A Vision of the Future

Good afternoon, everyone. It's always a shock when the last great day arrives, particularly the afternoon of the last great day, but here we are. On behalf of the congregation, I want to say thank you for the beautiful, beautiful finale from the choir that we heard a few moments ago. And to echo the words of our FISCO coordinator, there are so many here who have served in so many ways. And for instance, today, some of us, probably most of us, got away for a quick lunch, but others of us may not have gotten away for even a quick lunch, but we're here laboring in many different ways and capacities, and we appreciate that of one another. Appreciate the Pressley Theatre staff that's worked here so tirelessly all week long on the soundboard, in particular, in other ways, too. I wanted also to identify with Mr. Zimkowiak as a FISCO coordinator because of the distinctiveness of his last name. It's rare that someone has a longer last name than mine, but I counted the letters, and there are ten in his and nine in mine, and we cherish our last names because rarely do we have a problem with forgery.

When people see his last name or mine, they look for an easier name to forge.

Many of us who are here this afternoon can identify with the days, the pioneer days of radio in the United States, in North America, and in fact, and we have done quite a bit of reminiscing this week about the early days of the church, the tabernacle, the tent, and so on, but we were called at one time the Radio Church of God. And today that seems kind of peculiar to us, perhaps, but in years gone by that wasn't so peculiar because radio was it.

And at motels, auditoriums, when we would arrive...

I didn't forget my notebook, but I guess I messed up the microphone, so...

Thank you. When we would arrive, the marquee would say, Welcome, Radio Church of God.

And that became commonplace to us, or routine to us, or very customary to us. And then we changed the name in time, as many of you realize.

The early days of radio still beckoned to some of us, and in fact, on some radio stations, some networks, they do still have the early radio shows, the long-ago radio shows.

They've been recorded and they're still being broadcast, and I occasionally will listen to them.

I do recall, though, when the radio was the hub of family activity every evening, and we would gather around this big wooden console, you'd turn on the radio, it would have to warm up, whatever that means.

And you would hear the hum, and then eventually, if you could tune in, you could squeak and squawk, and finally center the knob, the dial, to catch a program that you may want to listen to.

And I remember with my mother, and my dad not so much, but my mother would listen to February McGee and Molly.

She would listen to the Cisco kid.

She would listen to other programs, and I cultivated a taste for and appreciation of the Lone Ranger.

The Six Shooter. Gunsmoke. Sam Spade. Johnny Dollar. Henry Aldrich. Henry? Henry Aldrich.

If you remember her calling out to her wayward son to bring him to attention.

Burns and Allen. They aren't link-letter shows. The Six Shooter, the hero for that, or the voice for that, was Jimmy Stewart.

If you remember him, he was famous on radio before he was famous on television.

Gunsmoke, the character for that radio show, was a William Conrad, who became, later on, a detective.

He had a bulldog, and they had a similarity they shared in that particular program of William Conrad's.

Radio brought attention to America and America attention to radio, and we then were able to blanket the nation with 50,000 ClearWatt stations broadcasting the World Tomorrow radio program with the imitable voice that, of course, covered the program Monday through Saturday and Sundays as well.

However, radio was displaced by television, and television then took over. Some predicted that TV would dwarf radio and radio would disappear.

However, I do remember, as a child, the family that had the first television set, and we would turn it on, get our snacks, and turn it on and watch the test pattern.

It was so exciting. There was an actual test pattern, lifeless, but it was flicker once in a while, and it was exciting to watch for a couple hours every day, the test pattern, before regular programming began. I know some of you did that, too, by the reaction I'm hearing. Eventually, as other people received or purchased a television set, my uncle did get one as well, and a program that we were invited to watch at his home, my aunt and uncle and cousins, my mother and I, went over.

And we watched, every Sunday evening, we watched the Walt Disney program, black and white, on a color, no, a black and white TV, big wooden council, and a teeny tiny screen.

And you could watch the Walt Disney show from Anaheim, California, and how wonderful it was to see it, and to see Uncle Walt. He was so becoming and engaging. Uncle Walt was warm in the way he came across on TV.

To this day, I remember one of the Psalms. Each program would have the following words, if I'm not mistaken, correct me after church, if you have the time. When you wish upon a star, can you hear the melody? Can you hear the voice? When you wish upon a star makes no difference who you are. Anything your heart desires will come to you. If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do, the song goes on a little bit further and concludes as follows. Fate steps in and sees you through. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true. There's a beautiful anthem that helped to identify the Walt Disney television show week by week by week.

The Bible talks quite a bit about dreams, about a time, in fact, when dreams come true. We've heard a lot about that for seven full days, ending yesterday. And today we heard more this morning, this afternoon through special music, through messages. We've heard more about a time when more dreams will come through as on this eighth day. The Bible talks a lot about dreams, Old Testament, and new. Let's take a look at some of those and then tie that into the meaning of the day as we conclude this series of festivals for this particular calendar year. Genesis 28. Genesis 28, a familiar account of something that happened millennia ago but has much application for us even yet today.

Genesis 28. Now, Jacob went out from Beersheba, and he went to Haran. This is Genesis 28. In verse 10, Jacob's father had sent him on a special assignment. He was responsive to his dad's instructions, and he's following through as we read verse 10. Verse 11. So he came to a certain place. Some of us will be traveling home this evening, others tomorrow will perhaps go through something similar.

So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night because the sun had set. So the journey was done as far as he was concerned, and he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he laid down in that place to sleep. He was tired. He couldn't continue any longer, no artificial light. He couldn't fluff up his pillow very much, but he did the best he could under the circumstances. And you know what happened? Verse 12. And then he dreamed, and behold a ladder was set on the earth, and its top reached to heaven, and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And this, of course, is a description of, and many of us have heard of it for many, many years, Jacob's ladder.

And we've seen depictions of it different ways, different times. In my mind, it's an escalator. It's going up and down. Usually, the angels are going up and down on this beautiful staircase, perhaps an escalator, as we might think of it today. More detail in verse 13. And behold, not only are there angels who are ascending and descending, going up and down, but God Himself appears.

And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you. So in this dream, he received a special and a direct, specific communique. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep. And sometimes that happens to you and me.

We have a dream. The dream is so stark or so strong that it wakes us up. Jacob awoke from his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. And he was afraid, and he said, How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And so he demarcated that locale. He rose early in the morning, took the stone that he put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and he poured oil upon it. Have you had any extraordinary dreams recently? Do you dream often, rarely, or not at all? I read a saying once, or came across a saying once, that says, The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. Well, that has some validity. It has some application. But do you dream often, rarely, or not at all? When you dream, do you dream in color or black and white? And what language do you dream in? Some of us, if we are multilingualists, if we speak more than one language, may dream in German, or French, or English. A language of familiarity, perhaps. In any case, we often forget our dreams, and then during the course of the day something happens and it reminds us, Oh, I dreamt about that. And we're reminded of what we might have dreamt about. Do you recall your earliest dream recollection? Do you remember the earliest dream you had as a child? And you think back to it to this day. I have a recollection of a dream as a youngster, probably five or maybe a little bit younger. And I think it was due to my mother receiving certain religious literature. I won't mention the name of the group, but they go from house to house and leave literature. And they have a similar view as we do about hellfire. And I saw a depiction as a child of a person tied to a spit and an imp like a demon turning the crank. And the person is tied to that and the flames are licking up underneath. I saw that and didn't realize, of course, the article was against the teaching of an ever-burning hellfire. And that evening I had at night-bear that I was the person on the spit being turned ever so slowly and wanting to scream and get away. And of course, I could not. That's my earliest recollection. Matthew 2. And of course, you have your recollection of what your earliest dream was as a child, and you think back to that. And we reassure our children when they have bad dreams, our grandchildren, nieces, nephews, because from time to time all children do, depending on what stimuli they received during the course of the day. Matthew 2. Let's look at a New Testament event next. Matthew 2. Let's start reading please in verse 11.

And when they had come into the house, they meaning the wise men, the magi. And of course, we don't know how many there were. It just simply says, they. When they had come into the house, they saw the young child would marry his mother and fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him, namely gold, frankincense, and myrrh. From whence we have the three wise men because of the three gifts. And then verse 12 tells us, being divinely warned how in a dream. And there are references to dreams having significance like that in the autobiography. If you have not reviewed it recently or if you have not read it at all, you will find such references as they indicated. Then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed from their own country for their own country another way. So one of them had a dream, or maybe each of them did, it doesn't specify. And the dream was so convincing that they changed their travel plans. They changed their itinerary. Verse 13.

So another dream here is portrayed for us or has been preserved for us in historical records. The scripture. When he rose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. And was there until the death of Herod that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt I have called my son. Then looking at verse 19, skipping a few verses.

There is a more dream that I will not refer to, but you can look that up on your own and a reference as well in the previous chapter of dreams. Do you have recurring dreams, as Joseph did? I've had a recurring dream of moving into a house. My wife and I move into a home. This may be familiar to you. It may not be. But if you're a source of work where you're transferred every few years, you get acquainted with and used to the idea of packing and moving and unpacking. And in this dream where we moved into a house, it is a fixer-upper. A real fixer-upper. And it's a recurring dream. And I'm thinking, why did we buy this place? It needs so much work and we can't afford to fix it up. And it's one of these homes that's a rambling ranch, and you open up one door and there's another section, and another section, and it needs a lot of repair. I've similarly had a dream, a recurring one, as someone mentioned today, where as a speaker, we have nightmares. And one of my recurring nightmare dreams was to get up in front of a congregation, and I'm supposed to begin, and I have no Bible and no notes. And someone mentioned that they've had that happen to them. And that went on for several years. And then one day, we had a morning service, an afternoon service in one of our church circuits, I arrived for the afternoon service, to find I'd forgotten my briefcase.

And it's time to give the sermon in the afternoon, no notes, no briefcase, nothing. And I asked my wife, you did take notes this morning, didn't you? And you do have your Bible with you, don't you? And she kindly saved the day and lent me her notes, lent me her Bible, and I was able to replicate the sermon from the morning. And you know what? I've never had that bad dream again. So, Mr. Pirwitch, you're safe. You've fulfilled it, and no more bad dreams. I have it in good authority that's not likely to recur. Jeremiah 23. In Jeremiah 23, we discover a very stern warning from our Creator God about dreams. Because although dreams are important, and dreams have their place in the divine narrative, dreams can also be easily misunderstood and misapplied. As we heard in one of the sermons given earlier this week, that even the good things saved in the devil can use against us if we're not careful. Chapter 23 of Jeremiah, and verse 23, let's read the following together.

Heaven and earth says the Lord. Now, some people seem to think that although God exists, he's far, far away, and he's not really interested in planet earth, or not that involved, even if he is interested. And others even wonder if he exists at all. I noticed recently that there is a movie coming out about Steve Jobs. Some of you have heard of Steve Jobs and who he is. There was a book written about him, and an interview by a television program of the person who wrote the book. And I put together or found the interview to share with you for a sermon such as this. And so here's what one of the 60 Minutes program hosts asked the biographer. Did you have any discussions within that day? And as you remember, he did come down with cancer, and he became very ill and more ill. And then it was apparent to him that he would not live much longer. Did he have anything to impart about that? And the biographer said, I remember sitting in his backyard, in his garden, and he started talking about God. And he said, sometimes, this is Steve Jobs, he said, sometimes I believe in God, and sometimes I don't. 50-50, maybe. But ever since I've had cancer, I've been thinking about it more, and I find myself believing a bit more. I kind of, maybe it's cause I want to believe in an afterlife. That when you die, it doesn't just all disappear. The wisdom you've accumulated, somehow it lives on. And then he paused, the biographer said for a second, and he reflected, and he said, Yeah, but sometimes I think it's just like an on-off switch. Click, and you're gone. And he said that, and he paused again and commented, and that's why I don't like putting on-off switches on Apple devices.

I'll tell you. Now, thankfully, we know about the afterlife, and that it is real. And this knowledge that we've been reminded about again and again in sermonettes and sermons, we should not take for granted, because it is rare. It is the pearl of great price. It is the treasure hidden in the field. Can we see it? Do we value it? And we sure will never lose it and become a remnant ourselves. Back to chapter 23, picking it up in verse 25.

Dropping down to verse 32 for sake of time.

What we need to comprehend is Scripture says there is such a thing as a false dream. There are such things as false dreams, and false prophets use them in order to deceive those who are unwary. So be cautious about dreams, even though dreams have their place in Scripture. And dreams are promoted and acknowledged in Scripture. The idea that habitual dreaming makes a person more spiritual, that's not found in the Scripture. Or seeking dreams, that's not found in Scripture. Having a dream catcher, seeing some of those around. Magic mushrooms, uh-uh. Funny cigarettes? Nope. We don't have to somehow induce dreams. That's not the way God works. We have to be very, very careful about the source of dreams, because some dreams can be false dreams. I remember once again harkening back to my youth when we moved from one town to another. This would have been when I was maybe eight or nine, and my dad was relocating from one source of work to another. And this was halfway through grade two. I enjoyed grade one and grade two. I remember my grade one and two teachers and my friends back then. And shortly after that, I dreamed, or dreamed, that one of my buddies from my grade two class had died. And a couple of weeks later, we received news by letter that, sure enough, he had died from complications from appendicitis. Interestingly enough, as a further aside, maybe six months ago, I received maybe a little longer a letter from one of our subscribers in Canada who wrote and said, Now, are you the same Tony Wosselkopf I knew in grade two? And he's a subscriber to The Good News magazine, and he is a cousin to the young man who died, who all these years later, sixty years later, reconnected. In any case, shortly after that, by shortly I mean three or four years, I had another vivid dream that my uncle had died. And I thought, uh-oh, this is not bode well, because the other dream came to pass, and the second dream did not. It didn't happen for years and years and years and years. So, there are false dreams, and it's really easy to misunderstand or to misinterpret or misapply dreams. Genesis 40.

Reviewing another familiar account, because it, too, is instructive, before we're zero and more to the meaning of the day, meaning of the week, chapter 40, verse 1. It came to pass. You remember this. It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt, and Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. So, somehow, some way, even though they were close to the Pharaoh, they made some tactical errors and wound up in prison.

Verse 3. So, he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined, and the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them. And so, they were in custody for a while, a long while, it would seem. Now, then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in prison, had a dream, both of them, each man's dream in one night and each man's dream with its own interpretation.

And Joseph came into them in the morning, and he looked at them and saw that they were sad. Now, I think most prisoners look sad most days. But this particular day, they looked unusually sad, but it tells you how observant Joseph was, and that he was tuned into body language and tuned into how other people felt. So, he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his Lord's house, saying, Why do you look so sad today? And they said to him, We each have a dream, had a dream, and there's no interpreter of it. And Joseph said to them, Do not interpretations. Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please. And that's as far as we'll go in this account. But it is definitely recognized in Scripture that the interpretation of dreams belong to the Creator God. And yet, in ancient times, there were professional dream interpreters. There were professional mourners, as you probably are aware, and there were also professional dream interpreters. In fact, manuals were written to aid the work of elucidation. And one such work was called the Oneiro Critica of Artemidorus of Ephesus. I have a copy. No, I don't. Is dream work done today? It is possible to receive therapy, to go to a therapist, and have a therapist say to their client, What we're going to do now for the next little while is do dream work. And I want you to write down your dreams. Every night, there's a little notebook. You put it beside your bed, and you write down the dream you have every night. And one of the keys for dream work is that you are everything in your dream. And I have a hard time with that. But that's how one of the theories goes. Because animals dream, too. We've had dogs through the years, and we don't have one now, but I've observed pets often enough, and you may have a dog you're looking forward to seeing soon, or a cat, or a canary you're looking forward to seeing soon. And a dog can be lying down on the floor beside you, and clearly it's dreaming.

He's barking, he's growling, he's feet are... he's running on the tail wag sometimes. And you know that the doggy is dreaming.

We know why people dream, or we can speculate, but why do animals need to dream? But I never did take the dog to a doggy therapist. Do any dream interpretation for him. Joel, chapter 2. Joel, chapter 2. And beginning to read, please, in verse 28.

Joel, chapter 2, verse 28. And it shall come to pass... reference here, of course, is to Christ's return. And the beginning of the millennium. It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. In the world tomorrow, virtually everyone will be a recipient of the Holy Spirit. Not merely a few, but the vast majority will be converted, of all ranks and all ages. I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. And the definition, usually in Scripture, is a broad definition for prophecy, meaning not just foretelling or foretelling, but inspired speaking.

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Hopefully not at this moment, this afternoon. I was threatened by several people to step up to the occasion, because it's the second service and we've had lunch. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. These are revelatory, God-inspired dreams, and revelatory, God-inspired visions. And also on my men servants and on my maid servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days.

What kind of dreams have you had lately? What kind of dreams do you cultivate? Should Christians cultivate or nurture aspirations? Do you dream maybe of graduation, if you're someone younger? Of owning your own car, perhaps? Do you dream of marriage? Of children? Have your children graduated?

Do you dream of owning your own house? A dream house that needs no repairs? Do you dream maybe of owning your own business? Or of owning your own farm? Or if you own a farm, do you dream of selling your farm? It's hard running your farm, and it's expensive. Farms these days usually need to be subsidized by full-time work. Do you dream of another career?

Do you dream of learning how to play an instrument? Of learning how to sing? It's okay to have dreams. Do you dream about going to the Feast of Tabernacles in some exotic location, like Tonga, somewhere in the South Pacific? Try Canada first. That was a word from our sponsor. Back to the... Do you dream of good health? Do you dream of being a spirit being and having a spirit body? Of having good health? The vitality in youth again? It's okay to have dreams. We've been told about dreams all week long, and it's been wonderful to receive the cues we've received from messages and special music in so many different ways.

Isaiah 29. We'll just read verse 8 here. It shall be, as when a hungry man dreams. Ever gone to bed hungry, really? Not just a little bit hungry, but really hungry. Or gone to bed thirsty. Not just a little bit thirsty, but really thirsty. It says in verse 8, Isaiah 29, It shall even be, as when a hungry, that is a famished man, dreams. And look, he eats, but he awakes, and his soul is still empty. Ever had that happen? Or, as when a thirsty man dreams, and look, in his dream he drinks, but he awakes, and indeed he is faint, and his soul still craves.

There were two wives who were talking about their husbands, and one finally said, You know, last night my husband dreamt he ate a giant marshmallow. And when he woke up in the morning, his pillow was gone. And the other lady said, Really? How's he feeling? And the other lady said, Well, he's a little down in the mouth. It is the afternoon. I was instructed to. James Dobson used to write about midlife crisis. In one of his books, entitled Straight Talk to Men and Their Wives, he addresses that in one of his chapters.

A chapter entitled A Man and His Midlife Crisis. And he says the following, We should consider one other aspect of a man's career during his midlife years relating to his dreams. When he was young, he fully expected to be the president, or at least a millionaire by the time he was 30. But as time begins to run out, he realizes not only that he'll never achieve his fantasy, but that his present accomplishments probably represent the high water mark for his life.

Yes, Virginia, this is it. We can easily see why Conway identified a man's work as his enemy during the period of transition. That's just breaking into a thought. Dreams sometimes are unrealistic. Oftentimes, they don't come true. And sometimes that shakes people, and it rattles them and causes them no little upset.

You may remember the movie American Tale? That is, of course, a cartoon caricature. It's really made for adults. But it's talking about the Moskowitz family or the Moskowitz family that is in Russia, the Ukrainian part of Russia. And they're coming to America. And these little mice in this wonderful presentation are told that when you go to the United States, everything will be different. It's the promised land. And the grandfather says to the little mice, in America, there are no cats. Remember the movie? And the streets are paved with cheese.

This is what the presentation is. And so they can hardly wait to come to America, the promised land, the world tomorrow, when all their problems are over. And they find out there's plenty of cats in America. And a few rats, too, if you remember the picture. But dreams can be falsified, and many dreams do not come true. We are sorry to say and sorry to experience. Revelation chapter 20.

Revelation chapter 20. Reference was made, of course, to the last grade day in the sermonette this morning, the sermon this morning, and of course, afternoon, too.

Here's one scripture I don't think was covered yet. Chapter 20. But it's important to cover the central passages for the last grade day, the eight days we can refer to it as well.

Often, if I'm assigned the message or one of the messages on the last grade day, I make it a point of visiting the local cemetery. That may sound a little grim, but I think it's important to do that from time to time, because it is enlightening.

It is educational, and it's educational to read the epitaphs, what it says on gravestones, where it gives a person's name and their life's fam, and sometimes it gives some advice or makes some commentary on how the person's life was lived. Revelation chapter 20, please. Let's begin reading in verse 11.

And I think of the Lincoln Memorial, and I think of this particular passage, and read it as gripping as it is.

And I saw the dead, small and great as we heard this morning, standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what? According to their works. But the things which were written in the books, the sea gave up the dead who were in it. What happens to all those who died at sea? They will be resurrected. And death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them, including those who died in the space shuttle and exploded in space. And all these individuals, billions of them, were judged, each one according to their works. And then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire when the next portion of the plan of God proceeds. This is amazing to read of this 100-year span. When the child shall die 100 years old, when those who have not rejected Christ will be resurrected so they can have an opportunity to repent and to accept Jesus Christ, and to live a life where they are not affected or afflicted as much as they were in their previous life, and allowed to receive salvation and receive proper judgment. This is called Judgment Day. I refer to a number of Westerns in the early part of the sermon, and you'll recall that in those days Hollywood produced pictures and programs, first radio, then on television, then on the motion screen, or vice versa. And reference was made by cowboys. And they used such expressions such as, "'Til kingdom come." That was an oft-used expression. People understood there was a kingdom that was coming. And also a reference used often in the old cowboy shows, "'Til Judgment Day." "'Til Judgment Day." That was often referred to. Not so much anymore. That seems to have disappeared. A lovely little girl was holding two apples with both hands. And her mom came in and softly asked her little daughter with a smile, My sweetie, could you give your mom one of your two apples? And the girl looked up at her mom for some seconds, and then she suddenly took a quick bite of one apple and then quickly of the other apple. The mom felt the smile on her face freeze. And she tried hard not to reveal her dismay and her disappointment. And then the little girl handed one of her bitten apples to her mother and said, Mommy, here you are. This is the sweeter one. The point is, no matter who we are, how experienced we are, how knowledgeable we think we are, we should always delay judgment. To give others the privilege to explain themselves. Because what we see may not be reality, and we should never conclude for others. And so here's a hundred-year span that the eternal God will grant to human beings to repent, to grow, and to become recipients, as we are, of the truth and be able to live it and apply it and grow. Hebrews 11, please. Hebrews 11, some of you who are here today may be birdwatchers. And I can identify birdwatchers almost always in the woods, because they're carrying binoculars around their necks. And the bigger the binoculars, the more avid a birdwatcher they are, or may be.

Now faith, it says in verse 1, is the substance of things hoped for. Hebrews 11, verse 1, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Remember someone in Jackson, Mississippi congregation years ago, giving me an adage to help me remember that verse. And they said to me that, remember this, that faith is like chicken soup. It's the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Sometimes chicken soup can be like that, and I've never forgotten that particular expression. Some are looking bewildered, others are nodding their head. I'll leave that at that. Verse 13, now these all died in faith, the who's who of Scripture, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off with divine help. Servants of God exercised the ability, as we've heard this week, time and again, to see into the distance, into the future, with spiritual binoculars. That's the experience we've had this year, even as we do every year. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. That was one of John Wayne's expressions, pilgrim, in his movies. Usually, when I'm lost, in a strange town, and I ask for directions, because I can't find to where I need to go to, and I'll ask someone, pardon me, can you tell me where to find the post office? And they'll usually say, well, I'm also visiting, I'm also in you, in town. And they're also a pilgrim. They're also someone just passing through. In this world, we're passing through. We shouldn't feel at home on planet earth. But we've seen promises in the distance. Next verse, verse 14. For those who say such things, the things mentioned in the previous verse, for those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland, that there is a destination, that they're yearning for, we refer to it, as the wonderful world tomorrow, and beyond that, the last great day. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland, and truly, if they had called to mind the country from which they had come out of, they would have had an opportunity to return. We once had some lovely neighbors in one of the cities in which we dwelt. They were from Scotland. They didn't have any children of their own. They were up in years, and so they adopted all the children on the crescent on which we lived, including our two children. And they would invite them all over to their home periodically, fairly regularly, including our two children, for an ice cream treat. They would make ice cream sodas and invite all the kids over. I was never invited. I hinted.

They were from Scotland. They moved to Canada, moved back to Scotland, moved back to Canada, back and forth. Some people, you will know after a while, they are not sure where they fit anymore. Where is home? Is it Scotland? Is it Canada? Is it the United States? Well, we know that our homeland is to come. Verse 15. And truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have opportunity to return. Now, verse 16, but now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. And therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. What city is this? Well, this is beyond the millennium, and it's even beyond the last great day. It's New Jerusalem that we heard about this morning in the beautiful special music. The New Jerusalem coming down like a bride adorned for her husband. That is something we look forward to. So very, very much. Do you remember the song by Bette Midler that she popularized? I'm not sure if she wrote it, but she certainly sang it ever so beautifully. Words going as follows, from a distance. From a distance the world looks blue and green, and the snow-capped mountains white. From a distance the ocean meets the stream, and the eagle takes to flight. From a distance there is harmony, and it echoes through the land. It's the voice of hope. It's the voice of peace. It's the voice of every man. God is watching us. God is watching us. God is watching us from a distance.

We've seen so many things this week, this morning. What is going to happen? As if it were a dream, as if it were a vision, during the millennium and during the last great day, and also beyond. Deuteronomy, please. Turn there next to Deuteronomy chapter 34. Deuteronomy chapter 34. And we'll start reading in verse 1 of Deuteronomy 34. And as you're turning there, do you recall the following?

A speech given by a famous American in 1968. And I'm breaking into part of the speech where he said, Let us rise up tonight with a great readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge, to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make a better nation. He said in this speech, this famous speech, I want to thank God once more for allowing me to be here with you.

I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been on the mountain top. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place.

But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the Promised Land. And we as God's people will today, too. And I'm happy tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. April 3rd, 1968, Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King.

Remarkable words, applicable words for God's people through the ages. Chapter 34, please, of Deuteronomy, verse 1. Here Moses is obeying God for the final time. Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is across from Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan, all Nafta law in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the south, the plains, or the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zor.

He saw all of this from Mount Nebo. Now, some of us have probably been to the Feast of Tabernacles in Jordan or in Israel. We were one year. We had a tour of the different sites, including Mount Nebo. We were there, and we looked on the Promised Land, and I didn't see hardly any of this.

And so what God revealed to Moses was supernatural, so that he could see what he would not be allowed to enter into. And it was so wonderful for him to have had that particular vision, that particular dream almost fulfilled. And then the Lord said to him, now, if you had a vista, if you have a promontory, sometimes I know what happened to my father-in-law, who was here this afternoon, along with others who are occupying very special ages, where because of his health, he was evacuated by helicopter two or three times from the family farm, Medivac.

And he really enjoyed it, because he had a beautiful view of his farm, which view he hadn't had like that quite before. Although one of those was at night, and he was disappointed, because he couldn't see as well. But when you're in a plane, a light plane, or in a jet airliner, and you look down upon the landscape, particularly when it's familiar, it means a lot. Verse 4, And then the Lord said to him, This is the land, of which I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, I will give it to your descendants. I've caused you to see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.

Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land, but he was allowed to see it from a distance, as Bet-Middler sang. Now, each year, the Feast of Tabernacles, and on the last great day, we're allowed to climb a very special mountain. We're allowed to spend seven days plus an eighth day on that very special mountain.

And we look into the future. We see what the future has in store in God's plan, and we do this through worship, through fellowship, through activities, special music, sermonettes, split sermons, sermons. It's wonderful to be able to do that. And it's a wonderful dream that we have reinforced year by year, and we know that one day it will come true, as God's plan of salvation comes to pass. How blessed we are to be able to share in this remarkable, thrilling knowledge. And it's not just a dream, it's a dream that will come true, because how did someone once define prophecy? That prophecy is history written in advance. Second Chronicles, chapter 7, this will be our concluding scripture.

Second Chronicles, chapter 7, and the basis of one of our special music presentations this morning.

Second Chronicles, chapter 7. I think of this last great day and its significance and its meaning, and then beyond that, what is beyond that? It's the Feast of Tabernacles, that's a thousand years. The Feast goes by ever so quickly.

How quickly will a thousand years go by? The scripture says that a thousand years is like a day once it has passed. And then a hundred years after that, and then after that there is eternity. And there's not a lot given to us about it. And so on the last great day we look at the meaning of the day, and then also, in addition to reviewing the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles, and reviewing the meaning of the last great day, we also stand on our tippy toes and we look past the last great day. And we gaze into eternity and see what does God have in mind for us when it comes to eternity, when the New Jerusalem comes down from the Father.

One of the events that really thrills me, and I think back to Thessalonians, when we refer to it in funerals a lot, how Jesus Christ will return, the dead in Christ's rise first, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with Him in the clouds. And then the next words are, And so shall we ever be with the Lord.

That means so much to me, and I'm sure to you too, because it means that we'll never have to say goodbye to one another again. We shall always be with the Lord. If we're always with the Lord, we'll be with Him forever. If we're with Him forever, that means we're with each other forever. There are certain things that don't get easier with practice. Saying goodbye is one of them.

The more practice I have saying goodbye, the harder it gets. As we get older, and it isn't supposed to be easy, but there will come a time when we will be changing the spirit beings and we'll ever be with the Lord. How awesome, how wonderful is that going to be? Second Chronicles, chapter 7, please. And let's look at verses 8, 9, and 10. At that time, Solomon kept the feast seven days, just as we did, concluding yesterday.

All Israel with Him, the nation as a whole. And it describes this great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the brook of Kedron. Sorry, the brook of Egypt, which may be that. But nevertheless, it goes north and south. The footnote says, the extent of Solomon's early kingdom from north to south is what this depicts. And on the eighth day, that's today, they held a sacred assembly, which we did this morning and this afternoon. For they observed the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days.

So there was a seven-day dedication of the temple, seven days of the feast of Tabernacles, and finally the eighth day, like today for us. And then, on the 23rd day of the seventh month, that starts at sunset tonight and ends at sunset tomorrow. And on the 23rd day of the seventh month, he sent the people away to their tents.

To your tents, O Israel. You've heard that expression. Let's go back home to our domiciles, to our dwelling places. He sent the people away to their tents. And what was their frame of mind? What was their attitude? What was their emotional state? Joyful and glad of heart. My first feast of Tabernacles was Qua Valley, California, in 1966. And it was so hard to say, God be with you, till we meet again. It's a beautiful hymn. We don't have the chorus in it anymore. And people were crying because nobody wanted to go home.

It was so hard to say goodbye. However, we know this all has a purpose. And we've already been encouraged to leave, as it were, with a high hand. To be, in one way, sad, but another way we have work to do. We have a calling to fulfill. That we should leave joyful and glad of heart. Why? For the good that the Lord has done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

So similarly, we can leave this afternoon, and all of our equivalent attendees and different feecights around the world can leave joyful and glad of heart for the good that the great God has done for His church, for His servants, for His people. It's been a wonderful week, a wonderful eighth day. It goes by ever so fast, faster every year. But remember to review your notes when you get home. Review your festival brochure when you get home. You have a copy? Review what we did, the activities we had. And be reminded that we've been given a vision of what is yet to come, dreams which will come true, that we are to embrace this knowledge.

It is the treasure hidden in the field. It is the pearl of great price. We truly are a blessed, blessed people.