A Thousand Years of Work

Well, good morning, everyone! And happy Feast of Tabernacles to everyone. It's great to have the feast starting once again, isn't it? I would like to say a big thank you to Mr. Kenny on the harp. Beautiful piece of special music to go along with the offering. Really appreciated that.

And of course, the Festival Choir getting things off to a rousing start, too. So thank you for those who have been spending many hours of rehearsing and learning the parts. Makes a big difference for us here at the feast, doesn't it? I bring you greetings from Cincinnati and from the Home Office staff. And my wife's not with me these first two days. She's back in Cincinnati. We had a granddaughter born just a week ago, two weeks ago. And so she's staying back to help our daughter-in-law with the baby, and we decided to stay in Cincinnati for the feast this year.

And they needed some help there anyway, so it worked out well. But she brings her regards, too. Sorry that she couldn't be here with you these first two days of the feast. Things are doing well in the media department. I'm sure that you've read some of the updates and reports. A couple of weeks ago, we had our best response to date for Beyond Today on the program about the Four Horsemen of Revelation. And of course, we pointed out that there's a fifth horseman to ride, which is Jesus Christ, returning on a white horse as well.

But we'd certainly appreciate your continued prayers, that God will bless the work of our hands, that it will go far, and that the message will resonate with our readers and viewers, and that they'll want to become more involved in the work of the church, either as donors or co-workers, but even as members, as God would see fit to add people into the fold. So continue to pray for us in that regard. And you can follow a lot of what we do in the media department on our blog, our management team blog, at realtimeunited.wordpress.com. Some of you may already have signed up for email updates whenever there's a new blog post, but realtimeunited.wordpress.com. And we also put updates in Mr.

Kubik's weekly e-news, too. So certainly appreciate your ongoing prayers and thoughts for us as we do our part, ask more part, to preach the gospel of God's kingdom. And that's what the feast is about, is Jesus Christ returned and the establishing of God's kingdom here on earth. Here at the Feast of Tabernacles, though, we're glad to be away from our work, glad to be away from the office, glad to be away from school, and able to relax for a week, bathe in God's Word each day, enjoy one of those company, and enjoy wonderful activities, wonderful food and drink.

So it's good to be away from work, but today I'd like to focus on work, and I think you'll come to see why. I have a story here about Charles Schwab. I picked this up from Bits and Pieces, the book called Bits and Pieces from page two, and they say, when the company founded by Andrew Carnegie was taken over by the US Steel Corporation in 1901, it acquired as one of its obligations a contract to pay the top Carnegie executive Charles M Schwab the unheard-of minimum sum of a million dollars.

JP Morgan of US Steel was in a quandary about it because the highest salary on record was in a hundred thousand dollars, not a million. He met with Schwab, showed him the contract, and hesitatingly asked what could be done about it. This, said Schwab, as he took the contract and tore it up. That contract at page Schwab 1.3 million the year before, but he said, I didn't care what salary they paid me.

I was not animated by money motives. I believed in what I was trying to do, and I wanted to see it brought about. I canceled that contract without a moment's hesitation.

Why do I work? I work for just the pleasure I find in work. The satisfaction there is in developing things and in creating. He says the person who does not work for the love of work, but only for the money, is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life. In our work, now I'm not talking about the job you left behind, the office you left behind. In our work for God, do we find satisfaction and accomplishment?

Do we believe in what we're doing? What about a job that will last for a thousand years? Would you apply for that job and work diligently every single day?

Producing something of value takes time. Producing something of excellence takes time. Perfection isn't created overnight, and there's one job that will take a thousand years. While on a trip to Switzerland, an American businessman was watching a Swiss clockmaker carving the case of an ornate cuckoo clock, and as the businessman watched the clockmaker carve out the case, he was astounded at the slow rate of progress. The businessman finally said, my good man, you'll never make much money that way. The clockmaker said, I'm not making money, I'm making cuckoo clocks. You see, producing something of value has to be done right, and it can take a little time. The time leading up to the feast this year was very busy for us in meeting communication services, and so it is now great to enjoy these days of relaxation, extra rest, family activities, great meals and fellowship. But in the sermon today, titled, A Thousand Years of Work, let's take a macro view at the exciting prophecies of the time when the entire globe will be encircled with the knowledge of God and a world of peace, hope, and prosperity. And so in this first sermon of the feast here, I want to set the stage for what the week ahead of us pictures. Now, this 1,000 year job that we'll have to do will have some challenges. It won't all be a piece of cake. There will be challenges in bringing God's truth and world-wide peace to all of the earth, because remember, after all, producing something of value and that will last, something that has a foundation of excellence, will take a little time, like making that clock.

Even in God's kingdom, it will take a little time, as we'll see. But in the end, it will be well worth it. Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian genius, said, make your work to be in keeping with your purpose. If there's any job that we'll have to do that has purpose, it'll be the 1,000 year job we have to do during the millennium. As we observe this Feast of Tabernacles, we can imagine what it will be like to bring 1,000 years of Christ's rule to the world. Where do you and I fit in? What's our role? What can we expect in the future? I've divided the message here this morning up into three sections, so that we can navigate through what I want to cover. I've divided it up into three sections. But as background, before we do that, remember that when Jesus Christ returns to earth, He will initiate the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago to His holy prophets. That's in Acts 3, 21. We read about that. Those prophets consistently assured ancient Israel and Judah that a righteous king would restore God's kingdom to earth, and that it will last a thousand years, at least initially, as we know that will just actually be the beginning. Let's look at a couple of scriptures in this regard to set the stage in Revelation 20, verse 4. I think this is a very important place to start here during the feast. Revelation 20, verse 4, Where it's revealed to us, and I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then 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 had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Of course, the word millennium doesn't appear in the Bible, but it means one thousand, and that's the common term we use today. The peaceful, one thousand year rule of Christ begins, and John here, the Apostle John, immediately sees Jesus rewarding the saints for the suffering they endured at the hands of Satan and his Babylonian system. There will be a reward for those who endure to the end. John watched as martyrs came to life, ready to lead with Christ for a millennium time span, the beginning of a thousand years of work. And as his faithful servants receive eternal life at the time of the resurrection, Jesus begins to fulfill his word that they will be co-rulers with him. We will be co-rulers with Jesus Christ. You may recall what he promised to us in Revelation 3, verse 21. I'll read it to you. Revelation 3, 21, to him who overcomes. If you stick with it, I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my father on his throne. That's an amazing promise that we have to look forward to. The resurrection to spirit life, to immortal life, reigning with Christ for a thousand years. Revelation 5, verse 10 says, and we shall reign on the earth as kings and priests. When I read kings and priests, I like to put that as leaders and teachers, those who will help lead the rest of mankind into the truth, and teach them the right way to go. And in Revelation 20, verse 6, we were in Revelation 20 a moment ago, blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.

Over such the second death has no power, in other words, immortality, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. That's what we're looking forward to. That's the beginning of our job, reigning with Christ, and getting to work, getting down to business. Reading about the resurrection, and that resurrection reminded me of a story from a number of years ago. You may have heard it. When Nikita Khrushchev from the Soviet Union died, a humorous story circulated in political circles. The Communist Party into the Soviet Union who had cast Khrushchev aside was uncomfortable about bearing his body on Soviet soil. So they called the President of the United States, Richard Nixon, asking if the U.S. would take Khrushchev's corpse. Nixon had his own problems at the time and declined. Then the Soviet leaders tried Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel. She was agreeable, but added, I must warn you that this country has the world's highest resurrection rate. But can you imagine what it would be like when the saints from all time are resurrected and we begin our thousand years of work? At Christ's coming, His faithful servants will be immediately changed from flesh and blood into immortal spirit beings who can then assist Him. And they'll serve with Him as teachers and administrators during His 1000 year reign. Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, said, There is joy in work, and I sure hope that we find joy in the work that we are doing for Jesus Christ and our Father in Heaven. So we understand the situation we'll be in, having been resurrected. But what do you think it will be like then to bring God's truth to the whole world? What challenges will we face? What will these thousand years entail? Let's begin by looking at some of the challenges that we'll face over the thousand years. So my first little section, my first point is that challenges are real. The challenges are real, and they will be. As an example of those challenges, I'd like to take a look at two invasions of the Middle East that take place at the beginning of the millennium and at the end of the millennium. And this will help us get a perspective on some of what will be involved for us in our job, in our job description. There will be work to do. You see, after Christ's return, we read in Ezekiel 38 and 39 some of the major challenges of the millennium. I'm going to turn to Ezekiel 38 here and begin in verse 1. Because what we see is Magog representing a great Eurasian superpower, becoming jealous of Israel's blessings for obedience, and Magog attempts to invade and steal. I might point out this is not the same story as Revelation 20 verse 7, which is at the end of the millennium. Five-sixths of Magog are destroyed supernaturally. It takes Israel seven months to bury them. And the purpose is to show who the Lord is and who's really running things now on this earth. Ezekiel 38 verse 1. Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, Son of man, set your face against Gog of the land of Magog, the Prince of Rush, Mishek and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus says the Lord God, behold, I am against you, O Gog, the Prince of Rush, Mishek and Tubal. Now notice verse 10. Thus says the Lord God, on that day, so we're talking about a time future, it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan, and you will say, I will go up against the land of unwalled villages. I will go to a peaceful people who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates.

I will go there to take plunder and to take booty to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited and against the people gathered from the nations who have acquired livestock and goods who dwell in the midst of the land.

Verse 15, talking of Magog, then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army.

Verse 18, you will come to pass at the same time when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, that my fury will show in my face.

And in verse 21, I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all my mountains, says the Lord of God, every man's sword will be against his brother. They'll start killing themselves. And verse 23, thus I will magnify myself and sanctify myself and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, then they shall know that I am the Lord. So in the millennium, the land of Israel looks like an easy target. They don't have locks and gates and walls on their cities. The people are dwelling safely. An easy target, right? And so this great Eurasian power decides to go and attack the newly formed people of God at the beginning of the millennium. But they start fighting one another. Notice Ezekiel 39 verse 1. The story continues in Ezekiel 39.

Of course, the arrow is to fall out of your right hand. It would be a supernatural event. Verse 4, you shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to the birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

Verse 7, so I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel, and I will not let them profane my holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

And verse 12, for seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.

And so the challenges of the millennium begin.

This invasion of the Middle East will be stopped supernaturally.

And you would think it would be a good lesson to take note of, right? Not to repeat.

You would think that after a thousand years of Christ's godly leadership to everyone, that there would be such harmony that nobody would ever attempt something like this again.

After a thousand years of hard work, you would think everybody would be on the same page.

But not quite.

Revelation 20, verses 7 through 9 talks about another invasion of the Middle East.

This time at the end of the millennium. So we see the millennium bookended by two big invasions of the Middle East. Revelation 20, verse 7. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go 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, a huge military army. Verse 9, they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, Jerusalem, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Here in Revelation 20, verses 7 through 9, we see one of the last rebellions to be put down before the new Jerusalem is instituted. As we look at our job of a thousand years of work, we realize and we read and see that the millennium is marked by two major rebellions, one at each end.

I'd like to spend a little bit of time in the writings of Zachariah and Zachariah 14 in particular. Let's go back now to the beginning of the millennium, now that we've kind of had a bit of an overview.

And let's work our way forward through these 10 decades, because we'll see that the challenges are real. There will be issues to be dealt with. Everybody won't come on board and love Jesus Christ immediately. Once God's kingdom is established in Jerusalem among the people of Israel, Christ will ask representatives of all nations to come to Jerusalem to learn about his laws.

It'll be a commandment. He will summon them to Jerusalem to attend God's feast of tabernacles.

Zachariah 14, verse 16, it shall come to pass that everyone who's left of all the nations which come against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the king, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. God's Holy Days, which outline his plan of salvation, will be the important part of the worship of God in this future age.

God even tells us that representatives of the surrounding nations will come each year to Jerusalem to worship him during the great fall feast. Verse 16 here brings us to the time when the smoke of war has cleared and the reign of the Messiah has been established. The nations around will have suffered severe judgment, but the people among them who remained this time will be given the opportunity, along with Israel, of enjoying a close relationship with the Almighty King of the earth. All nations will be required to observe the annual feast of tabernacles. And as we know, this clearly proves that this festival, along with God's other feasts listed in Leviticus 23, are not just for the Israelites, they're not just for the Jews. God says, they're my feasts, and he says they're for all of humanity.

Indeed, the Feast of Tabernacles pictures this wonderful future period, pictured in Zechariah 14, the time when all nations will be brought under the reign of Christ to experience joy and peace for a thousand years. So it sounds good, doesn't it? But notice verse 17 now, another challenge.

It shall be that whoever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts. On them there'll be no rain.

Verse 18, if the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, there shall have no rain. They shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations, who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And this shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all, or any nation, that does not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

And so the challenges continue. It appears that not all nations will immediately cooperate. Even to the point that you remember Satan organized the nations to fight Christ, even at his second coming. It's a huge battle when Christ returns to subdue the nations.

They will not quickly accept Him, even after Satan is bound. Early on in Christ's reign, early on in our job with Him, strong measures will be necessary to convince most nations that He intends to enforce the laws of God.

And oftentimes, enforcement is absolutely necessary.

Mankind really likes to decide for himself what is right and what is wrong and how he'll do it.

But sometimes it takes a strong arm from God to help us realize that we need to obey.

So how will God make it clear that the nations must follow His Word, especially to nations who obstinately refuse to attend the Feast of Tabernacles?

His means of communicating will be very straightforward.

He will simply demonstrate His control over the forces of nature. After all, He is the Creator.

And there'll be no rain for a while until you get the point.

Why do people refuse to obey? Why will the nations refuse to obey?

It's human nature, isn't it, to want to do things their own way.

What is it in human nature that makes us so want to decide for ourselves what we want to do?

A mother told her son not to go swimming.

However, when he came into the house, his mother noticed that his hair and bathing suit were wet. He told him, his mother scolded, I told you not to go swimming.

I couldn't help it, Mom. He defended himself. The water looked so good.

She said to Johnny, so then why did you take your bathing suit with you?

And he said, in case I was tempted.

A four-year-old was caught by her mom standing on a chair eating cookies out of the cookie jar, which she'd been told not to do.

Here's how she explained the situation.

Mom, it's not my fault.

I just climbed up to smell them, and my tooth got caught.

My tooth got caught.

See, human nature encourages us to push the envelope of obedience.

And on a national level, it'll be no different. They want to get their hands in the cookie jar and do things their own way.

The nations will quickly learn, though, that their existence, their food and water supply depends on God's blessing.

Good weather and bountiful crops are blessings from God.

And from this time forward, as we read in Zechariah, only nations that obey God will reap those blessings.

Others will not.

And such a system will serve as a convincing argument.

But what's encouraging is, as we proceed through our work during the millennium, we'll start to see the nations respond.

We'll start to see them get on board and change.

Yes, the challenges will be real, but it's going to work.

How long will it take for the entire world to faithfully obey God?

Will it take 10 years?

Will it take the first 100 years of the millennium?

Will it not be fully completed for a thousand years?

How long is that job going to last?

Here's an interesting addition to this whole idea.

The Jews have a tradition of looking at the world as 70 nations.

70 gentile nations.

For example, when Jewish commentators see prophecies of Gog and Magog, like we just read in Ezekiel in the book of Revelation, they believe that Gog and Magog are symbolic of all of the nations, all of the enemies of God's people, from the different nations of the world.

Because in Hebrew, every letter is also a number, and numerically Gog and Magog in Hebrew equals 70. So they believe that represents the 70 gentile nations of the world.

So they look at Gog and Magog as symbolic of the 70 gentile nations. Now keep this in mind, and note a very interesting scenario in Numbers 29. I'm not going to read it, but you may want to write this down. Numbers 29, verses 12 through 32.

Numbers 29 is about the Feast of Tabernacles and about the offerings, the sacrifices that were to be given during the Feast of Tabernacles.

And in Numbers 29, verses 12 through 32, we read that there were 70 young bulls that were sacrificed during the seven days of the feast.

And it's interesting to see how it was to be done, how it was commanded to be done.

On the seventh day of the feast, as you might expect, there were seven young bulls to be sacrificed. But in leading up to the seventh day, the numbers go down in descending order. On the first day of the feast, there were to sacrifice 13 young bulls. On the second day of the feast, 12 young bulls.

The third day, 11. The next day, 10. The next day, 9. The next day, 8. On the last day of the feast, 7.

If you add up that total number, if you're mathematically inclined, you'll realize that for the duration of the feast, there were 70 young bulls to be sacrificed. And again, the Jews look at those sacrifices as symbolic of the 70 nations of the world, because in the future, all the nations of the world will have to come up and keep the Feast of Tabernacles during the millennium. Now, here's what I find interesting about the sacrifices during the feast, is that they're reduced in number each day.

Why? What might this indicate?

Why are sacrifices even performed? They're performed as an atonement for sin.

Sacrifices are because of sin. So this tends to indicate that as we get further into the millennium, further into the message of the Feast of Tabernacles, there will be less of a need for sacrifice each day, in theory, because there will be less sin going on.

The world will become less sinful as the thousand years proceeds.

The bull sacrifices go from 13 down to 7, because the world will become less and less sinful.

And eventually, everyone else will be keeping even the Feast of Tabernacles.

It's an interesting thought as we look at the sacrifices that were performed under the Old Covenant during the Feast of Tabernacles. All sin won't be eradicated immediately the first year of the millennium. This tends to indicate that it's going to take a little bit of time to work this out. So the challenges begin in a reel, but the outcome is one of victory.

Notice Zachariah 14 verse 20 now, because we can deduce that our thousand years of work will, with Christ, will pan out successfully. Notice Zachariah 14 verse 20, in that day, says at the time when people are keeping the Feast in the millennium, holiness to the Lord shall be engraved on the belts of the horses.

The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

You see, it will be impossible to forget God during the millennium. Even the bells on animals will bear God's name.

What about our money? Today in the United States, the currency says in God we trust.

Perhaps all the nations in the millennium will eventually have similar mottos on their currency and mean it. Notice verse 21, yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day, there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. Expositor's Bible commentary has notes on verses 20 and 21 and says they may be summed up like this. There will be holiness in public life, the bells of the horses, in religious life, the cooking pots in the Lord's house, and in private life, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah. Expositor's continues, Canaanite would then represent anyone who is morally or spiritually unclean, anyone who is not included among the chosen people of God. So there'll be no more spiritual Canaanites, you know, rebellious people, idolatrous nations, left to defile the house of the Lord. Instead, all will be holy.

So the challenges are real and there, but Christ will be victorious. Even massive armies' attempts to thwart Christ's rule will be unsuccessful. The thousand-year job will pan out. As Thomas Edison said, there is no substitute for hard work. And as we read the script, as we see, it is going to be a job. It is going to be hard work working with Christ to bring His truth to the world. So let's now examine a little more closely the role of the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham's son, and the future of this world to come. So the challenges are real, yes. My second section is titled, A Restored Israel Will Help All the Nations Learn God's Ways. A restored Israel will help all the nations learn God's ways.

The restoration of all of the tribes of ancient Israel as one nation under the reign of the Messiah is foretold over and over again in the writings of the prophets. Notice Ezekiel 37, beginning in verse 21. Ezekiel 37, because this is a prerequisite to all nations learning to follow God, as we'll see. After Jesus Christ returned to earth to establish the kingdom of God, the survivors of the tribes of Israel will experience even greater honor than they were previously known for. God promises an unprecedented regathering of Israel. Notice Ezekiel 37, verse 21.

Then say to them, Thus says the Lord God, Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every sight and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all. They shall no longer be two nations.

And if you recall from history, Israel was divided into the northern and southern kingdoms. Israel to the north and a tribe of Judah to the south. So it was two kingdoms, the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. But no longer will they be two nations, nor shall they ever be divided again into two kingdoms. So obviously this is something that hasn't happened yet. This is a millennial prophecy.

As end time prophecies about Israel unfold, these people will come to understand God and His expectations of them in a way they have never known before. The descendants of what are called the lost ten tribes of the northern kingdom will discover that they're not Gentiles after all, as so many mistakenly believe. And as a now humbled people, they will turn from their evil ways and seek the true knowledge of God. The house of Israel and the house of Judah will unite again as one nation under Jesus Christ.

The prophecies of Ezekiel point to the dramatic reunion of those of lost Israel with their brothers from Judah. And this unified nation will be comprised of both the Jewish people, the descendants of the ancient kingdom of Judah, and the descendants of the other ten tribes.

Notice Ezekiel 37 verse 24. It's Ezekiel 37 verse 24. Because here we see that finally modern descendants of both kingdoms, for the first time in almost 3,000 years, will reunite as one nation.

And here God makes another astounding promise. He says, David my king shall be king over them. So the resurrected King David will be in charge of this reunited kingdom of Israel. They shall all have one shepherd. They shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes and do them. Verse 25. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob, my servant. For your fathers dwelt and they shall dwell there.

They, their children, their children's children forever, and my son David shall be their prince or my servant David shall be their prince forever. And also, as Jesus promised in Matthew 19 and Luke 22, the 12 apostles will rule over the individual 12 tribes. Read about that in Matthew 19 verse 28. Christ will establish Jerusalem as his worldwide capital. And the first people to experience the effects of his rule will be the restored kingdom of Israel. The first nation to finally get it right will be the restored nation of Israel.

And as their king, Christ will immediately establish a close working relationship with them.

So this is how the thousand years of work to restore mankind begins and then starts to proceed.

Let's turn over to Jeremiah 33 and begin in verse 7. Jeremiah 33 verse 7. Because the people of Israel will play a necessary role then in helping other nations implement God's ways.

Once God has forgiven their sins, Christ will begin using a humbled and repentant Israel, all 12 tribes, to spread the knowledge of God's law to other nations.

So it's not like suddenly the whole world comes on board at once. It's a process that begins in Jerusalem. If you don't come to the feast, you don't get rain. Israel will be the first nation to do it right, like they should have the first time around. And then other nations will start to follow suit. Jeremiah 33 verse 7. And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return and will rebuild those places as of the first. So here's another prophecy of Judah and Israel being together. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against me. Verse 9. Then it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them.

They shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.

So other nations are going to start to take notice of how it is supposed to be done.

As we lead and teach as kings and priests, as spirit beings, as we get to work for Christ as sons and daughters in God's kingdom, it will be encouraging to see the work of our labor as the thousand years continues and we see the nations of Israel leading by example the other nations. Benjamin Franklin, the American statesman and scientist and philosopher said, a good example is the best sermon.

And as the people of Israel learn to follow God's ways, their example will inspire other nations to seek the same way of life and have the same blessings and to want to reap the same prosperity. As other nations see Israel's prosperity in relationship with God, they will inquire how they too can be blessed.

They will soon learn that Israel's prosperity, though, comes because of its obedience to God.

Let's go back to Zechariah again, Zechariah chapter 8 this time. Zechariah 8 beginning in verse 22.

Zechariah 8, 22, Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. The example of the nation of Israel is going to inspire them, the Gentile nations, to want to come up to Jerusalem to see how it's done. Verse 23, thus says the Lord of hosts, in those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, let us go with you, for you have heard that God is with you.

A good example is the best sermon, as Benjamin Franklin said.

So other nations will start to follow Israel. Nations will see that keeping God's law works.

They will come to Jerusalem to learn how they can apply it in their own lands.

Micah 4 verse 1 is a similar passage. Micah 4 verse 1, shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains. So God's government will be above all the governments and shall be exalted above the hills and people shall flow to it.

Many nations, Micah 4 verse 2, shall come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. Jacob, of course, is renamed as Israel. And he will teach us his ways and we shall walk in his paths, for out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. The nations will begin to learn God's ways with the help of a restored and obedient nation of Israel.

Jerusalem will become the world's center for religious education. It will be the ABC of the future. And you and I will be a part of this. We'll be leaders and teachers helping bring this about under Jesus Christ. Remember the parable of the talents in Matthew chapter 25? The faithful become rulers over many things. It's a parable about God's people. Or the parable of the pounds in Luke 19. The faithful receive authority over five cities, ten cities. Once again, the faithful are the saints, God's people.

And so a restored Israel will set the example like they should have to begin with.

And other nations will then follow suit throughout the millennium. And sin will become less and less as we go through the millennium, as pictured by those sacrifices during the Feast of Tabernacles each day. And so then, thirdly, we see the fruit of right knowledge for a thousand years.

We see the fruit of right knowledge for a thousand years. As the millennium progresses, the hearts and minds of people will willingly choose God's way of life.

For a thousand years. It'll be a marvelous work that God will accomplish.

And it's encouraging at the home office to see people respond.

And every once in a while, we see this from our Good News readers and our Beyond Today viewers.

And I sent out about 16 pages of comments to the ministry a couple of weeks ago that we've received just this past month. Here's a note that we received from a gal named Beth. She says, Please mail me a copy of the booklets, Holidays or Holy Days, and is there really a devil? Thank you so much for these resources. I have learned so much from reading the Good News. Each issue is so informative. I appreciate your articles. She mentions Halloween behind the mask and the biblical festivals that reveal Christ's role in God's plan. She says, I've been a Christian for 30 years and never knew the true origin of Christmas and Halloween.

It makes so much sense to abandon and downplay these pagan holidays and celebrate true biblical festivals as Jesus did. Thank you again. Could you please provide more information on what takes place at the Feast of Tabernacles? And she says, thank you again. With Jesus Christ as King, Jerusalem will be the center of learning for the world. God's Word will provide a solid foundation for the development of right education and knowledge. Prosperity will increase throughout the millennium, and corruption will decrease.

God's carefully orchestrated plan will unfold.

But it takes much more than just knowledge, much more than just reading about it, much more than just watching it on a Beyond Today television program or something like that.

To produce lasting peace and cooperation requires a spiritual change in people.

And it will be that spiritual change in the people of Israel that will inspire other nations to admire their way of life and want to emulate it. It's a change of spirit. It will be a change of heart in humanity. It's easy to put on a good exterior, but what's going on inside? What's going on in your heart? What are you thinking about?

A little boy finally sat down after first resisting his parents' command to do so.

He said to his parents, I'm sitting down on the outside, but I'm standing up on the inside. You just can't see it. How many of us are doing the right things, but our hearts are far from it?

The spiritual restoration of humanity is probably the most important transformation that will take place during the millennium. And this transformation of humanity has to be from the inside out. It's the Spirit of God being made available to all of mankind that will make this possible. Let's go back to Ezekiel again. Ezekiel 36 verse 24. Ezekiel 36 verse 24. For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean water on you. You shall be clean.

I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. And verse 26. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. Verse 27. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.

God's spirit will phenomenally transform people. Obedience will be widespread. People will exhibit honorable leadership and enjoy a stable society. God never fulfilled that prophecy in ancient Israel or Judah, only in his New Testament church. And these events are yet to take place.

The changes of heart will be permanent, lasting throughout subsequent generations. And each new generation will carry on this tradition of righteousness. Even the children of the world will be taught the right way to live. They'll be taught the right Christian and moral example, because actions speak louder than words. Amos 9 verse 13. I'd like to read a final scripture. Amos 9 verses 13 through 14.

Because as people the world over begin to obey God, first by getting their spiritual priorities straight and having a change of heart, they will begin to experience unprecedented physical prosperity. Amos 9, 13. Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowmen shall overtake the reaper. The treader of grapes he moves sows seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with it.

It'll be like a perpetual feast with the best of everything during the millennium. And this vision of the millennial reign of Christ is not an illusion, but a promise of reality. Where things are growing so fast, you can't even keep up with them. Jesus Christ will return to earth to spiritually transform its people and establish utopia, a paradise on earth. The combination of removing Satan's influence, giving humanity God's spirit, and teaching the world the laws and ways of God will produce a thousand years of peace, and society blessed beyond its wildest dreams. It won't happen all at once.

Yes, there'll be challenges along the way. And some may not come up to keep the feast, but Jesus Christ will be victorious. These 1,000 years of work that we observe these seven days of the feast will be an exciting job for us, and it'll be great to see the fruit of our labor. I have a fascinating concept to bring to you here now.

This may be something you've not heard before. It has to do with the plowman overtaking the reaper. It has to do with prosperity in the millennium, and in particular, the economic prosperity that mankind will find when Jesus Christ is here. It has now been shown that obedience to God has a huge positive impact on society. Let me explain. The question has been asked, is religion an essential driver of economic growth? Is faith in a higher power a determinant of the success of a society? And is there any particular religion or faith that is more successful at this than all the others?

One of the most respected economic analysis magazines is Forbes. Let me quote you some excerpts from a Forbes article from May 29 of this year by Jerry Bowyer titled, Is religion an essential driver of economic growth? As I read this, think of the millennium. Jerry Bowyer says, Peter Berger is perhaps the world's most prominent living sociologist. He has written two dozen books, including seminal texts in the development of the sociology of religion, the sociology of knowledge, and the sociology of modern development. At age 84, he may be the most qualified person to speak with authority on matters pertaining to the relationship between religious beliefs and economic development. Bowyer says, when I asked him what he has learned in a lifetime of studying these questions, he told me that there are certain social preconditions to economic development, and that the way a society operates is important in regards to how prosperous that society can become.

This is largely a matter of culture, and for most of the world, culture basically means religion. Religion drives culture, culture drives social forms, social forms drive development. Then he says, this is a very prominent religious socialist, regarding different religions and their level of conducive-ness to growth. He said that they are not equally conducive. He pointed out that the lifestyle which arose from Protestantism played a decisive role in the creation of modern prosperity. It helped the virtue of productive labor in this world, as opposed to an otherworldly orientation, often associated with medieval Catholicism.

The result is a well-educated, highly skilled, diligent workforce and large pools of capital. Without this or something like it, modern capitalism would not have arisen as it did. Not all religions, at least in the current form, have these same characteristics. Therefore, not all religions are equally conducive to development. But he points out that it's not a matter of bias, but it's simply a matter of facing the facts.

According to Berger, Confucianism preaches many of the virtues, such as education, hard work, and delayed gratification, which are conducive to prosperity among individuals, but that Confucianism, sustained for commerce, is tended to recreate a society which is more conducive to entrepreneurial stagnation. Therefore, Confucian China can stagnate for millennia.

Regarding Islam, Berger points out that historically, the subservient role of women in Muslim nations is a source of economic drag, especially since women play such an important role in the development of children. I went ahead and I listened to the whole interview with Peter Berger. It made me realize that the culture of the Christian religion, as shown by the facts and decades of research, is one that develops the most prosperous economic model for a society or a nation.

So, if a nation strays from that religious basis, what can we expect to happen? Economic difficulties, recession, debt, unhappiness. And these are the results of a nation distancing itself from God and His way of life. And the Christian religions of our day are actually rather flawed. They're not the way Christ intended it to be carried out, with Sunday worship and Christmas and Easter. And yet, because of the Christian religious underpinnings of nations like the United States, it has been blessed through Abraham. The promise is there, yes, but also because of the way of life that it produces. So, take this a step further and imagine a time in the millennium when Jesus Christ is ruling from Jerusalem and all of mankind is practicing true religion, true Christianity. Imagine how that will allow the nations of the world to prosper. Peter Berger's study of the sociology of religion is fascinating.

The treader of grapes will overtake him who sows the seed. Under Jesus Christ's direction, under true Christianity, the world will burden with prosperity, just like the social models show that it would.

God is not forgotten, and he will never forget his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The pages of history and the prophecies yet to be fulfilled show God remaining true to every detail of his word. The books of Revelation, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Amos show a glimpse into the awesome future God has in store for humanity. That is, to live with him as his immortal family forever in the kingdom of God. And he invites you, too, to be a part of this wonderful future. But just learning what God has revealed about the future is not enough.

With knowledge comes responsibility. To benefit from what we have learned, we must act on it.

And that's what we're here to do, to act on it, to live it.

God inspired the writings of these books to make us think, to cause us to consider the future, to stimulate us to assume responsibility for our character, for our behavior, and our destiny.

The end time and millennial prophecies that God gave through Zechariah and others are certainly sobering and inspiring for all of us who look forward in faith to their fulfillment. And we hope that the fulfillment of what this Feast of Tabernacles pictures will be very, very soon. And so let's prepare for our 1,000 years of work.