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Fred R. Coulter - September 26, 2013
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to the Last Great Day of the Feast, 2013! What a Feast it has been. Look at the things that are transpiring in the world. When you look at all of those things, remember that this Last Great Day is the day that is going to solve every one of those problems. Go back in history for all of those that never had an opportunity for salvation.
As we always do, we always begin in Lev. 23. Remember that this is the starting point, and the rest of the understanding concerning the last day, which is called 'the eighth day.' It is a Sabbath; a Holy Day. Let's see what it tells us concerning this, and see that it mentions it as an 'eighth day'; not much more of a command given.
We do have a reference to it at the celebration of the initiation of the temple in 2-Chronicles 5-8[transcriber's correction], and at the end Solomon sends them home on the 22nd day of the seventh month, which is the day after the Last Great Day.
Leviticus 23:36—talking about the Feast of Tabernacles: "Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day… [it just mentions it here as the eighth day] …shall be a Holy convocation to you. And you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly. And you shall do no servile work therein."
Verse 39: "Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a Feast to the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath." This eighth day, even though it is the least, carries a whole lot of fulfillment in the plan of God. That fits in with things where God delights in the least, the weak and so forth. That's how we're made strong.
We know that we need to take up an offering for the Last Great Day, as that's an extension and part of the Feast of Tabernacles. We have the pattern:
Passover
7 days of Unleavened Bread
(1+7=8)
at the end we have
7 days of the Feast of Tabernacles
Last Great Day
(7+1=8)
It is a Holy Day, and a time to bring forth an offering to God commensurate to the great meaning of this day—that great day of God—which is going to be absolutely incredible!
(pause for offering)
Now let's understand the meaning of the Last Great Day, the great day of God! That is mentioned in John 7; let's see what Jesus said. One of the ceremonies that they had at that time was the water ceremony, the pouring of water around the base of the altar of God. This was done as the seventh day was coming to an end and the eighth day was beginning.
John 7:37: "Now, in the last day, the great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and called out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.'" Isn't that a very interesting statement? Let's compare that with what we have in:
John 14:6: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.'" A little different—isn't it?
John 6:44: "No one can come to Me unless the Father, Who sent Me, draws him…" Very interesting—isn't it?
John 7:37: "…'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'" (vs 37-38). That's interesting, as well. That's talking about the Holy Spirit.
Anyone—like they say down south in America—'ya'll come!' However, in this age, in this time, that has not been that way. God is the One Who has to call, and if God doesn't call, and their minds are closed… Think about this: Think about all of the majority of people who have lived and died who were before Christ, because Christ came approximately two-thirds of the way through human history.
What about all of them?
What's going to happen to them?
What about those who were sincere, honest and good, and lived good lives?
What about them?
John 3:16 is one of the verses that atheists and agnostics challenge all the time. 'If He's a God of love, why is there so much evil in the world?' Because of human nature! Because of Satan the devil! Because of free choice!
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life." How is that going to happen? As we know, the Bible teaches that everyone is going to have a chance, an opportunity for salvation. We'll see how that will work.
Let's see one of the desires of God. When God desires something, and there is human nature involved in it, we have to choose. When human beings have to choose, if they go against the desire of God, what happens at that point? That's God's desire. That's where there's free moral agency. God never takes away free moral agency. You have to choose.
What if all of those that I just mentioned never had an opportunity to choose? How is this Scripture going to be fulfilled?
2-Peter 3:9: The Lord is not delaying the promise of His coming, as some in their own minds reckon delay… [it's right on time] …rather, He is long-suffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
How is that going to happen?
Especially when you consider that God didn't call them. 'Many are called, but few are chosen.'
What's going to happen to the many that weren't chosen?
Does God still love them?
If He never gave them an opportunity for salvation, what is He going to do about it?
"…all should come to repentance." Let's see what God also desires; here's what God wants:
1-Timothy 2:4: "Who desires all men to be saved…" How does that square with some of the doctrines of some of the Protestants and Catholics and all the other religions of the world, that if you don't go with this church or that church or that religion you're condemned to purgatory or hell; you're condemned to wander around and be re-incarnated into many different lives—whatever it may be.
How is God going to save all men? God did something very interesting along the way—didn't He? Yes! That's why, as one man said, 'For all the evil in the world, I hold God responsible.' Well, true, because God let Satan come in to see whether we would obey Him or not, beginning with Adam and Eve—to see whether we would obey God or Satan the devil—and we have to choose. For those who did not choose Him, were cut off from God, removed from Him, what's going to happen to them?
We also have to define some of the sins and so forth and see how God is going to work it out. Let's see something that God did, something that God is responsible for. In addition, when we don't want or desire God, we blind ourselves. But God also does the same thing to us.
John 12:35: "Then Jesus said to them, 'Yet a little while the Light is with you…. [He was the Light of the world] …Walk while you have the Light, so that the darkness will not overtake you. For the one who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become the children of Light.' Jesus spoke these things and then departed from them and was in hiding. Although He had done so many miracles in their presence, they did not believe in Him" (vs 35-37). Isn't that something?
Think about the witness of Christ!
Think about the preaching of Christ!
Think of all the miracles!
Think of the thousands and thousands that were healed!
Where were they on the Day of Pentecost?
Verse 38: "So that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled who said, 'Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?' For this very reason they could not believe because again Isaiah said" (vs 38-39).
Who does the blinding? God does!
Who released Satan upon the earth? God did!
Who deceives all of mankind? Satan the devil!
If God wants all to come to the knowledge of the Truth, all to repent and be saved, something has to happen. That's what this last day is all about.
Verse 40: "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their hearts, and be converted, and I would heal them." That's quite a statement—isn't it? Yes, indeed!
If they turn away from God, He blinds them! That's why God says to the Laodiceans, 'I would that you would be cold or hot.' If God blinds them, have they lost salvation even if they die? That's the question that this day answers!
Verse 41: "Isaiah said these things when he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him. But even so, many among the rulers believed in Him… [but not really] …but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him… [that is openly] ….so that they wouldnot be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory of men more than the glory of God. Then Jesus called out and said, 'The one who believes in Me does not believe in Me, but in Him Who sent Me'" (vs 41-44).
It has to go back to God the Father. This is what is lacking in Protestantism; the Father is very low-keyed, and also is called the 'God of the Old Testament.'
It isn't that we are not to rely on Jesus. We are to rely on Jesus, but we must rely on the Father because Jesus said, 'I tell you, you pray to the Father, for the Father Himself loves you. Don't pray to Me and I'll ask the Father for you.' NO!You pray to the Father!
What's going to happen if they didn't believe? Let's go a little further and see something else. Let's come to Rom. 11, and here's another mystery of God, which is answered by this day.
Romans 11:25: "For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this mystery, brethren, in order that you may not be wise in your own conceits: that a partial hardening of the heart has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." God did it! He blinded them! He hardened them! There's a purpose in it, so we have to ask: How is this going to work?
Verse 26: "And so all Israel shall be saved…" How is all Israel going to be saved if they lived and died and did not have an opportunity for salvation? This day answers that question! To answer the question and understand what God is doing, we need to find out concerning sin. We find it in Matt. 12 where Jesus said very clearly… We know that there is sin that can be repented of, and there is the unpardonable sin that cannot be repented of.
Matthew 12:30: "The one who is not with Me is against Me…" What if you are against Christ? Weren't a lot of the Jews against Christ during His day? Yes! But what's going to happen to them, as well?
"…and the one who does not gather with Me scatters. Because of this, I say to you…" (vs 30-31). Now, He answers the question, but in a way that is not explained in this verse.
"…every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; that shall not be forgiven to men" (v 31). Why? Because that is a total rejection of God the Father and the Holy Spirit!
Verse 32: "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit…"—which comes from God the Father:
rejects the Holy Spirit
rejects God the Father
rejects the way of God
deliberately by freewill and choice, after conversion!
"…it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the comingage" (v 32). What is that "…coming age"? Let's see something in the book of Romans that helps give a little more understanding to this. This has to do with the Gentiles. This has to do with people who have not committed the unpardonable sin, but kept many of the laws and principles in the Bible, and would be considered, by the world, good upstanding people.
Romans 2:11: "Because there is no respect of persons with God." If God saved some and condemns others when it isn't their fault, and it's caused by God, would not God be a respecter of persons? Yes! So, this day answers the question that's going to be solved.
Verse 12: "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned within the law shall be judged by the law, (because the hearers of the law are not just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (vs 12-13).
Verse 14 is very important, because now Paul is talking about a time before the coming of Christ, and how people live their lives and how societies have their laws and govern and all of that.
Verse 14: "For when the Gentiles, which do not have the Law… [God never gave them the Law] …practice by nature the things contained in the Law, these who do not have the Law are a law unto themselves"—meaning that God recognizes that law-keeping. We also find this in Jer. 18 where God says that if He's going to bless a nation and raise it up, that if they go against Him, then He is going to withdraw the blessing and correct them.
Notice how Paul phrases this in v 15; that is those who are practicing some of the laws and commandments of God, which are a law unto themselves and do bring some modicum of morality to society.
Verse 14: "For when the Gentiles, which do not have the law, practice by nature the things contained in the law, these who do not have the law are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the law written in their own hearts, their consciences bearing witness, and their reasonings also, as they accuse or defend one another)" (vs 14-15). What is God going to do about that?
Verse 16: "In a day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my Gospel." This is called The Last Great Day!
We have those who have sinned, but have not rejected God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
We have those who are never called, who were blinded because of their choices in the way that they lived and all of that.
We have those who
never had a chance to be called
never had a chance to understand
never had a chance to receive salvation
because Christ had not come. God did not give salvation to Israel. So, there are a lot of question that need to be answered, yes, indeed; this is quite a thing!
Let's see how these things are; let's just mention here Luke 13, when some came to Him and said, 'Look at all of those who died under the Tower of Siloam and killed 18,' and Jesus said, 'Don't think that those men were sinners above all in Israel' because they died that way. Or those who were killed when they were trying offer offerings at the temple and Herod slaughtered them and took their blood and mingled it with their sacrifices and threw it on the altar. Jesus said, 'Don't think they were sinners greater than anyone else in Israel. But I tell you, unless you repent, you shall likewise perish.' All of these things add up to quite a thing that has to be accounted for.
Let's look at those whose names are written in the Book of Life. Heb. 12 talks about those who have been converted, who were faithful, who will be resurrected in the first resurrection. As we come to Mt. Sion in heaven above:
Hebrews 12:22: "But you have come to Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem; and to an innumerable company of angels; to the joyous festival gathering; and to the Church of the Firstborn…" (vs 22-23). There will be those in the first resurrection that are the firstborn.
Notice where their names are written: "…registered in the Book of Life in heaven; and to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of the just who have been perfected" (v 23). Those are all of those who die in the faith. There are those that we know are going to receive salvation. But Paul talks about a group that God is going to judge in a day of judgment.
Let's see again how God looks at it from heaven above, and who are those who are going to be in the first resurrection, those whose spirits have been perfected and are in heaven stored with God awaiting the resurrection. Let's see what God does concerning those who love Him, who are called now, who serve Him. There are those who say that 'if you don't belong to this church you're not going to be saved.' Well, let's see about those who will be saved, and then we will see about those who are going to be saved.
Malachi 3:16: "Then those fearing the LORD spoke together, each man to his neighbor. And the LORD listened and heard. And a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the LORD, and for those who thought upon His name. 'And they shall be Mine,' says the LORD of hosts, 'in the day that I will make up My own special jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.' Then you shall return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God, and the one who does not serve Him" (vs 16-18). There we have the categories.
John 5 is really a great chapter because tells us and gives us the Scriptures necessary to put it all together to answer the question: What is going to happen to the rest of the world? Jesus is going to be talking about the resurrection, and let's see what Jesus says concerning the resurrection.
John 5:19: "Therefore, Jesus answered and said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, the Son has no power to do anything of Himself, but only what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, these things the Son also does in the same manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him everything that He Himself is doing. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may be filled with wonder. For even as the Father raises the dead and gives life, in the same way also, the Son gives life to whom He will" (vs 19-21). Very interesting!
Verse 22: "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son so that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him" (vs 22-23). We're going to see that He's talking about the resurrection.
Verse 24: "Truly, truly I say to you, the one who hears My Word, and believes Him Who sent Me, has everlasting life… [if you have the Holy Spirit of God now, you have the earnest of everlasting life] …and does not come into judgment… [if we continually yield to God and grow, change, overcome and repent of our sins.] …for he has passed from death into life." And we will pass completely from death unto life at the resurrection.
Verse 25 becomes very important in understanding about the Last Great Day: "Truly, truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. For even as the Father has life in Himself, so also has He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and has also given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of man" (vs 25-27). What is Christ going to do?
Verse 28: "Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which allwho are in the graves shall hear His voice" All means each and every one; those who have practiced good, that is good according to God's way of good, to a resurrection of life. Those are the ones who are converted. But also, there are those who do 'good' but have not been called, and have not committed the unpardonable sin, and we will see they will be raised to a second physical life for their first opportunity for salvation.
Those who have practiced evil unto a resurrection of judgment, and that is to be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
John 11 is the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. Remember, Jesus wasn't there; Lazarus was put in the tomb; Jesus did not come back deliberately, knowing that he had died, so He would not arrive until the fourth day. He was told about the resurrection. He told them about that, and Martha and Mary said, 'Oh yes, we believe he'll be raised at the last day.' Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life.' Then He went out to the tomb and he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead. He told them to roll away the stone. It was told to Him not to roll it away because Lazarus stinks. Well, they rolled away the stone, a short prayer and Jesus told Lazarus to 'come forth.' Lazarus was raised from the dead back to physical life.
That's a real testimony of the power of God—isn't it? Why did Jesus do this?
As a witness!
Lazarus, if he was not raised from the dead, would have to wait for the second resurrection, rather than be raised and then receive the Holy Spirit of God, after the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost.
Then he could live his life and die again and be raised to eternal life. That's what happened there. That's quite a thing!
Now, let's put all of this together and come back to Rev. 20. We're going to see something that takes place after the removal of Satan the devil for the second and final time. We have this one Scripture that gives us a clue, which tells us what's going to happen; how God is going to solve all of these supposedly unsolvable problems and contradictions of Scripture.
Let me just tell you about a report that I got. You know that they're trying to clone animals, and even human beings. They're seeking final formal approval in the U.K. so there can be genes from two women and in vitro fertilization of an egg, so that actually the baby born will have parts of the two of the women's genes in his genetic makeup.
The report that I got was this: Scientists have been able to take the blood of mice and rats and from that blood clone rats. They have done this many, many times over. A drop of blood!
Let's understand that death presents no problem to God. Remember, Jesus said that He would judge the living and the dead.
Revelation 20:4 talks about those who will live and reign with Christ a thousand years. The first part of v 5 is a parenthetical statement, which reads: "(But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.)…." What about that? They're going to live again!
Now let's also understand that without Rev. 20 we cannot understand other Scriptures in the Bible, which relate to this. After Satan the devil is put away the second time:
Verse 11: "Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was sitting on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God…" (vs 11-12). If they are standing before God they've got to be alive! The dead have been raised. This is, in the coming age that Jesus talked about (Matt. 12), that if there is an unpardonable sin, it shall not be forgiven them in this age—now, today, in this age—nor in the coming age. Isn't that something?
Why will they be resurrected?
What is God going to do?
What is going to happen?
How will these things take place?
It's going to be an awesome thing, indeed! It's going to be something! Just think, brethren, you take all of those who are in the first resurrection, all of those who come into the spiritual Kingdom of God through the Millennium—we're all sons of God!
Now then, something greater than all of that is going to take place, where God is going to undo
every evil
every deception
every mistake
every murder
every premature death
Whatever means by which people died! God is going to take care of it! Let's see how God is going to do that!
Track 2: or Download
Let's continue in Rev. 20:5 and let's ask some questions. It says the "…the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed…." Then we have the Great White Throne Judgment (v 11).
Then, in v 12 we find that John "…saw the dead, small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is theBook of Life…." These dead are all those not in the first resurrection, and those who had not committed the unpardonable sin.
Let's come to 1-John 5 and let's understand something very important concerning sin. Then we will look at what happens to those who are raised from the dead. There are sins that we commit that are forgivable. Those who were not called of God, who have committed sins that are not the unpardonable sin, never had an opportunity for their sins to be forgiven, nor did they have an opportunity to repent of them. So, let's see what it says about sin:
1-John 5:16: "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that is not unto death, he shall ask, and He will give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death… [that is the second death he's talking about here] …concerning that sin, I do not say that he should make any supplication to God."
Let's see how Paul defines the unpardonable sin. We are going to see that the unpardonable sin is going to result in the second death. That is an unforgivable sin or sins:
they become totally hostile
they reject God
they reject salvation
There can be those who absolutely know better. There may be a few who have committed the unpardonable sin, not having been converted, but those will be few indeed! Let's see what the unpardonable sin is:
Hebrews 10:26: "For if we willfully go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the Truth…" These are the ones who received the knowledge of the Truth, were converted and
turned their backs on God
reject God
reject the Holy Spirit
reject all the things that God had provided for them
"…there is no longer any sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of inevitable judgment and of fierce fire, which will devour the adversaries of God" (vs 26-27).
Now Paul brings out a very important point here, v 28: "Consider this: anyone who rejects the Law of Moses dies without mercy under the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded the blood of the covenant, with which he was sanctified, as an unholy thing, and has scorned the Spirit of grace?" (vs 28-29).
That is almost an indescribably evil sin. But there are going to be those who do so, because there is free moral agency, and we must choose! Without a doubt, we must choose! Paul also describes it showing the willful rejection of the Truth of God
once their eyes have been opened
once they have known
once they have understood
Those who have been blinded, any sin short of the unpardonable sin is forgivable.
Hebrews 6:4: "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and who personally obtained the heavenly gift… [the forgiveness of sin] …and became partakers of the Holy Spirit, and who have tasted the good Word of God… [they come to understand it, live by it] …and the powers of the world to come… [understanding the plan of God] …if they have fallen away, to renew them again unto repentance…" (vs 4-6)—to fall away or apostatize and leave God. There have been many heinous and terrible sins.
Murder is a forgivable sin!
Abortion is a forgivable sin!
All of those done in ignorance!
All of those done being blinded!
Did God blind ancient Israel? Yes, He did! God never gave them—even those who lived fairly decent lives—an opportunity for salvation.
Ezekiel 37 is one of my favorite chapters in the whole Bible. However, let's understand that you cannot understand the timing of when this will take place, or understand what it really means, unless you understand the book of Revelation and the Scriptures that we just covered—the rest of the dead.
Those who are dead in Christ will be raised first; that's the first resurrection. They will rule and reign with Christ a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years and Satan is again put away, then the rest of the dead live again! This is the great army that stands before the Great White Throne Judgment.
All of these people have lived a life in the flesh once, but never had an opportunity for salvation. Ancient Israel didn't. Oh yes, the patriarchs did, Moses did, Samuel did, certain of the kings like David and Hezekiah. Then before the Flood you have Abel, Enoch and Noah. After the Flood you have Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But what about the rest of Israel?
God did not give it to the children of Israel to have eyes to see and ears to hear. A lot of them, even though they lived what we would call upright lives, like a lot of people in the world today and down through history, they've lived decent lives, they've been honest, they've tried to do what was right, but God never called them. They never received the Holy Spirit of God.
Now God is going to give them an opportunity for salvation. We find that described in Ezek. 37 as the details of the second resurrection. We have the first resurrection, then in Rev. 20 we have the second resurrection. And we will see that there are two parts to the second resurrection:
those who have not sinned a sin unto death
those who have sinned a sin unto death
We're going to see that it begins first with Israel and then it will be with the other nations of the world, too. Just like we have in Rev. 7, the 144,000 from the children of Israel and the great innumerable multitude are all granted salvation. Those are the workers of the last hour, the eleventh hour.
In Ezek. 37 we have something that could not be understood without Rev. 20. We also have something here that is very interesting, because this is not a resurrection to spiritual life, but to physical life.
Ezekiel 37:1: "The hand of the LORD was on me, and brought me by the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of a valley, and it was full of bones." These are human bones. If you have bones, that shows that there was life and death.
Verse 2: "And He made me walk among them all around. And behold, very many were in the open valley. And lo, they were very dry." Showing time had taken place.
Verse 3: "And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.'…. [he couldn't tell] …Again He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live. And you shall know that I am the LORD'"'" (vs 3-6). They didn't know the Lord in their first life. That's a key, important thing.
It's a resurrection to a second physical life for the purpose for having an opportunity for salvation.
Verse 7: "So, I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise. And behold, a shaking! And the bones came together, a bone to its bone. And as I watched, behold the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above. But there was no breath in them. And He said to me, 'Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain that they may live.'"" (vs 7-9). And, of course, a second physical life!
We will see that even right here that we can discern that they are given an opportunity for salvation.
Verse 10: "So, I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army." Very similar to Rev. 20—'I saw the dead standing before the throne—the great white throne. These came up and stood on their feet. And the exceeding great army that there were so many that there was no place found for them.
God identifies who they are, v 11: "And He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.…'" The Bible principle is to Israel first, then to the rest of the nations. That's why in Rev. 7 the 144,000 first, then the great innumerable multitude from many nations, languages, kindreds and tongues and so forth.
"'…Behold, they say, "Our bones are dried and our hope is lost; we ourselves are completely cut off." Therefore, prophesy and say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, O My people, I will open your graves… [dead once] …and cause you to come up out of your graves… [to live a second life in the flesh] …and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD…'"'"'" (vs 11-13). What is the thing concerning salvation that:
we know God
we know His commandments
we know His love
we have His Spirit
They didn't know God, even though they were the children of Israel.
Verse 13: "And you shall know that I am the LORD when I have opened your graves, O My people, and have brought you up out of your graves. [says 'graves' four times]…And I shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live…" (vs 13-14). That is conversion, an opportunity now, because it talks about the books were open and then the Book of Life was opened (Rev. 20) and this means an opportunity for salvation.
Now they have an opportunity for salvation and to have their names written in the Book of Life. If God blinds them, He's responsible to give them an opportunity for salvation because that is His desire. If they die without that taking place, God says He still wants all those to be saved. But how can they be saved if they have died before they have had an opportunity for salvation? They can't be!
God is going to correct that!
God is going to fulfill His Word!
God is going to give them life!
God is going to give them an opportunity!
A lot of those who don't understand that say, 'Well, that's a second chance.' NO! It's a second physical life to receive salvation, just like we pointed out earlier concerning Lazarus. He was raised from the dead so he could be converted on the Day of Pentecost and receive eternal life, being in the first resurrection.
Now then, here are those who died and were not raised, here is their chance for salvation, v 14: "'And I shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live and I will place you in your own land. And you shall know that I the LORD have spoken it and have done it,' says the LORD."
Let's see where Jesus refers to this. This then gives us understanding, not only of Israel, but gives us understanding concerning the other nations.
Matthew 12:31: "Because of this, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; that shall not be forgiven to men. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming age" (vs 31-32).
You see what this is talking about. There's only one opportunity for salvation. If you lived and died without that opportunity, you will be raised back to life and be given an opportunity to repent and have those sins forgiven. If you have been called and received the Holy Spirit of God, or if God has dealt directly, and this applies to a few who reject God, who reject the Holy Spirit of God and who have committed the unpardonable sin—which may include those like the beast and the false prophet—they'll never repent. They will never receive forgiveness! "…shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming age"
Verse 38: "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, 'Master, we desire to see a sign from You.' And He answered and said to them, 'A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, in like manner the Son of man shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. The men of Nineveh shall stand up…'" (vs 38-41)—be resurrected; He's talking about those that repent when Jonah preached
"'The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment…" (v 41)—the Great White Throne Judgment. People are raised to judgment for an opportunity for salvation, or raised in judgment for the second death, because they have blasphemed against the Holy Spirit of God.
"'…with this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The Queen of the South shall rise up… [to be resurrected] …in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here'" (vs 41-42).
Let's look at this and think about this. Even though they repented, they didn't receive eternal life. Even though the Queen of the South came up and heard everything from Solomon, she didn't receive eternal life. They knew of the Word of God—whatever extent they may have had it—but they were never given an opportunity for salvation. Here is a good example showing us this second resurrection:
We've seen it in Rev. 20: the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years are finished!
We've seen it in Ezek. 37, that this is the whole house of Israel!
We've seen in Matt. 12 that the men of Nineveh[transcriber's correction] and the Queen of the South is a type which applies to all nations of the world!
They will all be raised back to a second physical life, to have an opportunity for salvation. This is where Isa. 65 comes in again. They're going to have a tremendous opportunity when that happens. In the last generation of the Millennium the whole earth is going to be prepared for the resurrection of all the rest of these people.
Where are they going to live?
What are they going to wear?
Where are the clothes going to come from?
Who knows what a great and fantastic thing that is going to be.
We can apply Isa. 65 equally to those during the Millennium as well as those who are resurrected to a second physical life after the Millennium is over.
Isaiah 65:17: "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the former things will not be remembered, nor come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I will joy in My people…" (vs 17-19).
Is God going to joy in the fact that Israel has been brought back to life, in the fact that all of those other nations have also been resurrected back for an opportunity for salvation? Yes! God wants
all to come to the knowledge of the Truth
all to be saved
all to repent
If they haven't had an opportunity to do it in this life, because they were blinded, or because they were born before Jesus' time, or because they never received the Word of God, never understood any of these things, God is going to resurrect them and cause them to forget all that they've gone through and they will repent, and they will receive salvation. It will be the same thing.
Verse 20: "There will not be an infant who lives but a few days…" Think of this: all of those babies that have died will be resurrected. I personally believe that all of those who have been aborted will also be resurrected because there will be plenty of mothers willing to receive the children they had aborted, because that is a forgivable sin. God is going to say, 'Here is your child that you never had an opportunity to enjoy.' I think that God is going to raise them to the equivalent of a full term birth. What a joy that is going to be! What a fantastic thing to undo every evil under the sun:
all the heinous burning of those six-million Jews
all overturned and forgiven
all of those who have been killed by dictators, whether it be in Russia, China, Southeast Asia, North or South America, Africa, anyplace in the world
all of those who have died untimely deaths
will all be raised and given a life to live, and have an opportunity to know God, to receive salvation! That's something!
"…nor an old man that has not filled his days, for the child will die a hundred years old… [at that time they will be changed from flesh to spirit if they are ready to enter into eternal life] …but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed" (v 20) That applies to the Millennium, because the incorrigible sinners will all be resurrected. We'll see that even one of the Psalms talks about that very thing. This is the great news, brethren! This is the good news of God's salvation for the whole world.
God is responsible!
God will take care of it!
God will give them an opportunity for salvation, that they will live forever!
Revelation 20:11: "Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was sitting on it… [judgment was given to Christ for everyone] …from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead… [all the rest of the dead] …small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened…" (vs 11-12). They're going to have their minds opened to the Word of God:
the blindness is going to be removed
the hardheartedness is going to be removed
there are going to be tears of repentance and joy, thanksgiving and gratefulness to God, because He has done this
We're going to have an opportunity to help them! We are going to be there and help carry this out! Think about that!
"…and another book was opened, which is theBook of Life…." (v 12). Their names were not written in the Book of Life for eternal salvation for their first life. God probably has a section in the Book of Life for those who will be raised back to the second resurrection, separate from those in the first resurrection. Now their names will be entered into the Book of Life. It will be entered in there when:
they come to themselves
repent of their sins
see what they have done in their first life
ask God to blot out their sins; take away the memory of it
receive the Holy Spirit of God
have a chance to walk in grace and knowledge and Truth
live a hundred years and practice the way of God
What a fantastic thing that is going to be! If only more atheists would understand that, there wouldn't hardly be any atheists at all. They look at all the silly religions of men and say, properly, 'How can that be of God?' This is of God, right here!
"…And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books… [judged according to the Word of God just like us] …according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead that were in them; and they were judged individually, according to their works" (vs 12-13).
Now then, at the end of the 100-year period, there has to be two things that take place:
If any of those raised back to a second life reject salvation, they'll go into the Lake of Fire; their second death!
All of those who lived and died and were dead and buried, who have committed the unpardonable sin, will be raised back to a second life in the flesh with all the wicked together to be cast into the Lake of Fire and burn up! Their memory no more will be!
What God is going to do is this, v 14: "And death and the grave were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And if anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire" (vs 14-15). Remember, Paul said that if the unpardonable sin is committed, look forward to the 'fiery judgment of God.'
Let's come to the book of Psalms and see one Scripture. This talks about all the wicked will be judged together. Psalm 37:38: "But the sinners shall be destroyed together…" That is the second death. After that then begins the great work of God for all eternity.
Let's see how fantastic this is going to be. Let's understand that God going to remove all evidence of sin that's physical on this earth. He is going to burn it up! That's what Peter talks about in 2-Pet. 3. This earth and the heavens around it are going to be burned up, and all the elements will melt with a fierce heat. That is to prepare the earth for the coming New Jerusalem.
Revelation 21:1—John writes: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea." Spirit beings do not need to have the temperature modulated by having oceans. God will take care of that a different way with spirit beings.
Verse 2: "And I, John, saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from heaven say, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men…'" (vs 2-3)—men and women made perfect—spirit beings—because no one can dwell in the presence of God in the flesh. No one can look upon the face of God in the flesh, because the power from God—just from His very being—would consume all that flesh.
"'…and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them and be their God'" (v 3). Think of what a fantastic and wonderful time that is. That's why those of us who have the Holy Spirit now are called 'the children of God!' At that time we will be fully developed spirit beings with God, with Jesus Christ. He is going to present to His Family grown great New Jerusalem!
All of those in the first resurrection will live in New Jerusalem, and the earth will be occupied by all those who are saved on the rest of the new earth. It's going to be a fantastic time. It's going to be on what our minds can comprehend, and we can have a glimpse of it, a shadow of it, an understanding of it through what is written in the Bible. God is going to heal every wound, cure everything that has gone wrong with mankind.
Verse 4: "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall not be any more death, or sorrow, or crying;neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away." They're gone! They're all burned up! The new earth is fit now for the spirit sons and daughters and all of those who are saved from the nations, so that we can now partake in the rest of God's plan for all eternity!
Verse 5: "And He Who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Then He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.' And He said to me, 'It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts, I will give freely of the fountain of the water of life. The one who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death'" (vs 5-8).
Then the angels came and showed John—imagine John receiving this vision. He showed John New Jerusalem—fantastic!—made of spiritual things that can only be equated to precious stones, silver and gold, and all of those things that just shine and sparkle.
Verse 22: "And I saw no temple in it…" Completion of God's plan; He's going to live with His people and they will worship Him directly, not through a temple or a tabernacle.
"…for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city has no need of the sun, or of the moon, that they should shine in it… [it will still be there to tell us time] …because the glory of God enlightens it, and the light of it is the Lamb. And the nations that are saved shall walk in its light; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it" (vs 22-24).
So, however life is going to be as spirit beings, it is going to be active and busy; tremendous and wonderful; beyond anything we can fathom!
We have these words to give us encouragement!
We have these things inspire us!
We have these words to lead us to repent of the sins so that we don't sin!
Verse 25: "And its gates shall never be shut by day; for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. And nothing that defiles shall ever enter into it…. [No more sin!] …nor shall anyone who practices an abomination or devises a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life" (vs 25-27).
Revelation 22:1: "Then he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb." Always renewing of the Holy Spirit. That's why this Last Great Day starts out with the water of the ceremony around the altar of God.
Verse 2: "And in the middle of the street, and on this side and that side of the river, was the tree of life, producing twelve manner of fruits, each month yielding its fruit; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." That means maintenance or the perpetuation of eternal life for us. That also means to be learning more and more of God's way through all eternity.
Just think: being spirit beings, living for eternity. We need a mind, a heart, and the abilities to go along with it. God will give it to us!
Verse 3: "And there shall be no more curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face; and His name is in their foreheads" (vs 3-4). See God! What is that going to be like, the very first time that we come to God the Father and He calls us by our new name? And we say, 'Yes, our Holy Father, Lord God Almighty, Who lives forever into the ages of eternity! Your plan for Your Family is fantastic and great!' Yes, indeed, it is!
Verse 5: "And there shall be no night there; for they have no need of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God enlightens them; and they shall reign into the ages of eternity." That goes clear back to the prophecy concerning the first coming of Christ, and that the government will be 'upon His shoulders' and He will sit on the throne of David His father, and there will be 'no end to the increase of His government.' Think of that!
Verse 6: "And he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the Holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things that must shortly come to pass.'" How soon that will be, we don't know. But as far as God is concerned it's going to be a blink of an eye. For us, living in the flesh, how long that will be we don't know. But it won't be done until the things in the book of Revelation, up to this point, have been fulfilled.
Verse 7: "Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book." That includes the whole Bible.
Verse 8: "Now I, John, was the one who saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who was showing me these things. But he said to me, 'See that you do not do this! For I am a fellow servant of yours, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.' And He said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book because the time is near'" (vs 8-10). If there is a time that it is near—we're nearer than we ever have been since the time we first began—and we don't know how long it's going to be, but it is near, especially if we calculate time the way God does.
Verse 11—now we come back down to today: "Let the one who is unrighteous be unrighteous still; and let the one who is filthy be filthy still; and let the one who is righteous be righteous still; and let the one who is Holy be Holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me to render to each one according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to eat of the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. But excluded…" (vs 11-15). Left out! You can't be evil and have the blessings of God! You can't be evil and receive eternal life. That's the message!
"…are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and devises a lie" (v 15). No one is going to enter into the Kingdom of God who does not repent of their sins!
Verse 16: "I, Jesus, sent My angel to testify these things to you in the Churches…." Isn't that profound? Yes! That the Churches of God are to know these things. Not the world!
"'…I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star.' And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.'…." (vs 16-17). This is what we are going to do all during the Millennium, and all during the Great White Throne Judgment period of a hundred years.
"…And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who thirsts come; and let the one who desires partake of the water of life freely" (v 17).
Now we're left with this, after all that inspiration and all those fantastic words of God, we have to leave the Feast, we have to go back to our homes, and we have to face the things in the world. So, John gives us some encouragement:
Verse 18: "For I jointly testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, that if anyone adds to these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, and from the Holy City, and from the things that are written in this book. He Who testifies these things says, 'Surely, I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (vs 18-21).
Brethren, so closes the festival season for 2013. May God's blessing be upon you in every way!
Scriptural References:
Leviticus 23:36, 39
John 7:37
John 14:6
John 6:44
John 7:37-38
John 3:16
2 Peter 3:9
1 Timothy 2:4
John 12:35-44
Romans 11:25-26
Matthew 12:30-32
Romans 2:11-16
Hebrews 12:22-23
Malachi 3:16-18
John 5:19-28
Revelation 20:5, 12
1 John 5:16
Hebrews 10:26-29
Hebrews 6:4-6
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Matthew 12:31-32, 38-42
Isaiah 65:17-20
Revelation 20:11-15
Psalm 37:38
Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27
Revelation 22:1-21
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
2 Chronicles 5-8
Jeremiah 18
Luke 13
John 11
Revelation 20:4; 7
2 Peter 3
