When No More Is Forever

Here we are on the eighth day. What a marvelous day it is.

The eighth day is a Festival of Wonderment. The festival we kept before up till last evening marked a time period of 1000 years, and that's why we we call it the Millennium.

But now today we touch on eternity. You remember my cute little measurements that I would use when I've come up and talked to you about this or that six years? 143.6 years. This and that. That's out the door now. We move towards, we touch eternity today.

Ultimately, ultimately, with all the machinations and changing of the pages in this day, ultimately it touches on eternity. It touches on only that which is holy is going to exist and be in the presence of God.

When you think of the term eighth day, going back to the Old Testament, what occurred on the eighth day that allows us to create a foundation to continue this message today? The eighth day is a day of which many of us in the Church of God community would realize as it's on the eighth day that the male child was circumcised. It was set apart, sanctified, and consecrated in a sense as the people of God by what would be performed on the male child. But the eighth day actually moves beyond that. It was on the eighth day that the first born of a family and the first born of animals would be consecrated and set aside and blessed before God. On the eighth day, it would be the time of when priests would be set apart, consecrated before God. It was on the eighth day that when you go to Ezekiel 40, 41, 42, where it talks about the Millennial Temple, it would be consecrated on. Are you with me? The eighth day. What does the eighth day mean to you and me? It means that we now move to where God has wanted it to move all along and actually where he is. He is in eternity. It's a movement into that which is utterly holy. Time and space is no longer. We are now in the realm of the spiritual, of the new heavens, and of the new earth, of what we saw here with the new Jerusalem. It is so important to understand the importance of holiness, especially in the sense that in today we live, do I dare say unfortunately, we live in a unholy society.

Instead of going up, we find culture. We find society going down and down and down to the lowest common denominator of self, rather than the exaltation of that which is holy. So we're going to be talking about holy today. We're going to be talking about what it's going to be like to experience what was just sung to us. One thought that I'd like to share in mind with you is simply this. It comes from Stephen Covey's very famous book about the seven habits of highly professional people. It's simply this. The point of my message to you today is to begin with the end in mind. To begin with the end in mind. And actually Covey borrows a very basic principle that we in the Church of God and community are very familiar with. In Proverbs 29 verse 18, where there is no vision, the people perish. The New King James English actually says, where there is no revelation. And we need revelation. And what Mr. Miller offered this morning is revelation. That our eyes have been open to the the great love of God the Father and what he wants us to experience with him. Join me if you would in Isaiah 46 and Isaiah 46 talking about beginning with the end in mind. I'll use an example of story. Many of us remember the Bambino, Babe Ruth, 1920's Yankees. There had never been a home run slugger to that point like Babe Ruth, and Babe Ruth got up at a home plate. And how many of you remember what he did?

He pointed to the field, as only the babe could do, and he was basically saying as he pointed to the field with his finger pointing, it's going out right there. And if anybody could do it back then, it was Babe Ruth. And guess what? He delivered. Well, we do not worship Babe Ruth. He's dead, and he's waiting for, as Mr. Miller mentioned, his rising one day. But we do worship the great God who, in eternity of which he exists, he made a declaration in Isaiah 46 verse 8. Remember this, and show yourselves, men. Recall to mind, O you transgressors. Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there's none other. I am God, and there is none other like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will, I will do all of my pleasure, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes my counsel from afar country. Indeed, I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also do it.

That's why we're here today, dear friends, fellow family members, that we have that confidence, we have that belief, we have that faith. We have surrendered our lives, because we have confidence that we worship a God that does not lie, and he says that if he will do it, he's going to do it, and he's going to do it just the way that he said he is going to do it. So what do we draw out of this? There are these little things you like want to jot down on your notepad. We notice this on this. He has a purpose. Number one, he has a purpose. Number two, that purpose, he has great pleasure. He has pleasure. He has joy. God is joy. He exists in that purpose, and that purpose exists in him. They are one and the same. And number three, he says, I will do it. So that kind of gives us a platform of where we are going at this time. At its core, this festival directs our hearts and our minds to the future, when all those who have ever lived are given the opportunity to truly and fully surrender every aspect of their lives to God Almighty through Jesus Christ. Through Scripture and through Revelation, Mr. Miller has basically covered that this morning. He's going to give every human being an opportunity. Our time is now. I'd like to just share a little bit about the word opportunity, which comes out of the Greek. And you'll kind of get it when I break it down, what opportunity means. I remember many, many years ago, I used a little snapshot from Pasadena. Gordon was there, probably, too. One time, Mr. Armstrong got very, very excited when he said, well, maybe they'll have a second chance. A second chance. And Mr. Armstrong said, God does not operate on chance. He operates on opportunity. He knows exactly what he is doing. Opportunity is a word that comes with the meaning behind that is, as the ships would go back and forth across the sea, and they would come towards, let's say, Ephesus or perhaps Alexandria or Puthioli, which was the port for Rome, they would be waiting outside, a little bit out into the ocean. They were waiting for the tide to come up. They were waiting for the tide to come up to be able to move to what? To the port, just at the right time, to go from point A to point B. God has given us our opportunity now. He believes now is our time of entrance into understanding his kingdom life. And beginning to live that, beginning to experience that, beginning to share that with other people. Join me, if you would, in Isaiah 57.15. And on this eighth day, he gives us an opportunity to understand a little bit about him when we come to understand the term of eternity. In Isaiah 57, excuse me, Isaiah 57, pardon me.

Notice what it says here, For thus says the high and lofty one, who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy, I dwell in the high and the holy place. It may surprise some of us, because we talk about eternity, but eternity, the word eternity, is only mentioned once in Scripture, and it's right here. And God is saying, this is where he lives. This is where he exists. This is about him. We take a look at this. The word comes from the Hebrew, A-D, odd. And odd, you can add a few lines on it. It means continuity. It speaks to never-ending. It speaks to always. It speaks to simply is. God is. That is a very proper technical sense of explaining God, who exists in eternity. He simply is. And so we take a look at all of this and begin to understand it. It defines his existence more than simply a mere location, because there is no X. Think you want to look up here a second? There is no X when it comes to eternity. There's no X marks the spot. Eternity is a different realm that you and I are being invited into by God's grace. As I explained the other night, I used to use measurements to try to kind of wow people and kind of explain mathematically what eternity is and kind of stretching or kind of like a rope. You have a rope and you know, it goes this way. It just keeps on going out and out and out and keeps on going and going and going. And the two shall never meet. I use all sorts of little machinations like that and I thought I was getting the audience and I just kind of gave up on that, because I can't describe eternity. I know eternity is uncreated. I know eternity is outside of time and space, because time and space has the beginning and it has an end. But I finally came to the understanding of what eternity is. If you join me over in John 17. In John 17, and let's pick up the thought in verse 1. In John 17 verse 1, Jesus spoke these words and lead lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that your Son also may glorify you. And now notice powerful words. You have given him authority over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. So the Father has commissioned the Son to give eternal life. But then notice what it says beyond that. And this is eternal life.

What's eternal life? Mathematical projects, descriptions of this or that? No, no. This is eternal life. That it says here, excuse me, that you may, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I'm going to just share myself, my approach to eternity. Somebody might have a better idea and get out a tape measure or put something on a balance. Eternal life, at the end of the day, in eternity is about relationships. And existing with God, as we move from this physical realm of time and space, and are invited into that realm of eternity and given immortal bodies. That's about as simple as I can make it. That's the value. That's the weight that I put on it from God's scriptures. It's a realm that we can't take a yardstick or put on a set of scales. But here's what I'm going to do. Then you say, well, Weber, with all of that, why don't you just sit down? No, there's more coming. What I want to do is, I'm going to give you a snapshot of eternity. We're all going to be tourists for a little bit, and we're going to go into eternity. What this eighth day means, what it means for you and I to actually come into the presence of God, what comes into His presence, and what does not. So here's the title of my message. The title of my message is simply this. When no more is forever. When no more is forever. So that's kind of what we're going to be going on to. Join me, if you would, in Revelation 21 verse 3. In Revelation 21.3, and I believe John has already read it, but we're going to do it again. This is where the Father comes down from heaven.

And actually, I'm going to show you something. Some of you may actually be here for the first term or not. Hold you're ready for watch this. Boom! Hold that. Come over to 1 Corinthians 15. I need to mention this.

1 Corinthians 15.

This is what is so exciting.

John touched on this this morning, but I want to emphasize it.

Why does God the Father call His Son His beloved? Why does God the Father grant His Son a name above all names, above all dominions, above all realms? Why does God the Father trust and respect the Word, the I AM that became Jesus of Nazareth, and now the exalted Christ? We've just gone through the Feast of Tabernacles, the time when the kingdoms of this earth become the kingdoms of our Lord. But then notice what it says here. This is where we're at. Then comes the end.

When He delivers the He, always look for the Who is the He? Is it the Father or is it the Son? This is speaking of Jesus. When He, excuse me, when He, that is Christ, delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power, for He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. I want you to think about this. You want to look up here a second? I don't have the technical ability. I am the PowerPoint, okay? Is to recognize all has been subdued. There's been a thousand years and there are those that are resurrected and all of that we've talked about. And then the Christ, Jesus, our Lord, He lifts up all that has been put under His feet and He yields it. He yields it up. This great harvest.

He gives it to His Father.

They have always worked together. They've always loved one another. They've always cooperated. That is why God the Father loves His Son so much and why His Son respects the Father. I just kind of want to throw that out for a moment, give you what's happened. Now, Revelation 21.

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no more sea. And then I saw John, I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice. You might understand that when that term loud is used in the scripture, it's for a purpose, a loud voice. It's not a whisper. It's not Africa dabra. Remember when Jesus was in front of the tomb in Bethany with Lazarus and He went to the tomb and what did He say?

It says, He said with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth. Back in that time there were magicians, there were sorcerers, there were charlatans that would go abracadabra, gabbalizam, mudder, chant. When God the Father does something, when Jesus Christ does something, it is loud. It is not quiet. It is directed to our hearts. It is to sink into us. The same thing in 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18 when it says, and then Jesus comes back with what? A loud voice, the same voice that woke up Lazarus, rise.

And then of course then you have that great resurrection of the first fruits. But notice then what it says here, and I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and will be their God. As we heard the other day by our fine gentleman where he spoke about this echo that comes down from the Old Testament, from the law, from Leviticus, I will be your God, and you will be my people.

I'm going to come down and finally tabernacle with my new creation. This is what is being spoken. Now the question is simply this then. What will it look like? What is God going to do? One more point that I want to share something with you just to just sort of something.

Isaiah 60. Let's go to Isaiah 62 before we get into the Noamores. I have a question for you. Are you kind of getting antsy out there for God's kingdom to come? Would you like it to have come as of yesterday?

Do we not pray, thy kingdom come? But notice Isaiah 62 in verse 1, for Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns, and the Gentiles shall see her righteousness, and all kings your glory you shall be called a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will name. Back up here then in verse 1, for Zion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest.

I would like to introduce a concept to you that I hope will stick to your heart and stick to your mind. Today, dear brethren, you and I worship a restless God. He's antsy.

He's restless. He would love to bring his kingdom to this earth today, but there are other things that need to be, like the opportunity when the time is right. Brethren, this is exciting. Wow! We have a God that is leaning over from his throne in heaven, with Christ sometimes standing, looking down on the saints, championing those that were even martyred like Stephen.

They're restless. They're active. They're dynamic. We can't even begin to understand the energy and the dynamism of what happens in the heavenly court at this moment. You and I would just be blown away of all of the activity, of all the decisions that are being made, of the glory, the brilliance, and the brightness of what is happening up there. We just simply as mortals, you know what? Can I break it to you? We just don't have the equipment to handle it right now. Moses couldn't. We can't, but we will. And there's something very important I'm going to share with you in a few minutes about that. So, let's go right down this a few things.

We're going to go kind of rather quickly on this, but I just want to let you know we're going to kind of take snapshots of eternity and find what's not going to be there. Have you ever had a family picture and found out somebody was left out?

Oh, they're not in the picture. Well, these are not family members. These are things that exist in man's world, our world, of what we were a part of until God called us out that they're not going to be there. There's actually 14, so we're going to go through this rather quickly, but let's just think what's not going to be there. Number one, there's going to be, as I talked about the other day, there's going to be no more war.

No more war. Join me if you would for a moment in the book of Micah. We used Isaiah the other day as a launchpad, but you know when God says something once, it's pretty important, but when He says something twice, wow. Micah 4, and let's pick up the thought if we could in verse 3. Many nations shall come and say as they go up to Jerusalem, which today, the Jerusalem of today, is being attacked here and there from the new supports that we have. Many nations shall come and say, come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths. It talks about the law going out of Zion, and then it says down here further, as we go further all the way down, He shall judge between many peoples and rebuke strong nations afar off.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. No more war. No more war in the heavens, as we know that Lucifer went up with his band of rebels and tried to dethrone God.

No more war here on earth, amongst the peoples all made in God's image. And ultimately, by God's grace, as His Spirit works with us, and finally, as we enter into that realm of the New Jerusalem, and we are given a glorified body, that there is no more war going on in our own hearts.

No more war. Let me just ask you a question. How many of you out there have had family members in the armed services? Can I see a show of hands?

Don't want to be too personal, but how many of you have lost a family member in the war, any war?

That's four hands too much in eternity.

My father is a World War II Marine. Three landings. I'm glad he made it through, or I wouldn't be able to speak to you today.

Just like you see with Private Ryan, those kind of government tours.

But just because you survived there, you don't survive up here.

You take that which you've experienced and you bring it back. To your family. I know Susan and I had a talk with one of my older cousins, and she said your dad was not the same when he came back from the war.

And he wasn't. Very able, became a successful businessman, but he always carried that. Always remember this, historical maxim, war never leaves a nation and or a person the way that they found them.

Brethren, how many of you think we should kick out war in eternity? I'm going up. No more war.

We kind of do this in UCG. We do ballots all the time. This is good. You're doing all right. No more war. Let's go through another one.

Revelation 21.1, something that maybe you've never noticed. Again, let's remember Revelation is written in the apocalyptic sense. So it is a language that can be metaphorical, but it has a definite point behind it. Please understand that. In Revelation 21, and I want to pick up the thought in Yeah. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And now notice what it says, and there was no more sea.

What is God telling us through his holy word that there will be no more sea?

Does that mean there's not going to be water? Or is there a grander thought in all of this? Let's understand that in the world of antiquity that the maritime people were basically, to a great degree, let's just say around the Mediterranean basin, they were basically in their travels, they were basically what we call coast huggers. They were coast huggers. They stayed along the coast. The more that they would go out to sea, there was danger. That's when ships went down. There were even thoughts and legends, and we even find this in the scriptures about Leviathan, the thought of monsters or large animals that could do damage to a ship. So there was, with seas, there was the concept of fear and the unknown. Not only that, that seas, when you think of either the Black Sea, you think of the Mediterranean, etc., etc. Seas create barriers. They create barriers by people. It doesn't allow people to get to know people. It also separates people. It makes people on the other side of the water. Are you ready for this term? The other. The other. They're not of us. They're different. Actually, in the Roman Empire you would have the term of barbarian. Actually, they borrowed it from the Greeks, barbarian. Anything but Greek, the gift at Greeks. The Greeks, they were known as the other. The other was barbarians. They were not of us. The Romans then adopted that. Is there any wonder then, when you think of the Roman Colosseum and the gladiatorial fights, that when you're seeing people butchering one another, that they borrowed both the Greek thought and they borrowed the Roman thought. The Roman thought were the other, and in the Greek thought Aristotle did a categorization of all creation and basically said that slaves, slaves, are just simply animate tools.

Are you following me? In other words, they weren't human.

These barriers, barriers of distance, barriers of fear, barriers between people, are no longer going to be extant. The Russians will not be fighting the Ukrainians.

North Korea will not have its missiles pointed to South Korea.

Hamas will turn its missiles into plowshares, and so will Israel, because it will no longer be needed.

There will be no more seas. There will be no more distance between human beings, between God's children.

Let's take another one, Revelation 21 verse 4, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Every tear from their eyes and there shall be no more death. I want you to share something with you. This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible that show the relationship that God wants to have, and why he's restless to get this all done. It says that he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes. Do you sense the intimacy, the relationship? It's almost as if God, the Father, himself. You think about this when you've, I'm sure all of us at one time or another, have wiped away the tears from our children's eyes or our grandchildren's eyes, or maybe from our our wife's eyes, my eyes. I got choked up. You all choked me up talking to you when I started, and you just feel that. You get this wet down here and that there's going to be no more tears, because there's going to be no more death, no more tears. I do say there will be tears of joy, but other than that, no more tears. A drought of tears, no more, no more tears, no more sadness, no more death. What's that mean to you? We had a raising of hands today about those of us that have had tragedy in our families because of death. That's something that always I take with me. I always try to get through this for a moment. Susan will watch because she knows the pain and the separation I still feel from my childhood. My brother's name was Philip, John Philip. We called him Flip. That was his nickname. He died when I was eight and he was thirteen. Philip, Flip, because that's on his grave, he was my hero. Little brothers have their big brothers, even though they kind of taunt them mercilessly. They're still their heroes.

I still remember my brother, because we lived in San Diego, which is full of canyons. You just go into the canyons when you're a boy in San Diego and you go with your buddies. There would be my brother, who is four or five years older than me. Here's Little Robin with all of it. I'm always about a hundred feet behind. I'm sure that was bugging my brother just really bad. Why won't the kid just go home? Finally, Flip looked around. He'd go, come on, come up with the gang. And I felt good, because I was with Flip.

I also felt good, because Flip, as the firstborn, took most of the spankings I did deserve.

But when I was eight and I was 13 one night, and I wasn't really aware of that, but my mother had bundled us both into pajamas. She was going to drop me off at a friend's house to spend the night. My brother and I were in the back seat, and I was looking at my brother, and Flip looked down at me and said, Robin, why are you looking at me that way?

You act like you're never going to see me again.

And I never did see him again.

He died in the hospital.

But I think Flip is right, because I am going to see him again.

I am going to see him again.

But it leaves me with a certain separation and a pain that comes up every so often. It's very hard for me personally. Susan knows this personally when maybe there's a movie. We don't watch that many movies, but a movie that's dealing with children that are ill, children that are hurting, children that are dying, and it's almost like I'm right back in that back seat again.

And there's a pain in my heart.

Eight-year-olds do feel they take in a lot by the time you're eight.

And I kind of almost go into a trance. Oh, you'd love to watch a movie with me.

It's just like it's there and it's deep.

That sorrow, that pain, is going to go away one day, and nobody else is ever going to have to experience again. And I know some of you with the stories that I know about you, yours is even deeper than mine. But when I come to this stage, it's like John was talking about, I have something really to look forward to. I can't wait to introduce Susan to my brother, and that we're going to have an opportunity to help him. And we're going to get to meet your children that have perhaps died. We're going to meet your uncles, your aunts. We're even going to get to meet Bill Pass's grandfather. We're going to meet them all. And there's going to be no pain. There's going to be no sorrow. And there's going to be worth everything that we go through, when there are no more tears, no more sorrow, no more pain. There's a lady that I dealt with, as the minister, I often do deal with people that are bedside, that are dying. I remember there was a beautiful lady, her name was Olita Graham, Bakersfield congregation, and what we would call in California an old oaky. You have to remember the migration that came out in the 20s and the 30s. And that is not a pejorative anymore. That is an honor because they are just the salt of the earth. It's almost like the Midwest being in California in the Central Valley. And I went down, I was coming down from camp, and I went to the hospital. The daughters had called me and said, Robin, could you go by and see my mom? They're in Visalia. And Mrs. Graham was an older lady, and I got to talking with her, and she says, you know, Robin, she says, they know it's going to get worse. And there's going to be a time when I'm not going to breathe. And that's probably going to be it. I'm not going to be able to breathe. I'm not going to be able to breathe. And I told her, I said, Mrs. Graham, I said, I know it's really going to be tough. But you know what? It's only going to be, at the end of the day, it's going to be momentary. And what you have in store, and I'm not the one that's not going to be breathing. So I understand. I get that. Are you with me? I get that. But what else am I going to take? It's going to get a little tough. It's going to get a little rough. But think of what's beyond. Think of what's beyond. Think of what we saw up here today with the roses, what they sang, what you were about to sing. You hang in there. You hold on. Remember what Jesus, and so what the author of the book of Hebrews says about Jesus, it said, for the joy that was set before Him.

He endured the cross, suffered the pain. Some of us this year will have that experience. I don't have to be a prophet to say not.

She went through that experience, but I'll tell you what about that one tough old okay woman.

I know her eyes were set on the kingdom as she could not breathe, which there's going to be for a few minutes. But it was going to be okay because she was in God's hands. Dear brethren here at Walnut Creek, can we have that confidence? Can we know that we have a God that is restless to one day receive us at that first resurrection as firstfruits?

We have to begin with that end in mind. Many years ago, when Disney World was being constructed down in the middle of Florida, some guys were overlooking and it says, you know what? It's sure a shame that Walt isn't here to see it.

And the other man came back and says, it is here because he did see it.

He was the Envisioner. He was the man that saw ahead. He was the man that began with the end in mind, even as he was beginning to look over the plans over there in Buena Vista Studios over in Burbank. Let's go through a few more. Are you with me? Okay, here we go. There's going to be no temple. Join me if you would in Revelation 21 and 22. In Revelation 21 and verse 22, let's notice what it says here.

But I saw no temple in it, so there's going to be no temple. For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of the Lord illuminates it. The Lamb is near. So there's going to be no temple. And notice there's going to be no sun or moon. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. The gates shall not be shut at all by night. Neither shall there be... excuse me, there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall be no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life. What's this telling us? There's going to be no temple. Temples are constructions on earth now, whether it be in Shiloh of old, whether it was in Jerusalem. And even in this sense, this tabernacle, we raise this tabernacle where God has placed His name and where His presence is, as Mr. Shabie mentioned the other night. But there's going to come a time when God is going to be with us. The relationship will be binding, not a structure. We will be in His presence. We will be in His presence. If you jot down Revelation, Revelation, let me just go to it real quickly.

In Revelation 3, let me take a look here. I'm looking for speaking to the church in Philadelphia. He overcomes. I will make him a pillar in the temple, and he shall go out no more. There's going to be no more coming and going. Those that are the first fruits of God are going to be in the presence of God. Let's get a hold of that for just a second as people. Let's bring different scriptures together when we understand what the throne room of God is. There's God's throne. There's the throne of the Lamb. There are the seraphs that are mentioned in Ezekiel. The seraphs that have the wings that are over their eyes and their feet, and they hover above God, and they cry, Holy, Holy, Holy. There are the carabim that are actually the portable throne room, throne of God. There's the four living creatures. There's the 24 elders. There is so much activity going on, it makes John Miller look like a sluggard.

Are you with me? And there's going to be no more going out. We're in. Jesus himself said, I have gone ahead of you to prepare, and there's plenty of room, and not merely for the first fruits, which is something that you really want to hold on to, because that seems to be those that actually going to be in that throne room. But there's room for more. The great harvest that John spoke about this morning. You don't want to miss it. You do not want to miss it. It is going to be worth everything that we're going through in this lifetime, and to behold God the Father and Jesus Christ face to face, and be in their glory. That's why there's not going to need to be a Son. They will be the light. Jesus himself made that self-declaration, I am the light. And we're going to be able to talk to them.

They're going to have time for us. It's going to be incredible.

In Revelation 21, 25, it says, they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it, but there shall be by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes any abomination or a lie, but only those things that are written in the book of life. We could go more, but this is what we call personal chat time, if you don't mind. You and I may never have an opportunity again to meet in this lifetime, but I would like to just share something with you that God has called each and every one of us to.

Perhaps you pondered this when you were being baptized. Perhaps you are considering baptism right now. Each and every one of us, some of us have been in this way of life since we were kettlets like Susan and myself. Some of you have been here for 50 years, 40 years, or 30 years, but there's one thing that we all have in common, whether we are a member or whether we're minister, pastor, whatever we might be, we are all disciples of Jesus Christ and we are all still learning. I'd like to just share two very important questions that every disciple of Jesus Christ is asked by the Master. The first one that you alone have to answer is the same one that Peter had to answer in front of those cliffs of Philippi, Caesarea. When he asked the disciples, and I think this was alluded to, who do they think that I am? And, you know, they say this person and that person and this person. But then he zeros in on our brother, Peter. He says, but who do you say that I am? And Peter said, you are the Son of God.

And Jesus said, this does not come from below, but our Father above has revealed this to you. The first question that we have to ask as we wake up every day the rest of our life, and that question will keep on knocking on the door of our heart, is simply, who do you say that I am? Allow me to make this personal real. It's not who does Susan say for me who Christ is. She has to answer for herself. I have to answer for myself. We all, as disciples of Christ, while we are all gathered by the Father and in the Master's hands, we are individually wrapped and we come to Him individually. When you were baptized, you weren't holding on to somebody unless you were trying to drown them as they took you down. You go down individually, and you rise and type of resurrection individually. You have hands set on your head individually.

Remember the first great question on the journey of pilgrimage. Who do you say that I am? In a sense, as Abram followed the I Am, as he heard the call out of Ur, and he left, he was the one car going down the highway out of town while the mass of humanity was coming into the river valley civilizations of Ur, Egypt, China. He was going out while everybody was coming, and there's two things that he took with him. He took his tent, and wherever he went, he built an altar. Simple guy. This is simple. Pilgrimage 101. He recognized he was temporary. He realized the call of God may want him to go somewhere else. Sarah sometimes would come over the hill and look, at Abram, and she knew that look. Oh no. God's been talking to him again.

It's time to pull stake. It's time to get up, to get out, to get going. And wherever Abram went, he never sacrificed. He never used the altars of another religion. He built his own altar. Here's what I like to share with you. I'll make it simple. I'm a simple person. It's my Dutch background. They're still wearing wooden shoes. It kind of just tells you they're simple people. It's simply this. You will need to answer that question every day as to who do you say that I am. With the motives in your heart, with the thoughts in your head, with the word on your tongue, with the action that you bring off that thought, and the deed that is accomplished, all is to reflect Jesus Christ. Number one, who do you say that I am? The first great question of the calling. Number two, do you love me? Do you love me? Speaking of Jesus.

All of us are a little bit like Peter. Life is a circle. Jesus is with him at the Sea of Galilee. This is after the resurrection, and he pulls Peter aside, knowing what had happened that evening in Jerusalem, in the court, and the Nennials. And it's as if Jesus is saying, Peter, here we are again. We're here. We're back. We're back home. We're back in Galilee. This is where it all began. This is where you were called, and you said you'd surrender yourself to me.

Do you love me? Do you love me? And the clock rung thrice. Do you love me? There's points that I want to share with you here. Life is a circle. Life is a circle.

And if somewhere you're training and becoming a part of that priesthood in the future needs a touch-up, get ready. God will bring you back to it.

God will bring you back to it, and when you finally do surrender, he'll give you a job. He won't put you on the bench. He'll put you back in the game, whether you're young people, middle people, old people. You're back with the pilgrims.

Feed my sheep, tin my flock. But sometimes, being a family of pilgrims, we'll say, well, what about him? Just like Peter said, well, what about that man, which we now know as being John, the apostle, he says, what about that man? Jesus comes back and says, what's that to you?

It's like, look at the eyes. I'm talking to you. I have this assignment for you. So often, we want to compare ourselves amongst ourselves or whatever. So remember this. First question, who do you say that I am?

Number two, do you love me? And once you answer those questions, then the big invitation is going to come. Somebody writes a column about that invitation. It's called, follow me. You will be invited to the greatest journey that a human being, a man and woman, can have to follow me. But it's not just said once. It's not just said at the beginning of your discipleship on this journey towards the kingdom of God, ultimately the entrance into eternity with the uncreated father and son. It will come at us again and again. When you look at the life of Peter, oh Peter, can't you just can't wait to meet Peter? Because Peter represents all of us. No, one thing about Peter is sometimes you say, really? Really? You know, I was saying, Southern California, really? Is that sometimes he was like a mess, but half the time he was in a mess is because he wanted to be close to Christ. When he saw Christ out in the water, he got out of the boat while everybody else was watching. And sure, he sank, but Jesus came over to him and said, here we go again. When after the resurrection, they're on the Sea of Galilee, and they see this short order cook, they see the fish fry going on. Who's the guy that dives overboard and swims the shore? Because they had recognized who the master was. It was Peter.

Maybe we all need to have a little Peter in us with a little bit more direction of the Holy Spirit. And to recognize Jesus Christ never gets tired of us. We have a father that's on the front porch with the lights on, always waiting for us. And when we say, Thy kingdom come, I'll leave you with this. When we say, Thy kingdom come, it's like, have you ever been to an airport and you're waiting for for the plane? It's getting longer and longer these days, waiting for the plane to come in. When is that plane ever going to arrive? Are you really worried about the plane arriving? And or are you looking forward to the person that you love coming off that plane?

At the end of the day, what are you really waiting for? What are you waiting for? I am waiting. I hope you are waiting to have an intimacy, to have a relationship, to have a one-on-one with those that loved us so much that they put this all in motion.

That's what I'm waiting for. I want to be intimate with God the Father and Jesus Christ, because you see, Jesus Christ went upstairs not to build a timeshare, not to build a short-order residence.

There's a difference between a house and a home. Men can build houses. Ladies, you build a home. A house is about wood and mortar. A home is about relationships. It's not just simply about the mind. It's not just simply about the wallet. Oh, it's still there. Good. Wallet.

It's about the heart. Brethren, let's continue to keep on going. Hold on to that tent. Keep on building that altar before God Almighty with Jesus Christ as our perfect sacrifice. Allow the fragrance of our relationship with them to rise on high and go forth. May you have a good journey. May God bless you. May God keep you. And remember, when in doubt, remember the invitation of Jesus to stay on the journey and to follow me.