A Vision of the Future

Well, thank you, Mr. Foster. Once again, good afternoon to all of you. I hope you all had a wonderful feast of tabernacles wherever you managed to keep it. I know a number of you went to a variety of different places, and I'm very much looking forward to hearing all about your feast and all about the lessons that you learned and the things that you were able to go and do. Our family had a wonderful time in Mexico. We had a number of you here down with us in Mexico. We had a fantastic time. We joined together with the Mexican brethren and brethren from Australia and Canada and Chile, Colombia, the United States. So we were together with people from a number of different countries all over the place. We had a very eventful feast. I don't know how many of you were following the news in different ways, but we showed up. First part of the feast and Hurricane Priscilla went up the western coast of Mexico and not too far off the shoreline and swung out towards Cabo Corrientes, Cabo San Lucas in Baja, California, but not before sending some storm surge our way that actually flooded the southern part of the hotel. So for those of you that have been to Puerto Vallarta before and been to Mexico, they had this little bit of a berm on the beach, and the water had come up over the berm and was down in the esplanade. And so they were sandbagging and trying to prevent the water from coming in. Shortly after that, we found out there was another tropical storm right on Priscilla's heels that was following the exact same track. And so one day, suddenly we started looking around the hotel and all the windows had taped X's on them, and the bottom restaurant was all boarded up, and there was a sandbag wall, and they were prepping for a pretty nasty time that thankfully didn't materialize. One of the interesting things we were commenting before we left, that the forecast had forecasted rain all week long. All week long. But those two storms off the coast impacted the weather patterns enough that we actually had decent weather the whole time, the entire time we were there. Right up until like the last two days when it started raining in the evenings, it was it was beautiful otherwise. Another eventful thing, how many have been to Puerto Vallarta before? How many of you have been on the Miragalante pirate cruise?

The Miragalante is now at the bottom of the Bay of Banderas. While we were at the feast this year, in fact, the day after our large group of teens went out and took the cruise, went out to the I think they call it Skeleton Island and snorkeled and did all the things and came back. The next trip out we had two brethren from the church that were on that trip. They made it out to the island. They offloaded everybody and they noticed at the island that they were taking on water. And instead of beaching it, they decided they were going to make a run back to the port. They ran into some heavy swells and about two miles off the coast, in fact, Todd McNamee was in the pool watching it all happen. All of a sudden the boat went, boop, boop, boop, and down it went straight to the bottom of the bay. So we were talking about it. We're going, well, maybe they'll float it back up or make it like a shipwreck. It's at like 1,500 to 2,000 feet. That is apparently a ridiculously deep bay. And so they're bringing in a new boat. It sounds like they're bringing in a similar boat from it to replace it. But we had a very wonderful feast. It was eventful. It was one of those things where just kind of like, that wasn't on my bingo card. Like, I wonder, you know, the sinking of the pirate cruise. So as beautiful as part of our yard is, as I mentioned earlier, it is good to be home. It's nice to be able to be in your own bed. So it is good to be back. It's wonderful to have the opportunity to visit here today at services to be able to hear about your feast experience as well. Well, brethren, as we attended the Feast of Tabernacles this year, we were given a very unique opportunity. You know, the Feast of Tabernacles, and for that matter, all of God's Holy Day festivals are symbolic. Okay, they're symbolic. They carry a great deal of symbolism as to what it is that's coming. They describe events that took place in the past. They describe events that are taking place at this moment in the present. And they describe events that are going to take place in the future that help to illustrate what it is that God is doing with mankind as He draws man to Him for man to be able to become a part of His family. And so in that sense, when we go to the Feast of Tabernacles, God provides His people with an opportunity to peek behind the curtain, so to speak. He pulls that curtain aside toward the future and says, this is what I'm going to do. This is the vision of what I'm going to do in the future. These are the things that are coming. And so every year at the Feast, we get a chance to rehearse that. We get a chance to sit together in that room. We come together from a variety of places. We sit together in that room, and we go back and we learn these things, and we explore these things again. There's a quote from a gentleman by the name of Joel Barker, who is an American futurist. And basically, Joel Barker's whole world is concerned with analyzing current trends. He looks at data. He looks at research. He looks at those types of things. Honestly, sometimes his own intuition. And he tries to make predictions about future trends based upon what's taking place right now.

But he has a quote that I really appreciated and kind of forms a little bit of a backbone as to where we're going to be going with this today. Joel Barker said, vision without action is a dream.

Action without vision just passes the time. But vision with action can change the entire world.

Now, Mr. Barker's whole world is data analytics, right? So he takes a look at trends in populations and economies and other things. That's his whole world is trajectories, trends, and research. Rather than this feast, we were given a glimpse of the future.

We were given a glimpse of the future. No prediction needed.

God pulled the curtain back and said, this is what I'm doing. This is what's going to happen.

All the trends in the world, all the data, all the research cannot beat prophetic revelation.

Cannot beat prophetic revelation. But the concept that Mr. Barker brings out in this quote is critical for us to understand. Without vision, we don't have a roadmap to achieve the end result.

We could see the end result, but ultimately we're wandering a little bit through life.

We're maybe uncertain of what to do next or why, because there's nothing really guiding our path, so to speak. We might take action. We might make attempts at things, but without a clear focus and a concept on what we're doing, that action that we take doesn't necessarily lead to the end goal. It's as though we're just spinning our wheels. If we have vision, if we've been given a view of the end result or a goal, then there's a clear path toward which we can work toward that goal, toward that goal, to which we can head in the direction of that goal. We certainly have a choice whether to take action or not, and if we don't, then the vision becomes nothing more than a dream, becomes nothing more than an aspiration. The vision that accompanies these days, these Feast of Tabernacles days that we just recently concluded, is important. Proverbs 29 and verse 18 says, where there is no revelation, where there is no prophetic vision, that people cast off restraint, but the psalm, the Solomon here goes on to write, happy is he who keeps the law.

Happy is he who keeps the law. Both vision and action are needed, because without vision we're only passing the time.

We're only passing the time. We go through the motions. We perform the rituals. We check the boxes, but we struggle to understand why we're doing what we're doing. Without action, without follow through, that vision is only a dream. It's an aspiration or it's a passive hope at best.

There's no roadmap. There's no path forward that guides or directs our steps towards that vision, and so we spin our wheels. Brethren, you need both. You have to have vision and you have to have action. Prophecy isn't provided just so that we can point to the things that we know and use those things to glorify ourselves. God gives revelation to his people as provided for very specific purposes. Let's go to Amos 3. Amos 3 and verse 7. Amos 3 and verse 7.

We'll see the purpose of these things, the purpose of this revelation. Amos 3 and verse 7. Amos writes the following. He says, Surely the Lord God does nothing unless he reveals his secret to his servants the prophets.

God reveals prophetic vision to the prophets. He reveals the future to the people of God.

God, throughout Israel's history, chose to do this through a group of individuals called the prophets. They were men and women to whom he revealed these things. Those prophets were never intended, however, to hold onto those things and keep them for themselves. Habakkuk 2 verses 2 through 3 records that the prophets were to record the vision. They were to record the revelation which God provided, making it plain to those who read it that they might be able to take action.

That they could follow through on what it is that that revelation stated. Habakkuk 2 verses 2 through 3.

God says that vision was for an appointed time, for a period in the future. He goes on to say that God says he will speak, or what God states will speak and not lie, and it will surely come.

So the purpose of vision, the purpose of prophetic revelation, prophecy, is threefold.

It's intended to inform us of an impending future. It's intended to inform us of an impending future, but not just inform. It's designed to shape our actions in the present.

It's designed to reveal what's coming, so that the choices and the decisions that we make can align with that future reality. And lastly, it's intended to produce obedience, repentance, preparation, and transformation of God's people. God doesn't give us prophetic vision so that we can sit around and speculate about what's coming. That is not the reason why prophecy exists. God provides us with prophetic vision so that we can participate in that vision, so that our actions will change, so that we may be a part of what it is that he is planning.

You take a look at the prophecies that God provided his people. You go back and you look at prophecies that were given to ancient Israel. You look at prophecies that were provided during the time of the New Testament. With each revelation to his people, there was an expectation that God had.

God goes in and warns Israel with a prophetic warning message. What was their response to be?

They were to repent. They were to respond. They were to take action to the warning message that they heard. There were times in which he provided prophetic understanding so that his people would know and be able to unidentify an individual, for example. Messiah. Right? He gave enough clues and enough information that when Messiah came, it was identifiable.

That this was the individual that was spoken of in the book of Isaiah. This was the individual that was spoken of throughout these other prophecies. There are times in which prophecy is given to provide hope to a people without it, because they know then what is going to be coming. But in all circumstances, all circumstances, prophecy, revelation, vision, it begs a response.

It begs a very specific series of actions that are based on the information that has been provided to those individuals. And that tracks, regardless of the prophecy that you look at, all of these things provide a future, you know, near future, long-distance future situation in which there is an expectation upon God's people. During our time at the Feast of Tabernacles this year, we were provided prophetic vision of the world to come once Jesus Christ returns. Now, did we receive new revelation at the Feast? No. No. We went back and we looked at prior prophetic revelation that was provided in the books of Isaiah, in the books of Micah, Zechariah, Ezekiel, Revelation, and many, many more. And we were provided with a picture of exactly what it is that God is going to do. We see that Satan is going to be put away.

That's not you here yet. That's coming. That's in the future. Satan is going to be put away. There's going to be a 1,000 year period of truth and justice, abundance, and peace.

Christ is going to rule the nations. The people who were alive at that time will be served by the saints of God, those firstfruits. They'll be taught the truth by those individuals, people who lived God's way with Satan's influence intact. As we transition to the end of the Feast of Tabernacles, we start to see the end of this 1,000 year period. We begin to see how Satan will be released for a short period of time. He'll inspire a revolution against God and a final battle, a war that will end all wars. We see that Satan will be cast into the lake of fire. He'll be prevented from having influence ever again. Satan and his demons are removed. We see a period of time that we refer to as the second resurrection, in which those individuals who have never had the opportunity to hear about Jesus Christ or to know God's way, who will be raised to physical life and given an opportunity to know him.

During this period of time, this great white throne judgment, they will have a lifetime to learn and to be judged, as the evidence in their lives, so to speak, is weighed.

Just as we have a lifetime of judgment, a time for us as now, they'll have an opportunity without Satan's influence, just their memories, just human nature to overcome while they learn and experience the truth of God firsthand. When that period ends, the earth begins a transition from physical to eternal, from temporary to permanent. God says death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire, death in the grave. Third resurrection takes place. Those who have rejected God, those who are not found in the book of life, are cast into the lake of fire and they experience the second death. New Jerusalem comes down from heaven. The Father dwells with His people, and all we have, the last note that we have, is they shall reign forever and ever. We don't have much else in Scripture that illustrates what comes after this. We don't have a lot more than that.

After that, we're left to speculate. We're left to theorize to some degree.

But many of these future coming events have been provided. Brethren, we've been given the vision.

We've been given the prophetic vision. The revelation of God in this sense has been revealed to us through His word after the coming of Jesus Christ. Brethren, what are we going to do with it?

What do we do with it? How will we allow what we've learned, this past feast of tabernacles, to impact our actions as we work toward this common vision? How will it change us? How will it change our life? What will we do differently based on what we learned this year? All of us came home with different lessons from the Feast of Tabernacles. What will you do with it?

How will it change you? How will you implement it? Or will it be the same thing as before?

One more year, and then we're back again. Same lesson, same vision, same prophecies, same old issues.

How will it change you? The title of the sermon today is A Vision of the Future. Within it, I'd like to look at this concept, and I'd like to take a look at examples from Scripture of individuals who experienced a vision of the future. People who saw something. God said, this is going to happen, and then they had a choice to make. We see individuals in Scripture that said, oh, cool, ran the other way. We see Jonah. It's like, oh, that's what you're going to do? Yeah, gone. I'm out of here. Where's Tarshish again? Okay, cool. I'm out. But we saw other individuals that knuckled down and did exactly what God asked them to do, and were blessed exceedingly.

They're blessed exceedingly. So I'd like to take a look at that today. Vision ultimately is what connects us to what is and what could be. It's not just imagination. It is a divine insight that calls us to action. Again, when it's missing, we wander. When we don't have it, when we don't have that specific thing off in the distance that we're focused on, and our focus is on that, we just do this. We just meander, because we cannot find the direction that we're going. When it's present, we move with purpose. Let's start today by turning over to Genesis 6. Our first example is low-hanging fruit. Okay, first example is low-hanging fruit. We'll get to some other ones that maybe aren't as low-hanging, but in Genesis 6, I want to take a look at this first example, because here is someone specifically who was warned by divine vision, and his response to that prophetic warning is inspiring. It really is. It's inspiring. Genesis 6, verse 13. Genesis 6 and verse 13 will pick up the story of Noah here in Genesis 6 and verse 13, and ultimately what God came to Noah and revealed to him. Again, remember, prophetic vision, revelation, right? These are things that God gives us that other people are not given. In this case, Noah was the one that got this message.

I don't know if he told Noah's kids. Seems like Noah was the one that got the message. Noah hopefully communicated that. I'm sure he did just as the rains began to fall at the very least.

But Genesis 6, verse 13. God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Okay, so here comes God. To Noah says, Noah, I'm going to destroy everything. All of it. Everything.

I'm going to have you do the following. I want you to make an arc of gopher wood.

Make rooms in the arc. Cover it inside, outside, with pitch. This is how you shall make it.

The length of the arc shall be three hundred cubits. It's width fifty cubits. Its height thirty cubits. It says, You shall make a window for the arc, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above. Set the door of the arc in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. And behold, I myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life. Everything that is on the earth shall die.

Put yourself in Noah's shoes for a minute. Put yourself in Noah's shoes for a minute.

As you look around, and the creator God has just told you that everything, everything, is done. This is it. And he said, This is what I want you to do, Noah. These are the things I want you to do. Build this arc to these exact specifications. Build it in this specific way. He says, I will establish my covenant with you. You shall go into the arc. You, your son's your wife, and your son's wife's with you. So he says, I'm going to spare your family as well. Every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the arc to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. Of the birds after their kind, of the animals after their kind, and of every creeping thing on the earth after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. He says, you don't have to go round them up. No, I'm going to bring them to you. Okay, I'm going to have them come to you specifically. You don't have to go hunt them down. He says, you shall take for yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself, and it shall be food for you and for them. Notice verse 22. Thus Noah did.

Thus Noah did. According to all that God commanded him, so he did. God pulled the curtain back for Noah. And he said, Noah, this is what's coming. Okay, this is the picture. This is the vision in that sense. He illustrated to Noah exactly what was coming. He said, I am going to destroy man from the face of the earth. I'm going to destroy all of the creatures here, all of the animal kingdom in that sense that are land animals that breathe. Noah, your family will be spared, as well as the animals that I will send you to keep for safekeeping on this particular ark. Right? Go ahead and leave a bookmark here in Genesis 6. Turn over to Hebrews 11, and we'll begin in verse 7, because Noah's example is one that is recorded here as a response in faith to God. Okay, Noah responded in faith to God. Hebrews 11 and verse 7 is where we see this.

It says, by faith Noah, being divinely warned, divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. So Noah was divinely warned. He was given vision. He was given a revelation of what is to come. What was Noah's response? What did we see Noah do? It says he moved with godly fear. Noah moved with godly fear.

He had an awe. He had a respect. He had a healthy fear of God, and he did exactly what God commanded.

He prepared the ark. He followed through on God's instructions to the letter, and his actions that followed the vision that God provided enabled his family and ultimately creation to be saved. And through that, he became the heir of righteousness.

That doesn't necessarily mean that other people saw that same thing in the same way.

Let's go back over to Genesis 6. One of the things that is interesting to me about Noah's story is that from what we can tell at the very least, it took him several decades to build this ark.

You know, the exact figures aren't present. Some have said, well, it took 120 years based on the information from the early part of Genesis 6. That, though, seems to be more of God saying, I'm done striving with man. I'm limiting the lifespan to roughly 120 years. That seems to be what he's saying in that section. But some have said, oh, that 120 years? That's the amount of time before God's going to destroy the earth. Maybe, maybe not. The previous chapter indicates that Noah was around 500 years old when he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The flood, it says, took place in Noah's 600th year. So there's a period of about 100 years there in which Noah would receive the vision from God, would preach righteousness, and ultimately build an ark. Okay, so about a roughly 100 year period in there, depending on when that was given. I think conservatively we can say it took several decades, possibly even up to as much as 100 years.

But the point is, when we see God's Word to Noah, when he pulls that curtain back in Genesis 6 in verse 13, and he says, Noah, this is what's happening. From the point of God's instructions to the first drops of rain, when the first drops of rain fell, was multiple decades of work.

Multiple decades of work in which Noah is building a massive boat as the neighbors are pointing out the windows and going, get a look at this guy, what crazy thing is Noah doing now?

This isn't a small boat. This is not a small boat. Verses 14 to 16 describes this dimensions.

Said it was 300 cubits long, 30 cubits high, 50 cubits wide. This is where you hear Bill Cosby say, right, what's a cubit? Right? From the old gag. I don't know if we can reference Bill Cosby anymore, but a cubit is approximately 18 inches. So a cubit's approximately 18 inches. It makes the ark roughly 450 feet long, roughly 45 feet high, and 75 feet wide. How many of you have been to the ark encounter south of Cincinnati? Okay, so quite a few of you have been to the ark encounter south of Cincinnati. It's down in Williamstown, Kentucky. A group named Answers in Genesis, which is an organization formed by Ken Ham, they built this ark on a one-to-one scale. And it's based on the dimensions of the ark that are outlined in this passage. The difference is the Answers in Genesis folks are using the Hebrew long cubit, which is 20.1 inches in length. So it's not quite the 18 inches. We can reasonably conclude that it's somewhere between 18 and 20.1 in dimension for a cubit. So it's a little bit larger than 450 by 45 by 75. But this thing towers above the freeway in Williamstown. If you look at drone footage of this thing, they have a... it's up on this ridge that they call Ararat Ridge. But it's up on this ridge of Ararat Ridge. And this thing is massive, massive in scale. It's huge. It is an imposing structure. It really is an imposing structure. It's interesting to me because it attracts significant attention, even during our time of skyscrapers and gigantic football stadiums and these other things. Here, this giant boat is an imposing structure. Imagine what it would have looked like then. As old Noah's over here, hopping away on this thing, swabbing it with pitch and doing everything he was supposed to do for decades as he's building this this ark. It would have gotten attention. It would have gotten a lot of attention from the neighbors and from those that were passing by. This thing didn't not stand out. This thing stood out significantly. Those individuals likely would have mocked, likely would have scoffed. It would have invited ridicule. It would have given people around Noah every opportunity for decades, for decades, for Noah to be considered how wrong he was, how ridiculous he was, how stupid his actions were, right up until those first few drops of rain started to fall. And Noah was vindicated in that sense. Noah was given the vision. God told him what was coming. Noah was shown a vision of the future. And Noah, in faith, followed through.

His actions matched the vision. And God saved Noah and his family. And those who scoffed, those who ridiculed, those who mocked, those who didn't listen as Noah preached righteousness through the time that he was building this thing, brethren, they all drowned. Every last one of them drowned. And Noah was saved. Because God said, Noah, this is what I'm going to do. And Noah said, yes, God, I'll do it. I will follow through. I will do what you asked me to do. And Noah was saved. Vision and action are necessary. If Noah only had the vision and decided not to build the ark, where would Noah be? Drowned right along with everybody else.

If he had action but no blueprints, what would the ark look like? Who knows? Would it even float?

Would it have survived the flood that was to come? Would it have been big enough? You know, all the animals get on there and they capsize the thing. You know, who knows, right? God had very exacting specifications. And Noah followed them to the tee. Let's go ahead and take a look at Acts 9 for another example. Acts 9. Acts 9 will pick up the story of Saul as he is in the midst of the transition to the Apostle Paul. Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He was extremely zealous for God. And he saw the sect of Christianity that had sprung up in Judea as anathema to his faith. And he dedicated himself to stamping it out. He dedicated himself to destroying it. Every opportunity that he had. He presided over the stoning of Stephen. We know he was present. He was consenting to Stephen's death. So he presided over the stoning of Stephen.

We know that he went to the Sanhedrin. He was given letters to go as far as Damascus, to capture and to bring Christians from Damascus to Jerusalem. So he had letters in his hand when we see the events of Acts 9. He was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, bind them, and bring them back to Jerusalem to stand trial, and likely be put to death.

Those letters were in his hand when we get this account in Acts 9. Acts 9 and verse 1, Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priests and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

Then he fell to the ground, and he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? He said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It's hard for you to kick against the goats. And so Paul here, trembling and astonished, said, Lord, what do you want me to do? And the Lord said to him, Arise, go into the city and you'll be told what you must do. The men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no one. So the others who were with him could hear these things. They didn't see anyone speaking. Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one. They led him by the hand and they brought him into Damascus. He was three days without sight, and he neither ate nor drank. Have you ever seen someone so angry that they're breathing threats and murder? Mumbling under their breath and breathing, that kind of action and that kind of face, grumbling vitriol under their breath so that it becomes who they are in some way?

This is the state of the man who would become the Apostle Paul. In Acts 9 and verse 1, when he is coming into Damascus before he is struck down here on the road to Damascus, this is the man who would become Paul. Christ had been crucified approximately six to seven years earlier in 31 A.D. as most believe the events recorded in Acts 9 took place in roughly 37 to 38 A.D. So Christ has been dead for about six years. The movement has grown beyond Jerusalem. There's Christians across Asia Minor, and as they are going out, they are turning the Jewish world upside down.

They're turning the Jewish world upside down. Saul sees it as his responsibility to stamp this movement out, and he's going to do everything in his power to do so. But on the road to Damascus, we see something happens to Saul. A light shines around him from heaven. He falls to the ground in awe, and a voice asks, why are you persecuting me? Saul is not so sure of who speaks, who's speaking to him. He asks the voice to identify himself, and Christ said, I am Jesus, whom you're persecuting. And then he says, it's hard to kick against the goads. A goad is a sharpened stick.

Livestock managers utilize goads to manage livestock. When the animal doesn't do what you want it to do, you take the sharp end of the stick, and you give a little jab on preferably the side you'd like it to go in the opposite direction of. So you jab it on the left side to get it to move right. Well, animals don't like being poked with sharp sticks, and so they frequently will kick back against that particular thing as they're kind of goading it along, so to speak. Paul was kicking against the goads. What does that mean? This was not the first interaction that Saul had with people of the way. He'd seen and he'd heard Stephen's testimony.

There is some evidence—it's light, it's not strong evidence—but there's some evidence that Paul may have been a member of the Sanhedrin. He talks about having casting votes at some point in time with a colored stone. That was kind of the way votes were cast in the Sanhedrin. So we don't know for sure, but it's possible. Which means that if that were the case, he may have been present when Peter, James, and John were brought before the Sanhedrin. He may have heard their testimonies. It's possible—he doesn't mention it. I think if it were the case, he would have. But it's possible that he may have even been sitting at Gamaliel's feet learning when Christ was brought before the Sanhedrin. We don't know. We don't know. But this was not the first time that he interacted with people of the way. He'd been goaded before. He'd been encouraged— we'll use the word encouraged—he'd been encouraged before by God.

Regardless, Christ is now working to get his attention. He reveals himself to him. He instructs him to follow through by going to the city to be told what to do. And when Saul arises from the ground and opens his eyes, he finds that he can't see. For three days, he was without sight, and he fasted without food and drink. Now verse 10. Verse 10 of Acts 9, there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Here I am, Lord.

So the Lord said to him, Arise, go to the street called Strait, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus. For behold, he is praying. And in a vision, he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight. So both Saul now has been given a glimpse of the future. That curtain has been pulled back for him. Now Ananias has been given a vision of the future. Again, that curtain has been pulled back for Ananias.

Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard from many about this man, how much harm he's done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priest to bind all who can call on your name. So Ananias goes, God, you sure? Are you certain about this? Because I've heard about this guy. I mean, I'll go, but are you sure? Lord said to him, Go, he's a chosen vessel of mine to bear my name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel, for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. Ananias went his way. He entered the house, laying his hands on him. He said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately there fell from his eyes, Paul's eyes here, something like scales, and he received his sight at once. He arose and was baptized. So when he received food, he was strengthened, and then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Have you ever considered the reason why Ananias was in Damascus?

Why was Ananias in Damascus? Acts 8, if you want to turn over there, you can. Acts 8 describes a great persecution that arose against the church in Jerusalem after the death of Stephen. Okay, so right on the tail end of Acts 7, when Stephen is killed, we see Acts 8 verse 1. Saul was consenting to his death. At that time, a great persecution arose against the church, which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Other individuals went further than just Judea and Samaria.

This persecution spread people throughout Asia Minor, spread people throughout Judea, throughout Samaria, ultimately anywhere but Jerusalem, in a sense, because of the commotion that was made by Saul and by others of Saul's ilk. But Ananias was likely in Damascus as a result of what Saul had been doing in Jerusalem. And now God has revealed to him, envisioned that this man is in Damascus, and that God is envisioned, given Paul the understanding that Ananias would be coming to heal him. Again, put yourselves in Ananias's shoes for a moment. Here God has asked him to go and heal the very man responsible for Stephen's death, responsible for the scattering and the persecution of the church. And just three days earlier, Paul was headed to Damascus with letters to be able to come in and grab Christians, just like Ananias, and drag them off to Jerusalem in chains. Now God said, this man is a chosen vessel. This man is someone who will bear God's name before Gentiles and kings, the children of Israel. And ultimately he says he'll be seen and shown the number of things that he would suffer for Christ's namesake. But vision was given to Paul.

Prophetic vision was provided to Paul. He said, go to the street named straight, go to the house of Judas and wait for Ananias to come and lay hands on. To Ananias, God said, hey Ananias, go to the street named straight, go to the house of Judas, you're going to find Paul. He's there praying. He's waiting for you. God arranged this meeting. God arranged this meeting.

And ultimately Ananias took the vision of the future that he was given. He acted on it and he followed through. Saul was healed. He spent a number of days with the disciples in Damascus. Again, the very same disciples that he was sent just days earlier to apprehend.

And ultimately they spent time together there in Damascus.

God gave Ananias a vision of Saul's calling. Gave Ananias a vision of who Saul would become, in a sense. And that vision demanded faith, it demanded trust, and it demanded immediate action. Okay, so we see another example in which vision required action. Let's take a look at one more. Just a page forward here to Acts 10.

Acts 10. We meet a gentleman by the name of Cornelius. Okay, we meet a gentleman by the name of Cornelius. Cornelius was a Roman centurion. Means he was a professional soldier in the Roman army. Centurions, at that time, commanded a unit of approximately 80 to 100 men that was known as a centurion. So he was a commanding officer over around 80 to 100 men. They formed the backbone of the Roman army at this time. So the Roman military, these centuries really were the backbone of the Roman army. Frequently, these centurions were promoted from the ranks into command positions due to skill in battle and demonstration of bravery during those same battles. So Cornelius was not a paper pusher. Cornelius was a warrior. This is someone who knew how to fight, somebody who absolutely was lethal at his role. He was very good at what he did. He commanded men into battle. He was a part of the Italian regiment at the time, which was likely a group of volunteers from the regions around Rome that were stationed in Judea. But he was also a devout man. He was a man who believed in God. He was a man who prayed frequently. He was a man who had a giving heart, but was a Gentile. Acts 10 and verse 3. Acts 10 and verse 3. We see a vision that God provides to Cornelius. Acts 10 and verse 3 says, about the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, Cornelius. And when he observed him, he was afraid and said, what is it, Lord? He said to him, your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa. Send for Simon, whose surname is Peter. He's lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do. When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. And so when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa. So this angel comes to Cornelius in vision, reveals that the prayers and the good works that Cornelius had done had been seen by God. It had come to God as a memorial. They were accepted in that sense. And that angel says, you need to send men to Joppa, to the house of Simon the tanner, to find Peter. He's there. Peter will fill in the rest of the details. What God tells him in vision is, you do this and the rest will be made known. So Cornelius is given a vision of the future and he acts on it. Verse 9. We see that he sends the men. Says, the next day, as they went on their journey and drew near to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour. Then he became hungry and he wanted to eat. But while they were made ready, or while they made ready, he fell into a trance. So he had a vision that was provided to him. Saw heaven opened and an object like a great sheet bound at the four corners, descending to him and let down to the earth. In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things and birds of the air. And a voice came to him, rise, Peter, kill and eat. Peter says, not so, Lord, for I've never eaten anything uncommon or unclean.

A voice spoke to him again the second time, what God has cleansed you must not call common.

This was done three times. The object then was taken up into heaven again. So we see Peter says, yippee, pepperoni pizza. No, that's not what Peter says. This passage is frequently used by individuals who want to try to illustrate that the food laws in Leviticus 11 are done away with. That God was somehow trying to show Peter that because he created all of these things, four-footed animals, wild beasts, creeping things, and had instructed Peter to arise and eat, that somehow that was God communicating that it was fine.

You'll notice that Peter protested in the vision. That should tell us something. God spoke again what God has cleansed you must not call common. This was repeated three times before the object was removed to heaven again. Peter himself, it says, wondered what the vision meant. He didn't fully understand what God was doing at the time, but God was forecasting a future event that would shortly take place, and when it did, all of those pieces would fall into place. When people use this passage to claim that God has done away with the food laws, tell them to keep reading. Tell them to keep going.

Down into verse 28 in the early part of chapter 11, when he takes the time to explain exactly what God meant by this statement. That God was trying to get him to realize that the Gentiles were not common and unclean. That he was about to do something incredible with these groups of people. Shortly after Peter receives this vision, there was a knock at the door.

Peter was prompted to go and answer it. The men there at the door said that they were sent by Cornelius by divine instruction to bring Peter from Joppa to Judea. Peter gives him lodging for the night. They stay that evening with Peter there with Simon the Tanner. I don't know if Simon was okay with him inviting three people in, but it seems like it was fine.

Following day, they traveled 40 or so miles down to Caesarea. When he arrived there, he met with Cornelius. Cornelius had called in his relatives and his close friends. Verse 24, Acts 10. Acts 10 and verse 24. It says, following day when they entered Caesarea, now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and his close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up saying, Stand up. I myself am also a man. As he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.

Then he said to them, You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or to go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Again, there's the point of the vision. There's the point of the vision. It wasn't about pizza. It was about Gentiles. It was about these individuals in this situation. He says, Therefore I came without objection. As soon as I was sent for, I asked them, For what reason have you sent me?

So Cornelius, verse 30, says, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing. And he said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard. Your alms are remembered in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter.

He's lodging in the house of Simon a tanner by the sea, and when he comes, he will speak to you. And so I sent to you immediately, and you've done well to come, and now therefore we're all present before God to hear the things commanded you by God. And we see Peter opens his mouth, and he preached Christ to Cornelius and his family and his friends. And as Peter was speaking, the Spirit of God fell on those who heard his words.

Just as it had done on the day of Pentecost to the devout Jews that were gathered, now the Spirit of God was being poured out upon the Gentiles as well. Peter asked if any of the circumcision who accompanied him, any of the Jewish individuals who were with him, any of them, he said if any of you can forbid water that they could be baptized, and none of them could forbid it. They realized God was doing something here, and so Peter baptized Cornelius and his household, and Peter remained with them for a few days.

Brethren, both Peter and Cornelius were given a vision of the future.

Both of them, it was illustrated to them what was going to take place. They both followed through on what they were provided. They both took action, and as a result, God was glorified.

At the Feast of Tabernacles, we were given a vision of the kingdom of God.

We were given a prophetic vision of what the kingdom of God is going to entail, what it outlines. Through the words of the prophets, we see these descriptions.

They were expounded on by the speakers, those that we were able to hear in the locations that we gathered. And once again, brethren, what are we going to do with it? What are we going to do with it? God peeled back that curtain during our time together at the Feast. We were given a glimpse of this coming peace, this righteousness, this reconciliation to God. You know, it wasn't given to us in vision in that sense. We had a chance to live it, to rehearse it for a short period of time, for a short period of time, to kind of taste and see. How can we live it? How can we illustrate these things now? How do we take what we've learned and bring it to the world around us as we preach a message of warning, a message of calling, a message of inclusion that God desires all people to repent? Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision just passes the time, but vision with action can change the world. Let's not allow what we've seen in this past feast of tabernacles to just be a dream, just be wishful thinking or a passive aspiration. Just be a vision that's kind of coming without the corresponding action in our lives that must accompany it.

God's provided us with guidance. He's provided us with the path to follow as we think about our calling and we think about the responsibility that comes with it. Also, let's not just act for action's sake. Do something because we feel like, well, we got to do something. Let's make sure that the efforts that we undertake in this life correspond to the kingdom of God and they place the kingdom of God in its proper place in our lives, that we seek it first. We seek the righteousness of God first so that we can be a part of that first fruit harvest, so that we can be a part of those serving alongside Christ in the millennium. Brethren, we're not just witnesses of this vision. We're not just witnesses of this vision. We're actually ambassadors of it.

We're citizens of a coming kingdom and, frankly, we're not waiting for its arrival to begin to live its ways. We live it now, which means we're living peace and righteousness and reconciliation today, right now. 1 Peter 4 and verse 17 says, the time has come for judgment to begin at the household of God. You and I are being judged now. Our lives, the evidence of our lives, is being weighed on the scales of judgment. And it's a process, it's a lifetime of evidences that are being collected so that God can determine whether he can trust us with eternal life.

There's things that we have to learn in this life. There's lessons that we need to put into practice. We need to be living as citizens of this kingdom today. As we conclude today, I'd like to turn over to Hebrews 11. Hebrews 11. Again, vision isn't given for entertainment purposes.

It's not given for the purpose of speculation. Vision is given for transformative purposes.

It is given so that we follow through, and ultimately we see that future that's coming.

We understand the actions that are necessary, and we align ourselves with that vision. We're motivated to make the necessary changes to ensure that we align ourselves with that coming reality. That's the purpose of these things. A vision of warning in the case of Noah should lead to repentance, as it did in the case of the Assyrians. I actually listened. I actually repented when Jonah brought the message to Assyria. Ultimately, a vision of a calling leads to a responsibility. Vision of inclusion leads to a brotherhood and a fraternity in that sense.

We don't fix our eyes on the things that are seen, what's right in front of us, the temporary things. We fix our eyes on what's not seen, that which is eternal, the things that God has given us that vision of. Hebrews 11 and verse 13. Hebrews 11 and verse 13 says, 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 in pilgrims on the earth.

For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland, and truly, if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.

But now, verse 16, they desire a better, that is a heavenly, country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Nearly cities or these heroes of faith that are contained here in Hebrews 11, they were shown a vision of what was to come.

They were given an understanding of these promises. They saw them afar off as God peeled that curtain back for them as well. The things they saw they were assured of, they embraced them, recognizing that they were strangers in pilgrims here and now, because they realized they were part of a spiritual kingdom that was coming. Their citizenship was somewhere else, and that they were here at this time as strangers, sojourners, pilgrims. But they saw it, a spiritual country. They saw it as a spiritual kingdom, a city that God had prepared for them. Now we see, as we go through Hebrews 11, take a look at the examples that are here, they died without receiving that promise. They didn't receive the promise in this life. That vision that they were shown, that bit of the curtain that was pulled back for them, just as it has been for us, they died without having received it. But that vision of the future changed their here and now. It changed the way that they interacted. It changed the way that they approached their faith.

Brethren, let's capture that vision. Let's capture that vision of the Feast of Tabernacles.

Let's allow it to shape our lives. Let's allow it to redouble our efforts spiritually as we love, and we serve, and we lead in our families, in our congregations, in our society. Let's allow it to become the focus of our lives. Really further strengthen that relationship with God and with one another as that vision that we've been provided inspires our action. Hebrews 12 and verse 1 we'll conclude here. It says, therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Brethren, I hope you have a wonderful remainder of your Sabbath. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to hear about your Feast of Tabernacles experiences, ultimately the messages and things that you loved, and we'll catch you next time.