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Feast of Tabernacles 2013
Fred R. Coulter - September 20, 2013
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Welcome to the second day of the Feast of Tabernacles, 2013! Brethren, we have the opportunity to do things that no one else in all the history of the Church of God has the opportunity to do. We have all of the knowledge of the Bible that God has given us to understand so that we know that we are going to rule and reign with Christ. We are going to have a tremendous job ahead of us.
Let's understand something very important concerning ruling and reigning with Christ. Rev. 19 will help us understand what we need to do, what we need to prepare for, and to also realize that we will be operating under and with Jesus Christ as well as with all the saints who are in the first resurrection.
Let's see something about Jesus Christ. We are going to work with Him. We have the greatest jobs coming, we have the greatest goals to reach, and we are going to be under Christ—those who help Him save the world! We look at the world today and it's in great upheaval, great turmoil, just exactly as Jesus said in Matt. 24: wars and rumors of wars, upheavals, revolutions and deception. All of those things are going on.
But we, unknown to the world yet, are preparing to take over the world, while Satan the devil is out there trying to muster everything in the world to fight Christ so he will continue to rule the world.
God alone is the One Who is going to save us from that!
God alone is the One Who is going to put Satan down and put all of his forces to shame!
After everything is accomplished for the first resurrection on the Sea of Glass—we're all organized, we all know what we are to do—and we come down from the Sea of Glass with Jesus Christ.
Notice what it says here concerning us, and talking about Jesus Christ, Revelation 19:11: "And I [John] saw heaven open; and behold, a white horse; and He Who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war." There must come an end to the rule of Satan the devil, the demons and men. It's been prophesied throughout the Bible, and God is preparing a people—that is us!
Don't think you're unworthy, because of and by ourselves none of us are worthy. Our worthiness comes through Jesus Christ. Notice the power that He is going to have.
Verse 12: And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written that no one knows except Him." That's a special name between Him and God the Father. He has other names that we do know.
Verse 13: "And He was clothed with a garment dipped in blood…" This is the vengeance of God upon this world for all the blood shed from the time of Abel to the last battle at Armageddon. That is because Babylon the Great is the one who is responsible for it all.
"…and His name is The Word of God" (v 13). That ties in with Old Testament/New Testament. How many times have you read in the Old Testament: The Word of God came to Isaiah or Jeremiah or Ezekiel and said, 'say this, say that'?
John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" and nothing came into existence that He didn't cause to come into existence. Those verses in John 1 just tells you absolutely everything that you need to know about the abilities of men to do the things of God. They cannot do them, regardless of all the things that they can do. They are limited.
Revelation 19:14: "And the armies in heaven were following Him on white horses; and they were clothed in fine linen, white and pure. And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations; and He shall shepherd them with an iron rod; and He treads the winepress of the fury and the wrath of the Almighty God" (vs 14-15).
Verse 16 tells us how we are going to function in working under Christ: "And on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords."
we are going to be the kings
we are going to be the priests
we are going to be the rulers
we are going to be the teachers
Let's again review what it says about us and what we are going to do. After Satan is put away, and always remember that wherever there is strife, turmoil and confusion from carnal nature for human beings and Satan the devil spiritually, God is not the author of confusion.
Here we are now to take over the rulership of this world, to unseat all of those men who are ruling the world, controlling the nations. Every aspect of human life is going to be changed and structured on the Kingdom of God, Christ is the King, all of those of us in the first resurrection, with our various assignments, are going to be kings and priests.
Let's see what it tells us, because this is important, Revelation 20:4: "And I saw thrones…" We're going to have thrones, chairs of authority. We know that Jesus said to the 12 apostles when they said, 'We've given up everything, what is there for us?' He said, 'You will be sitting on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel.'
David will be over them, and Christ will be over him. There's going to be this structure that is going to work, and we're going to see the basis on how to do it, but first we need to understand that God is going to give us the authority to do it, and we will be able to work things in the way that is going to, for the first time in the history of the world, bring:
real peace
real understanding
people will know
why they're here
why they were born
what is their destiny
where are they going
They're going to be taught fantastic things, which we will teach them. Brethren, after the resurrection we're going to continue learning. We're going to be taught by Jesus Christ even more things than we know now.
"…thrones and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given to them… [we're going to be kings, priests, judges, rulers, teachers] …and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and those who did not worship the beast, or his image, and did not receive the mark in their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (v 4). To reign means to rule.
Let's see something that shows all rule comes from God. There is this heavenly realm, and right at God's throne there are the 24 elders that God created to help Him administer the whole universe. Notice what they do. All power comes from God. We're not going to be kings and priests out here operating separately from God, separately from His purpose, separately from His Word or anything like that.
Revelation 4:8: "And each of the four living creatures had six wings respectively; and around and within they were full of eyes; and day and night they cease not saying, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, and Who is, and Who is to come.' And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives into the ages of eternity… [notice what they do and we will be doing the same thing]: …the twenty-four elders fall down before Him Who sits on the throne; and they worship Him Who lives into the ages of eternity, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy are You, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power because You did create all things, and for Your will they were created and exist.'" (vs 8-11).
Isn't that something? That's why we're here! God has created each one of us, and has called each one of us for a fantastic and tremendous purpose. After the work that is done on the earth, when we come to the Last Great Day we will see that it goes to the ages of eternity beyond! What is that going to be like?
That's why we should never think of the Church of God as a 'religion.' Some people and some ministers do, and they miss the whole point. We are being called to be educated and trained through the Word of God, through the ministry that God has given, but through God's Spirit directly to us. We all have fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ directly, because our job is going to be so important that we need the Spirit of God
to lead us
to guide us
to teach us
to help us
in all of these things! That is fantastic!
As you see the world going the way that it is, we need to keep this in mind, and it all comes from Christ. Just like Paul wrote, 'in God we all live and move and have our being'—that is true. But also, as spirit beings, everything that we do will be living, moving and coming from God to carry out His will.
Now let's take a look at what Jesus said that His mission as Messiah and coming King would be toward people. That is to deliver us from Satan the devil, but notice the condition that Satan leaves a lot of people in. After Jesus was given the scroll of the book of Isaiah when He went into the synagogue in Nazareth and announced that He was the Messiah, here's what He said, and even Christ acknowledged that He could do nothing of Himself, and that it all came from God. When He was talking about what He was to do, how did He start out?
Luke 4:18: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…"; just like us, everything that we do
we're led by the Spirit of God
taught by God the Father through the Spirit
understanding the Word of God through God's inspiration that He gives
because this all God breathed—everything in the Bible—for our instruction, so that we can be fully equipped and ready to rule the world after we get our final education on the Sea of Glass, before we return back to the earth after the first resurrection.
"…for this reason, He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor…" (v 18). And He has anointed the apostles to preach the Gospel and go into the whole world. We have come from that down through the centuries.
"…He has sent Me to heal those who are brokenhearted, to proclaim pardon to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth in deliverance those who have been crushed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (vs 18-19). This was taken from Isa. 61.
We are also going to execute the vengeance of God in the areas of the world that will not submit. They are going to submit to the power of God. Christ at that time is going to execute power and vengeance against men—Rev. 16-19—to put down all evil, to get rid of Satan the devil and all the demons. I think that even at the resurrection we're going to be amazed at how really, really deceived this whole world is.
Here is where Jesus was quoting from when He read this in Luke 4; Isaiah 61:1: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me because the LORD has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."
I want you to stop and think again, what this world is going to be like when we start our work. The earth is going to be in shambles, desolation, confusion, destruction upon destructionupon destruction! And only the power and Spirit of God to begin to clean up the world and the flowing of the water from under the throne of Christ that goes to the east and west sea, to begin to cleanse the world. Remember: one of the plagues of the seven last plagues was that all the oceans would be turned to blood.
Only God can clean it up!
Only God can heal these people!
This will be their condition.
Verse 2: "To preach the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn." As we saw yesterday, beginning with Israel.
Verse 3: "To appoint to those who mourn in Zion, giving to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified." This is all going to be to the glory of God.
Stop and think about it! All of us have seen the pictures of what has happened in wartime, in Nazi Germany and later in the Soviet Union where they ran everyone off in train cars to slave camps and starve them, burn them and kill them. Those poor, pitiful human beings! That's what the world is going to be like when we take over.
Just think of what we're going to be able to do!
Just think of how great and marvelous that is going to be!
Then we'll start the reconstruction of the world, the way God wants it done. Remember when Jesus was in the flesh, what was He? You might call Him a building contractor! Not just a carpenter, but a building contractor. What are we going to do under His supervision? Rebuild the whole world! That's going to be something!
Christ is going to return, put His feet on the Mt. of Olives, raise up Sion, settle in Jerusalem, and all of those who will be with Christ and work in Jerusalem and the areas around there, that's where we're going to live. Isn't that something?
All of who will be out there serving the other people, the other countries—first beginning with the 12 tribes of Israel, then all the nations of the world—until the whole earth has come under the governance of the Kingdom of God.
Psalm 2 is one of the prophecies. When you go through the book of Psalms, read and study them and think about all the things that apply to Christ; then think about all the things that apply to the ultimate goal of ruling the world, and put all of those together as you read it. This is why Christ has to return. Notice what it's going to result in once man really gets up there and thinks that he really is nearly God-like.
Psalm 2:1: "Why do the nations rage and the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Christ, saying, 'Let us break Their bands asunder and cast away Their cords from us.'" (vs 1-2). 'We don't need God; look at what we can do? How great we are?' But what they're doing is just building it up for utter destruction.
Notice how God looks at it compared to the power of God Who created the heavens and the earth, Who commanded that the stars be formed; they were created. And then look down here on earth and see all the things that men are doing.
Verse 4: "He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD scoffs at them." Because their day is coming! We are going to complete that! We are going to take away their rulership, and their right that Satan the devil gave them to rule this world. It's going to be taken back to God.
Verse 5: "Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and in His fury He terrifies them. 'Yea, I have set My king upon Zion, My Holy mountain'" (vs 5-6). That's where it's going to be. This is fantastic. Let's put this together and ask, as we go along: How are we going to prepare for what we have just described that we're going to be doing to rule the world?
We're in training now. Think about everything in our lives today—whether it's a trial, a blessing, a difficulty, whatever it is—all of those things are in preparation to become kings and priests, judges and rulers, and teachers in the Kingdom of God—everything! There isn't going to be any difficulty, an problem, anything that is going take away from succeeding in that, because God is with us and we have the Spirit of God to do it.
Psalm 99:1: "The LORD reigns…" That's going to be the message. When we're sent out to the other countries of the world, we're going to say, 'The LORD reigns in Jerusalem. You want to know about God, we'll tell you, and then we're going to have you go on up to Jerusalem and learn the Truth. There you will understand that when you come back here, we are going to run the government. We are going to establish what God wants. 'If you want to be on God's side, then you repent and yield to God, and the blessings will flow and peace will come, and prosperity will follow.'
Verse 2: "The LORD is great in Zion, and He is high above all the people…. [it all comes down from Him] …Let them praise Your name as great and awesome; Holy is He. The strength of the King also loves justice…" (vs 2-4). We're going to bring judgment and justice.
"…You established uprightness; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob…. [that where it starts and then for the whole world] …Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool, for He is Holy" (vs 4-5).
Let's come to a Proverb that is really a fantastic little Proverb. This is the overarching format that tells us how we prepare.
Proverbs 20:27: "The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly"—everything concerning you. That's why we need God to teach us through His Word; to guide us in all of our circumstances so that these will be a learning situation in preparation for the resurrection.
Verse 28: "Love and Truth preserve the king, and his throne is upheld by mercy." It's going to be
love
Truth
mercy
forgiveness
grace
blessing
abundance
kindness
teaching the way of God
What we will be doing is teaching all of the people in the Millennium how they can enter into the Kingdom of God and live forever.
God's plan—when it's finally finished here on earth—is just the beginning for eternity. I don't know about you, but that blows my mind! I cannot think of ages of eternity. Yet, God has put it in our hearts that we would love to go into outer space; that we would be just absolutely awed beyond description to be able to have the ability to travel into the heavens. But in order to do that, we have to live forever. In order to do that we have to love God, keep His commandments and do these things through all eternity.
Verse 28: "Love and truth preserve the king… [and of course, that means build's him up!] …and his throne is upheld by mercy." Let's see how that is going to be accomplished.
This applies to kings, priests, judges, because there is one thing we need to remember: Jesus told the disciples, after the mother of James and John came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, I have a favor to ask You.' What is that that? "These, my two, sons, one may sit at Your right hand and one may sit at Your left hand." Nothing like being a little bold and planning out a little family planning here. Then Jesus said, 'You know, you really can't do that, because that's for the ones that have been reserved by the Father, but nevertheless, you're still going to be baptized with the baptism that I have been baptized with. Then He called the other ten—who were angry at James and John. 'Look, they're getting the inside trace and there mom is right up there lobbying the Lord. We don't want them to get the top positions.'
So, what Jesus said was, 'Do you know how the kings of the earth operate, by lording over them, and the great ones—the religious leaders—have authority over them, it shall not be this way among you. But let the one who serves, let him serve all.' That's what Jesus did.
Now, seeing that all the kingship will be under Christ, let's see the instructions that God gave to the children of Israel, so that when they came into the land and wanted a king, here would be the instructions:
Deuteronomy 17:14: "When you come to the land which the LORD your God gives you… [think of this in terms of us coming into rulership of the world as we read it] …and shall possess it and shall live in it and shall say, 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me.'" Christ is going to set us:
as kings
as priests
as judges
as teachers
Verse 15: "You shall surely set a king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose. You shall set a king over you from among your brethren…." You may not…multiply horses… Nor shall he multiply wives to himself… And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book from that which is in the custody of the priests the Levites" (vs 15-18).
He was to study the Word of God! This is what we've been given to do. Now we have all of it; we have far more than any of the kings of Israel could have. The truth of it is, only a very few really did that.
Verse 19: "And it shall be with him… [The Word of God was to be with him and guide him in everything that he did.] …and he shall read it all the days of his life…" We're going to be constantly be taught and understand the Word of God and more of it through all eternity. Think of that!
If there is authority given to a human being, because he did this—and blessings and abundance to him—think of what will be given to us. We not only do it now, but also after we are spirit beings—to grow, to develop, to be ready—for the great, great,great plan of God, of the new heavens and the new earth. It going to be so awesome and so great!
"…so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them so that his heart may not be lifted up above his brethren…" (v 19-20).
What happened to Lucifer? The dawn of the morning star? He got lifted up! He got lifted up over the responsibility that God gave him, and he said, 'I will become like God' when it was destined that angels never could. Iniquity was found in him. This is something that we can all learn. We're not to be "…lifted up above his brethren…"
"…and that he does not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel" (v 20). Quite a thing—isn't it? Yes, indeed!
Let's see some more Proverbs concerning how a king is to run things. We saw that his throne is preserved by love and truth, and we're going to administer love and truth.
Proverbs 25:4: "Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the refiner." We're already going to be tried and purified, etc., at the resurrection.
Verse 5: "Take away the wicked from before the king…" As kings, priests, leaders and rulers, we're going to make sure that the people are taught the way of God; that they exercise their free moral agency to love God and keep His commandments. We'll be the overseers. But we're not to be lifting ourselves above, thinking that we are so great just because we have been in the first resurrection.
What's going to happen to them when they receive eternal life? Well, we don't know exactly how that's going to be, because God hasn't told us, but we'll find out.
Verse 5: "Take away the wicked from before the king, and his throne shall be established in righteousness." So, we have:
love
truth
righteousness
those are the keys that we need to realize what we're going to do. As kings we're going to make judgments between people if there are disputes.
Proverbs 20:8: "A king who sits in the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes." That is if he's righteous. That's what we need to be, righteous kings.
Proverbs 16:12: "It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness…" That's something—isn't it? Especially when you realize that Solomon wrote this. What did he do? Committed the abomination!
"…for the throne is established by righteousness" (v 12). We'll see that Solomon forgot that. What happened to Him? What a start that he had!
Verse 13: "Righteous lips are the delight of kings, and they love him who speaks what is right." This is what it has to be with our lives now, because we're going to see in the final analysis that we need to grow in grace and knowledge, and the love of God so that we can be prepared to run our lives now in a better way, and be prepared for the resurrection.
Remember what Jesus said to all of the churches: To the one who overcomes—and He lists all their works—and keeps His works to the end of his life.
Isn't it interesting how many of these things are found in the Old Testament? As I brought out yesterday, isn't it stupefying and amazing, absolutely an awesome thing, to understand what the 'religion' of Christianity in this world has done to the laws of God, to do away with them? How can you do away with them?
No wonder they don't believe in the return of Christ!
No wonder they believe that everyone is going to heaven!
They're not following the Word of God!
Think of it this way: Let's sort of think of ourselves, what it's going to be like being a king or priest or judge or ruler or teacher—all of those are necessary to run the Kingdom of God, and to be run spiritually God's way.
Psalm 21:1: "The king shall rejoice in Your strength, O LORD…" As kings and priests it all comes from God. So, we rejoice in Him! We do now! Rejoice in the Lord and everything that He is doing, in spite of the fact that the world is just disintegrating before our very eyes in so many ways:
in government
in education
in morals
in finance
in just daily living
in the understanding the purpose of man and woman has been cast aside
You know that God is going to judge for that.
Verse 1: "The king shall rejoice in Your strength, O LORD and in Your salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!" What is it going to be like every day to know that in the Kingdom of God, as a spirit being, God has given this to us; Christ has made this possible.
This is going to happen, v 2: "You have given him his heart's desire and have not withheld the prayer of his lips. Selah." Isn't that something? We're going to be praying to God every day as spirit beings, too—aren't we? Yes, indeed! And wherever we are on the earth, think of what a joy it's going to be when we have an opportunity to go to Jerusalem and we can meet face-to-face with Christ; and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and Abel, Enoch and Noah; all the patriarchs and all the saints. Look at what a great thing that God has called us to.
Verse 3: "For You do meet him with the blessings of goodness; You set a crown of pure gold on his head." We're all going to receive the crown, the golden crown of righteousness.
Remember what it says in Revelation 3:11: "…[let] no one may take [steal] away your crown."
Psalm 21:4: "He asked life from You; You give to him length of days forever and ever…. [that's eternal life] …His glory is great through Your salvation; honor and majesty You have laid upon him" (vs 4-5)—so that we can deal with the people.
Remember, as spirit beings, when we turn up the rheostat as it were of our spiritual being, we are going to shine like the sun in its full strength. What a fantastic thing that is going to be. Remember this: the very seed of that is what God has given us with His Spirit, and what our bodies will become at the resurrection. Awesome!
Verse 6: "For You have made him most blessed forever; You made him exceedingly joyful with Your presence; for the king trusts in the LORD… [We are all going to do throughout the ages of eternity—trust in the Lord!] …and in the mercy of the Most High; he shall not be moved" (vs 6-7).
Track 2: or Download
Let's see from the Word of God how we need to prepare for being kings and priests, rulers and judges, teachers and helpers. Let's see the transition from David to Solomon, because this becomes really very important and very instructive for us. Then we're going to read a Psalm of Solomon, and it's going to be astounding, indeed!
David originally wanted to build a house for God, but God told him that he couldn't build it because 'you have been a bloody man, a man of war; but your son shall build it.' That son turned out to be Solomon, who was probably the youngest of David's sons. Again, you get the situation of the least, and God delights in the least, God delights in that which is not counted as anything before men.
1-Chronicles 28:2: "And David the king stood up on his feet and said, 'Hear me, my brethren and my people. I had in my heart to build a house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations for the building. But God said to me, "You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood." However, the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father… [He's talking to all of those assembled for this special assembly and ceremony] …to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be the ruler, and of the house of Judah the house of my father. And among the sons of my father's house He was pleased to make me king over all Israel'" (vs 2-4). Remember, David was the last one; he was the eighth son of Jesse, the least. He wasn't even counted worthy by his father to come when Samuel came looking for a king to replace Saul.
Finally, after going through seven of Jesse's sons twice, Samuel asked Jesse, 'Do you have another son?' Jesse said, 'Oh yeah, he's out in the field tending the sheep.' Get him! And David was made king. Likewise here.
Verse 5: "And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons), He has chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the Kingdom of the LORD over Israel." We will be representatives—as sons and daughters of God—to rule, to judge, to teach, to be priests—over the Kingdom of God that rules the whole world.
Verse 6: "And He said to me, 'Solomon your son shall build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father. And I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues resolute in keeping My commandments and My ordinances, as he is today'" (vs 6-7).
Before we go on, let's add in this one caveat: It is not how you begin, it is how you finish! Nothing, nothing, can apply to Solomon any more than that.
Verse 8: "And now in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God…" These are the instructions to Solomon; the official pledge and admonishment from David to Solomon:
what he should do
how he should be king
how he should conduct his life
As we go through this, let's apply it to ourselves.
Verse 8: "And now in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God, so that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you forever." You couldn't have a better start than Solomon. What a fantastic thing that was.
Notice the personal instruction, v 9: "And you, Solomon my son, acknowledge the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever." Think about that in relationship on how we need to grow and develop, too.
We're going to see, just like it says, by love and truth the throne is established! That follows through, all the way through the Bible. We are going to see that only with the love of God, to God; and the love of your neighbor—all the people we are going to serve; just like Solomon, all the house of Israel that he was going to serve—all 12 tribes. That was the fantastic start that he had. So, the instruction that was given by David to him was very important for us to realize how we need to conduct our lives today.
Verse 10: "Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen you…" Remember in the New Testament how Jesus said, 'You've not chosen Me, but I have personally chosen you." God has personally chosen each one of us to rule and reign with Christ, and to usher in the Kingdom of God on this earth. Fantastic—isn't it?
Look at the parallels. Think about this as we are reading it, so you will gain more out of it than just as an historical document.
Verse 10: "Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it." Just like with us:
we need to build the character
we need to build the love
we need to build the obedience
we need to build the worship
we need to build the yieldedness
by submitting ourselves to God
by being led by the Spirit of God
so that we can fulfill the being chosen to help rule this world when Christ returns. We can take all of these things from the physical realm of Solomon and we can apply it to what we need to do.
Verse 11: "And David gave to his son Solomon the plan of the porch, and of its houses, and of its treasuries, and of its upper rooms, and of its innermost rooms, and of the place of the mercy seat, and the plans of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the rooms all around the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the Holy things; and for the courses of the priests and the Levites, and for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD, and for all the vessels of service in the house of the LORD" (vs 11-13).
Everything; all was given. Think about that. Just like with us, God is going to give us everything that we need to serve Him, to rule and reign on earth in His Kingdom. So, God gave all the plans to David; he gave them to Solomon.
Verse 19: "'All this,' said David, 'was in writing from the hand of the LORD….'" You're not going to build a house for God according to your own plans. I wonder what happened when one man did that in Southern California?
"'…He made me understand all the details of these plans.' And David said to Solomon his son…" (vs 19-20). Notice the kind attitude we need to have in going forward in growing and overcoming and preparing so that we can serve God to the greatest extent possible in the Kingdom of God.
Verse 20: "And David said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and of good courage…'" Isn't that exactly what Moses told Joshua before he went into the Promised Land? Be strong and of good courage, and meditate on the Law of God day and night! What does it say in Psa. 1? Blessed is the man who meditates on the Law of God day and night He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which brings forth its fruit in season! These are tools, instruction, encouragement and admonishment for us to grow and overcome.
"…and do it. Do not fear, nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, will be with you'" (v 20). Think about that! God is with us, and not only that, God is in us with the power of His Spirit, and we, with that, are even greater than what Solomon was going to do, because we are a dwelling place of God. See how you can take the things from the Old Testament and expand it out in the spiritual application of the New Testament.
"…nor be dismayed…" (v 20).
don't be discouraged
don't be frustrated
don't be down
Even in the face of whatever trial that comes along. Going through them may not be a pleasant experience, but when you come out of the tunnel of trial to the other end—to the light—then you look back in the tunnel and you see, yes, that was necessary so that 'I could learn more, to love God and trust Him.'
"…for the LORD God, even my God, will be with you. He will not fail younor forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD" (v 20).
Let's see something that is really tremendous; the promise given to us by God; the promise given to us that Christ will always be there. Let's understand something: God has begun a good work in all of us, and
He wants to finish it
He wants it to be in glory
He wants it to be in power
He wants it to be in spirit
that's what God wants
that's why we are here
Let's apply that to us today!
Hebrews 13:5: "Do not allowthe love of money to influence your behavior, but be satisfied with what you have; for He has said…" We can say, 'Don't let anything come between you and God, be it:
money
possessions
people
problems
trials
blessings
difficulties
Whatever it is, don't let anything come between you and Christ!
"…'In no way will I ever leave you; no—I will never forsake you in any way.'" (v 5). Think about that! That's a promise of God!
If you get discouraged and down, you take your Bible and you open up to the places where these Scriptures say this. Claim that promise, and cry out to God, 'O God, help me! You promised never to leave me, never to forsake me! I need Your help!'
Sidebar: Just do a little word search on help, helper, etc., in the Psalms. You will be utterly amazed!
Verse 6: "So then, let us boldly say… [be strong and of good courage] …'The Lord is my Helper, and I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'" The truth is, the most he can do is take your physical life. But that guarantees the resurrection, so he hasn't done a thing! Think on that!
Psalm 72 is going to be very instructive for us. Look at whose Psalm this is: Solomon's! A Psalm of Solomon! One of his first prayers after God blessed him and told him that since he didn't ask for wealth or power, but wisdom, so he could judge the people of God, that:
He would give him wisdom, more than any man on earth!
He would give him wealth, more than any man on earth!
At that time, after God appeared to him the second time, God was pleased with what Solomon had done and said. Notice this Psalm, notice his attitude—the Psalm of Solomon—and let's look at this as everything that we need to yield to God, also, to become kings, priests, rulers, helpers and teachers:
Psalm 72:1: "Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king's son… [referring to David, the father; and Solomon, the new king] …that he may judge Your people in righteousness and Your poor with justice" (vs 1-2). Isn't that what he prayed for, and God appeared to him and was pleased with it? Yes, indeed!
Verse 3: "The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people…" (vs 3-4). The judgment coming from God. All judgment is from God, so likewise, when we're ruling in the Kingdom of God, all judgment is going to come from God's way and God's Truth.
"…He shall save the children of the needy and shall crush in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure throughout all generations" (vs 4-5). For us, into the ages of eternity! Amazing—isn't it? The Word of God is absolutely amazing!
Verse 6: "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. In His days the righteous shall flourish and abundance of peace until the moon be no more" (vs 6-7). That's forever!
This is not only Solomon's Psalm, but it's also in the Bible to show us what it's going to be for all eternity. Let's all of us yield to God, and determine in our own heart, mind, soul and being—to the very marrow of our bones and the very depth of our spirit and mind with Christ and the Father in us through Their Spirit—that we will not apostatize like Solomon did.
Remember what David said: If you serve Him, He will be with you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever! We don't know the ultimate situation that's going to be with Solomon, because the Bible doesn't tell us.
Verse 8: "He shall also have the rule from sea to sea… [this talking about Solomon as well as Christ] …and from the river unto the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him, and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall prostrate themselves before Him; all nations shall serve Him" (vs 8-11).
It blends into Christ and the Kingdom of God—doesn't it? Yes, indeed! As a matter of fact, during that time that Solomon was righteous, He did the will of God, He built the temple, He built everything that there was to build, finished it off. God came and put His presence in the temple, and God gave Solomon rest from all of his enemies round about. That particular period of time was the closest that it has ever been as to what the Kingdom of God would look like on earth; it was a fore-type of it.
Verse 12: "For He shall deliver the needy when he cries, and the poor with the one who has no helper. He shall have compassion upon the weak and needy, and shall save the lives of the needy. He shall redeem their life from oppression and violence; and their blood shall be precious in His sight" (vs 12-14). That's what we're going to do.
We are going to gather together all the pitiful people that go through all the wars and tribulation that survive through it, and they're going to be gone. They are going to look like walking skeletons. We are going to go to them and say, 'God reigns in Jerusalem! We are here to serve you! To help you recover! And the first thing we will do is heal them, and we will have things provided for them, so that they can finish the rest of their lives as normal as can be in the Kingdom of God. That is going to be a wonderful and tremendous thing to do.
Verse 15: "And he shall live, and to him shall be given the gold of Sheba, and they may pray continually for him; also daily he shall be praised…. [toward God] …May there be an abundance of grain in the earth upon the top of the mountains; may its fruit wave like Lebanon, and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. His name shall endure forever… [God's name!] …His name shall be continued as long as the sun; and men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed" (vs 15-17). That can only be in the Millennium. Just think when all the world is like this, and we have been called and chosen to do this!
Verse 18: "Blessed is the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things. And blessed be His glorious name forever; and all the earth is filled with His glory! Amen and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended" (vs 18-20). Isn't that amazing? Now let's see
how we can go forward
the things that we need to do
that we need to change
that we need to overcome
Remember the Proverb that we read: By love and truth the throne is established!
1-Cor. 13 is called the love chapter. If you still have an old King James Version, let me explain something to you that you need to understand concerning the translation, where the Greek word 'agape'—'agapo' is the verb; 'agape' is the noun—is translated, not love, 'charity.' Why was that translated 'charity'? Because that was the Latin word for love! There were committees on the King James of translating the Bible where they didn't translate, they just brought in all of the translations that they already had, beginning with Tyndale's, and also Coverdale, Bishop Cranmer, and the Geneva Bible and compared the English text and then looked at the Greek.
There were those who were still Latinists; secret papists (makes you wonder) who left their mark in the translation of the King James with the word 'charity' in this place. They left other marks in other places; and it should be love. Charity is something entirely different today.
Notice that it talks about our attitude, how we need to control ourselves as being led by the Holy Spirit. And it talks about the things that we need to do to love each other as brethren and to love our neighbors as ourselves, and also how we need to conduct ourselves as spirit beings when we're in the Kingdom of God.
Paul really understood these things, and God put him through and awful, awful lot:
to humble him
to prove him
to test him
You read about what Paul went through, and all of those who want to be apostles, you'd better stop and think what Paul went through, and ask yourself, 'Do I really, really want this?'
1-Corinthians 13:1: "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal." From love comes law; law does not equal love, but law is a manifestation of love. I hope you understand that. Law comes from love; love does not come from law. Rather law is a manifestation of love.
Have you ever had law enforced upon you without love, without mercy, without understanding. Yes, it was true! Yes, the law stated! The truth is, only love can give life; law cannot! That's why we need the love of God. Not self, not exaltation, not how good we are, or how wonderful or great we are; but true humility through the love and Spirit of God.
Verse 2: "If I have the gift of prophecy…" Can you not get a lot of people to follow you if you prophesy certain things? Oh yes, indeed!
"…and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing" (v 2). That's quite a statement—isn't it? Just to show you how important love is: remember the throne is established by love and truth. We need to learn this today, and this is how we going to operate in the Kingdom of God.
Verse 3: "And if I give away all my goods, and if I deliver up my body that I may be burned, but do not have love, I have gained nothing." God is love! He loved us first, and we are to love Him back. We are love the brethren and our neighbor as ourselves.
Notice what we need to develop. So, wherever love is, put your name, measure yourself, v 4: "Love is patient and is kind; love envies not, does not brag about itself, is not puffed up"—not filled with vanity. Of course, all human behavior without God is vanity. That's the whole lesson of the book of Ecclesiastes. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!
Verse 5: "Love does not behave disgracefully, does not seek its own things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil"—to bring against people. There is still evil in our mind that has to be scrubbed out with the washing of the water by the Word, and we can repent of that. That is thinking to carry out evil.
Verse 6: "Does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth." Hello! By love and truth the throne is established!Amazing—isn't it?
Verse 7: "Love bears all things… [there's going to be a lot that we're going to have to bear] …believes all things… [that are good and right and true] ….hopes all things… [everything that God has said to hope for] …endures all things"—regardless of what comes along. We never give up! Love never casts aside!
Verse 8: "Love never fails…." Think about that! If you follow these things, and if you do these things, you will never fail; you will be guaranteed an entrance into the Kingdom of God!
"…But whether there be prophecies, they shall cease; whether there be languages, they shall cease…" (v 8). We're all going to have a new language at the resurrection. I wonder what that's going to be like? Otherwise the resurrection would be just like the Tower of Babel; all speaking different languages through the span of over 6,000 years, and who can understand anyone else? Just like God created Adam and Eve with a language built in, when we are resurrected from the dead, VOLIA! there is going to be the new language in our mind!
"…whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away" (v 8)—because of the superior language of the spirit realm.
Verse 9: "For we know in part…" That's true, we don't know all things. Every time we get to thinking that this prophecy is going to happen or that's going to occur, change of direction; it goes a different way.
"…and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect has come… [at the resurrection] …then that which is in part shall be set aside. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I reasoned as a child; but when I became a man, I set aside the things of a child" (vs 9-11).
Likewise, when we become adult—men and women—set those things aside. We build on it, because the first of learning the ABCs as it were is still what we use in the language that we speak today—correct? Yes! But we don't go back and practice it over and over again. We've already learned it and we move on.
Verse 12: "For now we see through a glass darkly… [maybe a little more clearly than many years ago, but it's still not crystal clear] …but then… [at the resurrection] …we shall see face-to-face… [An astounding thing to look forward to—isn't it?] …now I know in part, but then I shall know exactly as I have been known."
Paul writes this, and let's keep this in mind for how we can become qualified to serve
as kings
as priests
as leaders
as rulers
as teachers
Verse 13: "And now, these three remain: faith, hope and love; but the greatest of these is love." That is how the throne is established! By love and by truth!
Scriptural references:
Revelation 19:11-13
John 1:1
Revelation 19:14-16
Revelation 20:4
Revelation 4:8-11
Luke 4:18-19
Isaiah 61:1-3
Psalm 2:1-6
Psalm 99:1-5
Proverbs 20:27-28
Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Proverbs 25:4-5
Proverbs 20:8
Proverbs 16:12-13
Psalm 21:1-3
Revelation 3:11
Psalm 21:4-5
1 Chronicles 28:2-13, 19-20
Hebrews 13:5-6
Psalm 72:1-20
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
Matthew 24
Revelation 16-18
Psalm 1
