelites were commanded to do as they observed those holy days.

And as we understand them and see in the Bible what they mean as far as God's plan goes in the New Testament, let's read through just a few of the verses that talk about this day that we're observing today. Leviticus 23, verse 36. Breaking into the thought here a few verses before, he commanded everyone to observe the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the eternal.

Verse 36. Leviticus 23. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. On the eighth day, that's today, the day after the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, you shall have a holy convocation. Exactly what we're doing as we're here today, you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Lord. It's a sacred assembly, and you shall do no customary work on it. We're here exactly where God wants us to be. Here on his eighth day, keeping this day holy.

And he goes on and he summarizes the Feast in verse 37, but this time was so important to God, the Feast of Tabernacles, and this eighth day that he repeats it. He repeats it in verse 39. After he summarizes, these are the appointed times of the Feast of the Lord in verse 37. He says in verse 39, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, that's the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles, also on the fifteenth day of the seventh month when you've gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep the Feast of the Eternal for seven days.

On the first day there shall be a Sabbath rest, and on the eighth day a Sabbath rest. Keep the Feast seven days, and when the seven days is done, the very next day, the eighth day, keep a Sabbath rest. Seventh day ends what begins the eighth day, and that's where we are today. God simply calls this festival the eighth day, the eighth day. But we don't have to guess what exactly the eighth day means, because we have the instances in Scripture of what the eighth day is and what it represents. But before we talk about that, let's go back to the Feast of Tabernacles that we just observed and just completed last evening as the sunset.

We know that when we keep the Feast of Tabernacles, it pictures the time of the millennium. Jesus Christ is on earth. It's a joyous time. God says, rejoice in these days. We know what it pictures, but there's a reason that God says for us to get away from our homes, come out of the world, and go to the place where He says to be for seven days. All seven days. There's something about that. You know, when you look at the Feast of Tabernacles, the word tabernacle comes from the Hebrew word sukkah. S-U-C-C-O-T. It means rude or temporary shelter.

Temporary shelter. And you remember in the wilderness when Israel was wandering, when God commanded there would be a tabernacle built, and that would be where the priests would administer His time. That tabernacle, it was called, was a temporary shelter until the temple was built. A permanent place for God to be worshipped and for Him to reside among the Israel at that time. And as Israel left Egypt, for 40 years as they were in the wilderness, they dwelt in temporary shelters for those 40 years.

Until God brought them to the land, He promised them that He wanted them to inhabit for the rest of their time. Temporary shelters. And so when we keep the Feast of Tabernacles and we leave our homes, we picture and remember this is a temporary dwelling place that we're in. The world we live in today is not our permanent residence. The world and our homes that we have back wherever we've come from, that's a very nice place that we live, perhaps.

But it's not our permanent residence. That's not where God wants us. We picture leaving this world and in the millennium there will be physical people living in a physical place, but that's not their permanent residence either. Our citizenship is in heaven. It's not here on this earth. We're here temporarily, temporarily living in temporary dwellings. But even beyond that, the bodies that we have, that we dwell in every day, those are just temporary places for us to be.

God didn't create us with these physical bodies to be our body forever and ever and ever and ever.

They're a temporary place where we live for however long he appoints. 70, 80, 90, 100, maybe more years than that. A time for us to be developing and a time for us to be growing and training and living in the training ground that God has given us. But it's appointed to all men to die once, and so we leave these temporary bodies behind. And there's a time when the physical body gives way to a more permanent body. Let's go back to 2 Corinthians 5.

Paul talks about this and Peter talks about it as well in 2 Corinthians 5. Peter talks about it in 1 Peter. We won't turn there, but you can look those verses up. 2 Corinthians 5. Paul writes this, verse 1, For we know that if our earthly house, our earthly house, the body we live in, we know that if our earthly house, this tent, he uses the Greek equivalent of Sukkah there, we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven, the immortal body, the resurrected body for the first fruits, not to live forever in this physical body, but to live in an incorruptible body.

Looking forward to that time, in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation, which is from heaven. If indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. And so, as we kept the peace of tabernacles, among the many things we observe and remember, is that during that 7,000-year period, there still exists a physical earth, there still exists physical people living on that physical earth. The first fruits, a small, very small percentage of mankind, has been resurrected to immortality at the seventh trump. But there's a whole bunch of people that have lived that don't even know what you and I know today, even the bare minimum of it. When the seventh thousand-year period, when Christ's millennial rule ends, an age ends. Their time of physical life, physical man, and physical earth is done.

Is done. And the eighth day represents a new beginning, a new time, that God has in store for all of mankind. Now, we can look at the eighth day, and we can use, follow what God has in mind, by just looking at some of the examples in the Bible. We know that, for instance, every Sabbath, we keep a seventh-day Sabbath. The following day, we can call it the first day of the week, but if we do the counting, it's the seventh day of the week, and if we say, Sunday I'm going to do this, you can say, on the eighth day I'm going to do this, just like we kept seven days of the Feast of Tabernacle, and today is the eighth day. We can find some patterns in Scripture of what God showed occurs on that eighth day and what it means. Let's go back to the example of Jesus Christ. At the beginning of the Holy Day season, we observed the Passover. Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and buried in the middle of that week. For three days and three nights, he was in the tomb. The only sign that he gave that he was a Messiah was three days and three nights he would be in that tomb, and he was resurrected. He was resurrected 72 hours after he was put in that tomb. And we know, and I'm sure you recounted it as you observed the the Days of Unleavened Bread, Jesus Christ was resurrected on the seventh day. The Sabbath that occurred during that Days of Unleavened Bread during that time at or near sunset about the same time that he was put into the tomb. That was the seventh day.

That was a tremendous thing that God resurrected him, but it wasn't until the next day, the eighth day, that Jesus Christ ascended into heaven, ascended into heaven and was accepted by God as the first of the first fruits. And then the harvest of mankind began. Everything changed when he was resurrected, when he died, that the sins of all mankind could be forgiven.

When he was resurrected, that the hope of the resurrection for all mankind would be there.

And then he ascended to heaven on the eighth day, the same time that the priests in the Old Testament were offering that wave-sheaf, offering that God would accept the first of the physical first fruits that they were gathering. And then the harvest could begin. When Jesus Christ was accepted, the harvest of man began. And it was totally different than the time before. The Old Testament time was done. The New Covenant time began. Now man had access. The men who God would call and who would receive the call and repent and believe him, now they had access to the throne of God. Now they could receive the Holy Spirit. The Christian era began and extends until the time that Jesus Christ returns to earth and sets up his millennial rule. A new day began on that eighth day. A new time began. It was a new beginning, a new era, if you will. In Genesis 17, we don't need to turn there. You know what the sign of the Old Covenant was among the Israelites. They were to be circumcised. That was a sign of the Covenant. You remember what day the baby boy was circumcised?

It was on the eighth day. One week of life would be completed before they would receive the sign of the Covenant. One week would be completed and on that eighth day he was circumcised and the rest of his life he had the sign that he was of God, of God's people. Let's do turn back to Ezekiel, Ezekiel 43, and see something regarding the Millennial Temple that will be built during the time of the millennium. And it's a similar thing you can read back in Exodus that occurred back at the time of the building of the Tabernacle that that was constructed. That guy dwelt with the people in Old Testament times. But Ezekiel 43, Ezekiel 43 and verse 25, talking about purification of that temple, getting it ready for service, Ezekiel 43 verse 25 says, Every day for seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering.

They shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it and so consecrate it. Seven days, complete that cycle of purification, getting ready for what the purpose of it is. When these days are over, it shall be on the eighth day and thereafter that the priest shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar and I will accept you, says the Lord God.

Seven days of purification, seven days of getting ready, and then on the eighth day, the eighth day and for the rest of time, God says, I'll accept you. I'll accept you and I'll accept the offerings that are offered on that altar. Seven days. At the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, 7,000 years of physical mankind and physical earth. Of course, the earth was created far before man was put on it, but 7,000 years of mankind's existence on a physical earth are complete. And on the eighth day, there's a new beginning. Something different happens beginning on that day that we celebrate today. It immediately follows the millennial reign of Jesus Christ because there is a time that that thousand years is done. That thousand years is done, but God's plan isn't complete at that time. Let's go back to Revelation 20. Mr. Cowan read a few verses in Revelation 20. I'll repeat those, but let's get the picture of what God is doing on the chapter 20 because we don't have to wonder what the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles and the Eighth Day represents because it's right here in the chapters 19 and 20. It all follows the same pattern that God laid out in Leviticus 23 when he recorded his holy times for us. Revelation 20. Well, if we look at Revelation 19, I'm not going to read anything there, but you remember Revelation 19. This is the time that Jesus Christ returns to earth. Mine has in bold letters in verse 16 of 19, he returns. He's king of king and lord of lords. He decimates the armies of the world that are gathered at that time. He claims the kingdoms of this world for himself, and the saints that are resurrected in the first resurrection are with him.

That's the Feast of Trumpets. Chapter 20, verse 1. And I saw an angel, John Rice, coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil in Satan, and he bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal on him.

Well, there's the Day of Atonement. I'm sure when you observed the Day of Atonement, you went through Leviticus 16. You talked about the two goats that were chosen on that day. One goat was sacrificed. The sins of Israel were laid on him, and he was the sin offering the other goat. Aaron laid his hands on that goat, confessed all the sins, iniquities, and trespasses of Israel over that goat. And they didn't kill that goat. They sent it out into the wilderness, never to return to Israel. Those Israelites had no idea, as they were observing that, what that meant. We know what it is. It's here in Revelation. It's Satan. It is pictures the time that Satan wasn't going to be killed, but he's going to be bound up for a thousand years, no longer able to deceive the nations the way he has done during the time of these six thousand years that we continue to live in. God takes, or an angel takes hold of him and bounds him away so that when Christ is on earth, there is no satanic influence. He's bound up, he's shut up, and he's put away. He's cast, verse 3, into the bottomless pit, and the seal is set on him so that he should deceive the nations no more, not no more forever, no more, till the thousand years were finished.

So as we look at the seventh day and the completion of that, here's something that occurs after the seventh thousand-year period, after the millennium. So we have one thing that we see that happens on the eighth day. After the thousand-year period, it says in verse 3, Satan must be released for a little while. We'll visit. We'll come back to that in a little bit. In verse 4 of Revelation 20, it says, I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The first fruits, the ones who are resurrected at the time of the seventh trump, they are resurrected to immortal life. They reign with and under Christ for that thousand-year period. Verse 6 talks about what a good resurrection that is that you and I have been called to be part of. If we fully, completely, carefully and diligently follow God the rest of our lives, verse 6 says, blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Their physical life ended somewhere along the line, or at the time of Christ's return, they received immortal life. Corruptible bodies, this tent, this temporary dwelling place that we're in became a permanent body for the rest of eternity, at that time for that small group of people. But what about the rest of humanity? Because we're just a small group of people, all who have ever lived that have been called by God, who have responded to God's call, who have diligently, carefully, and completely followed God, or just a small, small, small percentage that wouldn't even register on anyone's percentage calculator. There's a whole group of people, because Jesus Christ didn't die just for the first fruits. He died for all mankind.

All mankind. And yet we've completed 7,000 years. We've completed Jesus Christ's time on earth, and these haven't been accounted for yet. Let's go back up to verse 5.

But the rest of the dead didn't live again until the thousand years were finished.

Oh, they'll be resurrected too. They'll be resurrected too. But should that just not until the eighth day, not until after that 7,000 years, not until after that millennial rule of Jesus Christ that marks the end of a time of physical man and physical earth, or the completion of God's purpose, I should say, for physical man and physical earth. He does some accounting here in the eighth day, and then a whole lot of time beyond that. So we know that Satan, as we just read through Revelation 20, he's released again during the eighth day. There's a whole lot of people who are resurrected on the eighth day.

Let's drop down to verse 7. Sometime during this eighth day, however long that is, and no one knows how long the eighth day is. Maybe it's only one 24-hour period. Maybe it's a hundred years, as it says in Isaiah 65. Maybe it's longer than that. Only God knows. We don't have the answer to it. We just know it's a period of time when everyone who's ever lived will be resurrected, and Satan, at some time during that eighth day, is going to be released. In verse 7, it says, when the thousand years have expired, that's after the Feast of Tabernacles that we just observed, when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison. His prison. We send someone to prison these days. What do we want to have happen to him? We want them to become rehabilitated, don't we? I mean, the purpose of a prison system is people are convicted. They go to prison. Hopefully, during that time, they're rehabilitated. They can come out and be productive and law-abiding citizens of the country they live in. You would hope, perhaps, perhaps, that while Satan's in prison, he might be thinking a little bit about what has gone on. Well, maybe a little bit what's going on. I'm doing a little speculation here, because he's done away for a thousand years, but God releases him again at the end of the thousand years. Satan will be released from his prison, and he will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth.

Same old Satan. What he's done for 6,000 years, as soon as God releases him, he does the same thing again. No repentance. No change. Still the enemy of God. Still the adversary of man. Same old Satan.

He goes out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

The great many people. The great many people. Who are these people? Who are these people? Where did they come from? Are they the people who lived during the millennial time, who were alive at the time that the seven thousand-year rule of Christ is done? Are they the people who were resurrected as a part of the resurrection? Doesn't tell us where. Satan goes out, he deceives them, and for some reason they listen to him. If it's the people who lived during the thousand-year rule, this kind of boggles your mind. How could they have seen such a time of peace and harmony and joy and abundance and ever choose Satan and his way? And yet Adam and Eve did that. They saw the Garden of Eden they were in, they walked with God, and they made the choice. Because Satan is cunning, Satan is deceiving. If Satan could get us to defer just a little bit from God's way, then he's done his job. If we are paying God just 95% of the way, it's not enough. Over the course of our lifetime, God wants us to become completely yielded to him, completely submissive to him, completely understanding the pearl of great price that he gave us, completely understanding the treasure that he's given us, that we would literally sacrifice everything in our lives for him. It doesn't matter what our children want. It doesn't matter what our friends want. It doesn't matter what our bosses want.

We do what God says fully, completely, continually, obeying him in the letter, even more importantly, and in the Spirit. But you can't obey him in the Spirit unless you're obeying him in the letter, as well, of the law. That's what God wants of us. But if those people who lived in the millennium chose Satan, shame on them. If the people who are resurrected, if it happens to be them, and I have no idea who this group of people is, where they come from, and where they are, we know they're people who have lived, and they're living in a physical body. But somehow they choose Satan.

And it says in verse 9, they went up on the breadth of the earth, they surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city Jerusalem. Does God allow a war? Does he allow bloodshed to occur at that time? Absolutely not. He sees what's in their hearts. He sees what they're up to. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Swallowed up. Devoured.

God makes his judgment on them. He sees what's in their heart. And in verse 10, we say Satan a final word about him, the devil, who had been bound for a thousand years and then was released for a short time during this eighth day, during this time that we call the eighth day, the time past the millennium of Jesus Christ, the devil who seceded them was cast in the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, as Mr. Common explained, or were cast. They were there at the end of chapter 19. We see what happened to them. And they will be tormented today and night forever and ever. Satan bound. This time for eternity. There's nothing, there's nothing that says Satan will ever be released again. What his ultimate faith is, only God knows.

We can speculate, but we can only say what the Bible says. He'll be cast in the lake of fire and brimstone, and there he will remain. Not to be released again. And then we go into verse 11.

Verse 11, I saw a great white throne. Now there's the word then, as John is looking at the vision, he sees these things going. I saw a great white throne. Well, we can look at that word, white. You know, John earlier in Revelation 6 saw a vision of God's throne. Ezekiel in Ezekiel 1 had a vision of God's throne. And here, John records, he saw a great white throne. Well, we know what the color white represents. It represents purity. You know, we have the saints and the bride of Christ who are adorned in white garments, clean and bright. It's only fitting that there'd be a white throne. And of course, throne represents government, the king, the ultimate judge. I saw a great white throne. And him who sat on it, Jesus Christ, all judgment was given to him, and him who sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.

Now that's an interesting verse. John sees a great white throne, and there's Christ sitting on it.

And the earth and the heaven fled away. And he concludes that sentence, there was found no place for them.

Their time, the physical earth, the physical heavens, their purpose is complete.

The time is done. Now we're in a period of time that's different than the 7,000 years before Jesus Christ is on the throne. And the heaven and the earth fled away. No longer important, no longer part of the picture or necessary, and there was found no place for them.

Their time is done. Verse 12, and I saw the dead, John writes. I saw the dead, small and great, a great number you can imagine. By some estimates, there's been 60, 70 billion people who have lived on earth. Only a handful, only a handful at this time have been resurrected. Only a handful have received eternal life. So 60, 70, maybe more than that.

Billion people still don't know what the truth of God is. A vast number of them have never even heard the name Jesus Christ. A vast number were born before Jesus Christ ever lived on earth.

All those have to be made aware. All those have to be resurrected. All those have to understand the truth of God if the Bible and what God's plan is is fair and just, which it is for all of mankind.

Jesus Christ died so that all mankind would have the opportunity to have their sins forgiven. That all mankind would have the opportunity at eternal life. And now here in this period of time, the eighth day, the time following the millennium of Christ, I see the dead, small and great, standing before God. You can imagine the picture in your mind as John saw it. What could that be like? I don't know that the earth today could even handle 60 or 70 billion people, but there they are standing before God. But remember, the heaven and earth led away. They're standing before God.

Now, unlike the people of the first resurrection who are resurrected to an immortal body, because through their life they have shown their total commitment and surrender to God and that they will live by His Spirit, this group of people isn't resurrected to an immortal body at this time. This is a physical resurrection. Let's go to Ezekiel.

Back to Ezekiel 37. We see a dramatic picture of this resurrection that occurs, that part of which is part of the eighth day, pictures this time, as God puts it in writing in a beautiful and inspiring way. Ezekiel 37. We'll read through the first 10 verses here.

Ezekiel 37, verse 1. The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Eternal, set me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. Visualize this. Put the picture in your mind as we read through this. He sent me down in the midst of the valley, and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley, and indeed they were very dry. These bones, these skeletons, had been laying there a long time. And He said to me, Son of Man, can these bones live? They're just dry.

They're just sitting there. There's no life at them at all. Can these bones live? So I answered, O Lord God, you know. And again He said to me, prophesy to these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones, surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. I will put sinews on you, and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live.

Not an immortal, incorruptible body, but a physical body, complete with bones, complete with sinews, complete with flesh, complete with breath, the way we are today. So I prophesied, then He concludes verse 6, then you shall know that I am God. Then you shall know that what I have said, the mystery, why do we exist? What does God have in mind? Why were you born, as we used to hear all the time, why am I even here? All of mankind is about to learn when God resurrects them and puts breath in them. Verse 7, so I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied there was a noise, and suddenly a rattling, and the bones came together bone to bone. Indeed, as I looked, the sinews in the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them over. They were all laying there. It was incredible. All of a sudden there's these bodies, bones, but now they're bodies laying in there. But there was no breath in them. And He said to me, prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of 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. Make them alive again. So I prophesied, as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army. Later, you know, it talks about the whole house of Israel. It's a pattern of what God is going to do for all of mankind when He resurrects them during the second resurrection and brings them back to physical life, an exceedingly great army standing before God.

As we read in Revelation 20, let's go back there. Revelation 20.

I saw the dead. Verse 12. Small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.

Greek Biblia, the Bible. Books were opened. Just like at some time in our life, God opened the books of the Bible to us, and we read and we understood that whatever we knew before, thought we knew about how to obey God or to serve Him or to please Him wasn't in the Bible at all.

The Word of God that we may have been taught by other churches at other times in our life wasn't at all what the Word of God said, and God commands we live by every word of God, not every word of man, not by our interpretation of it, but by His interpretation of it. And at the time, these people who, many of which have never heard Jesus Christ, many of whom who maybe hate Jesus Christ, hate Christianity, hate whatever they were raised with, they are there and all of a sudden God opens their minds, and they begin to see and understand what you and I understand. And perhaps they begin to feel remorse for the way they live their lives. Maybe they recognize as they are standing there, and realize that the very moments before that they remember they were being murdered. They were in a war and being slain. They died a horrible death by some disease, or just died a natural death, and here they are, alive again. They know. They know it's God. They know it's God that they're living again, and they recall the way life was on this earth. It had a lot of good in it, a lot of happiness, perhaps, but an awfully lot of suffering, an awfully lot of pain, an awfully lot of tears, an awfully lot of upset, and for most of the world that never, that couldn't even imagine the wealth and the society that we live in. It was just hard times, hard times. Life was anything but joyous. They were probably happy, but they never knew what you and I know, and what we've enjoyed even in the physical time in this time that we live. But the Bible is opened, and they begin to understand what you and I do, God, just like He opened our minds, the firstfruits' minds, and others who chose that firstfruits wasn't anything really that important, and decided to go another way and back into the world.

Just like our minds were opened, their minds are opened. And in verse 12 it says in another book, the book of life. Some have been written in the book of life, right? The firstfruits, the bride of Christ, that's been written in the book of life, but it's not complete.

So now in this eighth day, the book of life will be completed. All of mankind, there will be an accounting. They'll come before God. They'll understand what was going on. They had their opportunity to do what you and I have done in this life. Their time of judgment is then.

Our time of judgment is now. 1 Peter 4, 17. Now is the time for judgment on the house of God, who he has opened our minds today. Their time is then. Going on in verse 12, the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books, the same way by which you and I are judged. God judges us by the things he gave us in the Bible.

All scriptures given by God is profitable for inspiration, for reproof, for instruction, for correction in righteousness, for the pia dea or pahidea, someone corrected me on the pronunciation of life. This is what we live by. This is what God says. This, if you're going to follow me, live by every word that's in here. Carefully, diligently, faithfully, completely.

Completely. We can add that to our list of what God commands us to do. If we want what he promises, if we want what we began to follow him for, and if we believe him, and they were written, they were judged by the same standards that you and I are judged. Who are the people that are judging? Now let's go on. Let's go on to verse 13.

The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them.

Hades, of course, being the grave that people are buried into, death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one according to his works. Oh, they got a right white throne, and him who sits on that throne, judges. But we still on verse 4, that there are other judges as well that perhaps are there at this great white throne judgment. It says in verse 4 of 20, I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.

All during the eighth day, because what we do during the millennium, there's a purpose for the first fruits beyond the thousand-year millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

There's a purpose for them in the eighth day. There's a purpose for them beyond even the white throne judgment. God hasn't called us just a short period of time. He called us to eternity.

Called us to eternity. Now, whatever it is beyond that, that we have no idea, but as you heard in the sermon at 1 Corinthians 2.9, I has not seen, ear has not heard, it has not entered into the hearts of man the wonders that God has prepared for those that love him. We can't even imagine, but we know, and we take him at his word.

They were judged each one according to his works by the standards of the Bible.

Now, let's turn back to Isaiah 65, because some will ask, well, how long is that? That seems like an awfully lot to get done on an eighth day. And we remember that God says in 1 Peter 3, or 2 Peter 3, a day to him is like a thousand years. We don't know how long the eighth day is. We don't know if it's going to be a few years, 24 hours, a thousand years, or whatever. We have no idea. We leave that to God. Some have referred here in Isaiah 65 over the years to an interesting set of verses that we don't understand exactly what they mean either, but let's just visit that and just recount them. Because here in Isaiah 65, and preceding in chapter 64, and on to verse 66, we see we're in a prophetic time. You can see the Feast of Trumpets. You can see the Feast of Tabernacles. You can see the Day of Atonement. You can see the eighth day in these verses and the latter part of Isaiah. And in Isaiah 65 and verse 20, it says, No more. Now, if you look at verse 19, you see it's 17, 18, 19. It's talking about the new heaven and new earth, okay? Not the same old physical earth, not the same old physical heaven, not the old Jerusalem that we know today, but a new Jerusalem talking about it. And verse 20 says, No more shall an infant from there live, but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days. Infants and old men, everyone will live an exact amount of time. The child shall die 100 years old, but the sinner being 100 years old shall be accursed.

So there's time that's different than we did today. We don't all live exactly 100 years.

If that refers to the white throne judgment period, perhaps. Do we know that? No. Can I say it absolutely? No. One day we'll understand what verse 20 means. Perhaps, just perhaps, it's showing something that God has in store for later on.

But don't go from here saying, I said it, because it's on record. I said, we don't know.

We don't know. We can read the verses, and we have to trust God that he will show us what the truth is when it's time for us to know. Let's go back. Let's go back to Revelation 20 again.

Revelation 20. We see that there's this time. All of mankind, all of mankind is resurrected to a physical life. Everyone who wasn't in the first resurrection that has received immortal life in incorruptible body is resurrected during this eighth-day period. Some, as we read, well, they're all judged. Some, as it said in Isaiah 65, are judged as sinners, and they're accursed. We read in verse 13, we read in verse 13, that everyone will be judged according to the words of the Bible. God will know what is in their hearts. They won't be just standing there and say, oh yes, we agree. God, just like He does with you and me, He'll say, now I know. Now I know what's in your hearts, and perhaps, you know, as God is their judge, He will know how He knows that. Verse 14, then, death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. Ah, the ultimate death is gone.

The physical is done. Death and Hades, the grave, the enemies of mankind, they're cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Second death is nothing that anyone wants to be part of. Second death is eternal. It's gone. It's just done. You're done. This is the second death, and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. They'll be judged.

Sadly, there will be some who simply will not accept. Jesus Christ simply will not yield to Him. He simply will not obey God the way He said to be obeyed. They'll be cast into the lake of fire.

We hope that the vast majority of people who are resurrected will follow God, will choose Him.

But sadly, some won't be. Some won't. Some will find their lives ended at that time, permanently ended. Because God didn't build immortality into us today, it's given to us either at the time of the first resurrection or at the time of the second resurrection when God knows what's in our heart. Hearts will follow Him. Anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Now let's go forward to chapter 21 in verse 8, and let's see some of the people who will not be, or who I guess will be, in the lake of fire or be thrown to the lake of fire because of the things that they have in their life that they don't overcome. Chapter 21, verse 8.

But the cowardly. Those who are fearful. We heard a message here about being fearful.

God told the Israelites, don't be afraid. He tells us, don't be afraid. Don't be dismayed when these things happen. Trust in Him. It may momentarily stun us or take us by surprise, but believe in Him.

But the cowardly. Unbelieving. Those who don't have faith. Who say that they believe in God, but don't really believe in Him. But the cowardly. Unbelieving. Abominable. Those who do still do things that are detestable to God. Murderers. Sexually immoral. Sorcerer's. That's an interesting word.

Sorcerer's. Idolaters. Those who put something before God, that make that their God, and whatever we choose to put before God in His will, is our idol. Idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.

In 7000 years, God sees mankind and the first fruits are purified. The rest of the mankind will be purified in some way and choose God, but those who aren't who will be cast in the lake of fire, sadly that is part of this eighth day. But there's cause for celebration in the eighth day.

God's purpose for mankind is complete. The physical earth is no longer necessary what God had in mind for man, and whatever He has in mind for man. Different than the angels, because we're told in Hebrews that right now we're lower than the angels, but that isn't what God's ultimate plan for mankind is. His plan for mankind is now past this phase, and now we're in the eighth day, and it's a new time, a new beginning. The next phase of whatever God has planned is in store, but we know that the physical earth is done away at that time. Chapter 21, verse 1. John writes, I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea.

There gone a new heaven and a new earth, and I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem. Not Jerusalem in the little country of Israel over there today, a city that God loves, that He will always love, but now the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. Now God comes down to earth, and He dwells with man in a new heaven and a new earth, as one phase of His creation is complete, and the rest of eternity begins with a group of people, with a group of people who have been tested, a group of people who have been refined in the fire, a group of people who have shown their commitment fully to God, who are ready to do what He says, and who have through their life's choices shown God, I will follow you and follow the voice of the Lamb wherever He goes. No matter how difficult, no matter how good, I won't let the good times deter me either. I will follow Him, and I will learn year by year, decade by decade, that I follow Him to do the things He says and to follow Him and let His heart become my heart as I yield to His Spirit. And so we see a new heaven and a new earth. Verse 5, He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said to me, Right, John, for these words are true and faithful. And He said to me, It's done. It's done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to Him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be His God, and He shall be my Son. And down in verse 9, He talks about the Bride of Christ.

What about the Bride of Christ? Verse 9. One of the seven angels, remember the seven angels in Revelation 10? Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked to me, saying, Come, I will show you the Bride, the Lamb's wife. And He carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone clear as crystal. And then He goes and describes the city of God. He goes through and talks about it.

In chapter 22, as He goes on, He talks about a pure river of water of life. Verse 1, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in this new heaven and new earth.

In verse 6, He said to me, These words are faithful and true, and the Lord God of the holy prophet sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.

You know, so many people don't know what the book of Revelation is about. God's given you and I a great gift to understand the words of these prophecies and to see them being fulfilled in our life and to be even seeing in the last few years how the prophecies are even shaping up when you look at the chapters leading up to the time of the beast power and the powers of the east. Now, what's going to befall? Befall the earth and what the world will be set up like during the time that leading up to the time of Christ.

In verse 12, Christ warns again, Behold, I'm coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to His work. I want to see how you're living. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are those who do His commandments that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city.

That's what God has in mind for you and me, and He'll give us all the tools and all the encouragement, and we should be giving each other the encouragement throughout life. To do the things of God, just as you heard in the sermon yesterday, not forsaking you the assembling of ourselves together, embracing every opportunity that God gives us to live His way of life, binding together as a family because the bride of Christ isn't an individual, it's all the group that becomes the bride of Christ. Working together, loving one another, praying for one another, encouraging one another, learning the things in this life that will mark us for the rest of eternity as we work together with Jesus Christ and under Him. Over in verse 16, I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root.

I am the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And notice what it says in verse 17, and the spirit and the bride, we know who the bride of Christ is, right? And the spirit and the bride say, come, and let him who hears say, come, and let him who thirsts, come.

Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. The same words that Jesus said back on that last day, the great day of the feast, back in John 7, 37, and 38. Whoever thirsts, whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the book of life. And if we're not in the book of life, we know what the fate of those people are. God will take away his part from the book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, surely I am coming quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Now I'll conclude with the words that are written here. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be with you all. Amen.