Day 4—Feast of Tabernacles 2017

The Example of Solomon and How He Started Out

The Problem of Complacency, Self-Righteousness and Sin

Fred R. Coulter—October 8, 2017

- Video | - PDF | Audio | [Up]

Greetings, brethren! Welcome to Day 4 of the Feast of Tabernacles! What a great Feast that it is this year, and every year because we learn a little bit more what it's going to be like to be kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. That's really quite a thing for us to understand and to grasp.

That's why there are the few. We look to the Truth and the righteousness of God. We look to the goodness of God and everything for us to do His will! That's why we're here, and that's why we do what we do!

Today we're going to examine what do you suppose will be the chief problems that we will face in teaching the people and showing them the way of God? What will be the greatest difficulty of all? There will be three major things that we will have to be especially careful for and for the people, which will be:

• complacency
• self-righteousness
• sin

How do we handle it? God has given everyone free moral agency, and we are to choose! The choices will be set before everyone the same way that it is in Deut. 30; everyone has to choose. God made us to be thinking, choosing individuals. He's given us independent free moral agency that He will not take away. God doesn't want robots. He doesn't want people to just conform because that's what everybody else is doing! NO!

It's going to be each individual, even though it's among a group that does what it's supposed to do. It's important to understand that it has to do with our choices and our thinking! God is the one who knows the heart. We will also be the ones who will be able to read their thoughts. So, there will not be any 'subversive shenanigans' pulled on the kings and priests of God, Jesus Christ and God the Father.

This is what God is going to set before everyone, just like He always has:

Deuteronomy 30:15: "Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil." Satan's going to be removed, the demons will be removed, so the evil there will be what they're thinking in their mind as well as the actions they may carryout.

First of all, we need to see about this free moral agency. Let's apply this to those coming in, the children of Israel and all the other nations.

Verse 16: "In that I command you this day to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments so that you may live and multiply. And the LORD your God shall bless you in the land where you go to possess it." That's the whole world. God will bless them! But there will still be sin.

Let's just project ahead a little bit: What's going to happen at the end of the Millennium when Satan is let loosed from his prison to go and lead the people again to war? So, back to the beginning or middle of the Millennium; we find that everybody has choices to make. This is really something!

Verse 17: "But if your heart turn away… [the heart and the mind] …so that you will not hear, but shall be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them." Now, there won't be other gods there during the Millennium, but if they serve themselves and worship themselves and think that they're just fine, then they have idols in their mind! So, that will be the only kinds other gods that there will be: your own selfish thoughts!

Verse 18: "I denounce to you this day that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days on the land where you pass over Jordan to go to possess it. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death…" (vs 18-19). Isn't God going to do that everyone: all nations and all people? Yes, indeed!

"…blessing and cursing…." (v 19). Yes, there will still be the cursing. And we will see how that may work out.

"…Therefore, choose life… [independent free moral agency (IFMA)] …so that both you and your seed may live… [that's what God wants] …that you may love the LORD your God, and may obey His voice, and may cleave to Him; for He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land, which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give it to them" (vs 19-20).

We find in Rom. 4 that that inheritance for Abraham was expanded out to include the whole world. This is why we need the Old Testament and the New Testament and put it together.

Now let's see how things will be during the Millennium and, yes, also in the Great White Throne Judgment in the 100-year period afterward.

Isaiah 65:16: "He who blesses himself in the earth shall bless himself by the God of Truth. And he who swears in the earth will swear by the God of Truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from My eyes."

God is going to bring about the restitution of all things. When it first starts out, there's a lot of cleaning up and rebuilding and so forth, but when you get down into year 50, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400…

Remember that all during the Millennium all the Laws of God are going to be kept, so there will be the Sabbath 'land rest' every seven years, and he Jubilee every 50 years. How that will work going down through time, some of it we'll just have to wait to see about it when we get there.

Verse 17: "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth…." True! What happened to the heaven and earth with the return of Jesus Christ? Everything was out of place, upside down and destroyed! Here we have that God is going to make it right.

"…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" (vs 18-19). That's going to be the center of the Government of God on earth: Jerusalem!

Verse 19: "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I will joy in My people; and the voice of weeping will no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying."

Here's what it's going o be like during the Millennium and we can apply this to the 100-year period of the Great White Throne Judgment, as well:

Verse 20: "There will not be an infant who lives but a few days… [nor will there be any abortion] …nor an old man that has not filled his days…"

Hebrews 9:27: "And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, the judgment." Also, 'as in Adam, we all die,' because with the sin of Adam and Eve 'the law of sin and death' was put into our bodies. So, we sin and we die. Let's understand this, because it's very important: When you read Ezek. 36, God is going to give everyone 'a heart of flesh' and 'take away the heart of stone from them,' so human nature will not be quite as evil! But the 'law of sin and death,' even though it is in a lesser degree with sin, is still there, because we all have to die in Adam.

1-Thess 4—those who are alive and remain to the coming of Christ will not precede those who are asleep or dead and buried. The dead in Christ shall rise first! There will be some who will still be alive at that time. Those who are alive will be changed.

How does that change take place? Let's think about this for just a minute: Since it's given to man 'once to die'—all human beings once to die, and that's going to carry through in the Millennium. Just like those who are alive when Christ returns, there will be—there has to be to fulfill Scripture—an instantaneous death and change. So, likewise, during the Millennium people will live 100 years. When they get to the end of their life and it's time for them to enter into the Kingdom of God, as the sons of God, then instant death and change!

The one who remains a sinner is accursed and is buried and will await the second resurrection, the part to be cast into the Lake of Fire. You need to think about that for a little bit.

Isaiah 65:20: "…for the child will die a hundred years old… [then enter into eternal life] …but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed"—facing the future of being cast into the Lake of Fire! That's how life is going o be structured during the Millennium.

Verse 21: "And they will build houses and live in them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build, and another live in them; they will not plant, and another eat; for like the days of a tree are so will be the days of My people, and My elect will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for calamity. For they are the seed of the beloved of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear" (vs 21-24). We will be the ones to fulfill that.

Verse 25: "'The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the food of the serpent. They will not hurt nor destroy in all My Holy mountain,' says the LORD." So, that has to apply to the Millennium as well.

With that said, and with the structure of things that will be, how will life be led? What will it be like? The only thing we know is that if we look at a time during Israel's history…

Let's see about Solomon—1-Chron. 28—here is where David is giving the charge to Solomon who is going to sit on David's throne. Here's the great ceremony of all the princes, all the people, all the nobles, and the pronouncement that Solomon was going to take David's place. Let's look at this, because this is going to be very similar to what we are going to be teaching the people and what they will hear and what will have to do.

After God told David that he could not build a house for God, because he was 'a bloody man' then God said that 'Solomon will take your place.'

1-Chronicles 28:4—David said: "'However, the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever…. [on into the Millennium] …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. 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. And He [God] 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…"'" (vs 4-7).

Everyone is going to have the same thing given to them in the Millennium:

• if you want eternal life
• if you want to live forever
• if you choose what is right
• if you love the Lord your God
• if you keep His commandments
• if you do what is right
• if you have right thoughts

Now everything is going to be based on the thoughts and the heart!

This is what God told David, and we'll see that here's what He told Solomon, as well.

"'…he continues resolute in keeping My commandments and My ordinances, as he is today.' 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" (vs 7-8).

That's the proposition! Remember the other proposition that was given in Exo. 19 to the children of Israel: If you will obey My voice, you shall be a kingdom of priests for Me! That was just to bring God's way to the world.

David continues, 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…" That's His judgment that is going o be used by us in leading and teaching the people and helping them to fulfill their lives during the Millennium so they can enter into the spiritual Kingdom of God and live forever.

"…with a perfect heart and with a willing mind…"

• no conniving
• no double thinking
• none of this

"…for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts…." (v 9). That's how it's going to be judged! That's how we're judged today; think about it!

"…If you seek Him…" (v 9). God is not going to seek us and chase us down. We seek God and He answers.

"…He will be found by you. But if…" (v 9). All of this is choice—independent free moral agency (IFMA). 

"…But if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it.'" (vs 9-10). Then David tells him about all the plans that God gave to him. Tells him about all the wealth—the gold, silver, iron, brass, copper—and how he worked with King Hiram to get ready to build the temple and so forth.

1-Chronicles 29:1: "And David the king said to all the congregation, 'Solomon my son…'" there was a slight rebellion by Adonijah to try and take the kingship.

"'…whom alone God has chosen, is young and tender…'" (v 1)—not polluted with a lot of sin. That can be an advantage or it can be a disadvantage. Just like everything that we do when we choose. It can be used for good and it can be used for evil.

Look at how Solomon started out and then we will see how God responded to Solomon. God chose him!

Sidebar: think about this with us. We are the called, the chosen, the faithful! All of those who are in the Church of God—regardless of corporate identity—having the Spirit of God, have been chosen by God because of repentance, baptism, seeking God and growing in grace and knowledge. Here's Solomon who is "…young and tender…":

• What is his life going to be as he lives down through time and having every blessing of God? Peace all around; no war!
• What will he do?
• How will he love God and keep His commandments?
• Will Solomon sin?
• Will he choose to go against God?
• What is that Solomon will do because he's "…young and tender…"?

David continues: "'…and the work is great, for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God. Now, I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the bronze for things of bronze, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood, onyx stones, and stones to be set, and also stones of antimony, and stones of many colors, and every precious stone, and stones of alabaster, in abundance. And also, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, out of my own treasure of gold and silver I have given to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for the Holy house" (vs 1-3). Everything ready!

What is it going to be like for the children to be born in a society that everything is ready? No difficulties, no problems! All the teachers of God—people will have children—will help them learn, grow, overcome and everything. They're all going to live a hundred years. What will their lives be like?

Here in the Millennium, they will be born into a perfect human society. That's something only God can bring. Men have tried it, but they've not been able to produce, even with the help of God. That is because of human nature and independent free moral agency (IFMA).

1-Chronicles 28:19: "'All this,' said David, 'was in writing from the hand of the LORD….'" All the plans that were given were given by God and God directed David to draw all the plans for everything for the temple.

"'…He made me understand all the details of these plans.' And David said to Solomon his son…'" (vs 19-20). Notice that this how we're going to start the Millennium; this is how people will start their lives. This is what God told Joshua to do and now He's telling Solomon to do:

"…'Be strong and of good courage, and do it. Do not fear, nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.'" (v 20).
Then David said that all the skilled workers are ready, everything is ready to go. It becomes very important for us to understand, because Solomon had a blessed life! His example for us is the closest example that we come in the Bible to understanding how we're going to confront the people in the Millennium to teach them what their lives will be like.

Solomon started out the right way! Like I've said before: it's not how you start, it's how you finish!

1-Kings 3:3: "And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David his father. Only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there…" (vs 3-4).

Let's go back a little bit in history: during the early days of Samuel the prophet, who was also to be priest and judge, was under the tutelage of Eli the high priest and Eli's two sons: Phinehas and Hophni. Remember, there was a war. Israel went out to battle and got defeated. They came back and Phinehas and Hophni said, 'Let's get the Ark of God and take it out, and God will win for us.'

Sidebar: The key thing in war and fighting is that God was the One to tell them when to go to war and who to fight, and He would fight for them! So, you read about how they conquered the land in the book of Judges and Joshua, and see that God fought for them when they loved God and kept His commandments.

Here was sin right at the temple with Eli, Phinehas and Hophni. They took the Ark of the Covenant and went out and said that 'we're going to destroy the Philistines.' What happened? They lost! The Philistines took the Ark! Their god Dagon fell down, bowing down to the Ark of the Covenant. After they put him back up, the next day he fell down again and broke both of his arms. God sent a plague of hemorrhoids and mice throughout all the land. So, they said, 'We've got to get rid of the Ark.' They sent it off in a new cart and it ended up in Kirjath Jearim and stayed there until David brought the Ark out and put it in a special small tabernacle within his house. So, the Ark of the Covenant was separated from the tabernacle. The tabernacle being re-setup in Gibeon and this is where Solomon went to worship God.

Verse 4: "And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings upon that altar. In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night…." (vs 4-5).

Not only was Solomon chosen personally by God, now God is going to personally appear to him in a dream and instruct him.

"…And God said, 'Ask what I shall give you!'" (v 5). A test; what would Solomon do? During the Millennium there are going to be a lot things people are going to be tested about, because of free moral agency and being able to chose, knowing what's in their heart. Do they really love God?

Verse 6: "And Solomon said, 'You have shown to Your servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before You in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have kept this great kindness for him, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father. And I am a little child…" (vs 6-7).

• Remember what it was with King Saul?
• Remember what Samuel had to tell him?
• When you were little in your own sight you served God!

But then he got emboldened in evil and chose his own way and disobeyed the commands of God. That's just a summary of what happened to Saul. He was rejected!

Verse 7: "And I am a little child, I do not know how to go out or come in! And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a numerous people who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Now, therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people…" (vs 7-9). This is what we will need!

"…to discern between good and evil, for who is able to judge this, Your great people?" (v 9). Humble as you can be; the right thing to ask. God let him do the choosing of what he would ask for. What was his heart at this time? It says that he loved the Lord!

Verse 10: "And the word was good in the eyes of the LORD that Solomon had asked this thing. And God said to him, 'Because…'" (vs 10-11).

God Who knows the heart, knows every thought, knows what we are, what we do… This is how we are to come before God:

• not get lifted up in vanity
• not get lifted up in importance
• not getting our mind on ourselves and how great we are

That is just so much vanity! How many times has God taken that down? Over and over and over again!

Verse 11: And God said to him, 'Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life and have not asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to judge justly…'"—judge righteous judgment.

What we will see is that when you receive a blessing like this—and there are conditions for it—we have to maintain those conditions, loving God and having a tender heart toward God.

Verse 12: "Behold, I have done according to your words. Lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you and after you none shall arise like you. And I also have given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days. Therefore, if…" (vs 12-14). As long as we are in the flesh—and Solomon had a long life to live:

• What would be his choices down the road?
• What would they be like in the years as he matured?

Verse 14: "'Therefore, if you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.' And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants" (vs 12-15).

• this is how Solomon started
• this is how the Millennium will begin
  • people all war-weary
  • wounds and bruises
  • everything destroyed

They're going to be willing to obey!

But down through the thousand years, how willing will their offspring be? and their offspring? and their offspring?

(go to the next track)

We won't go through all of the details in building his own house and the temple, and so forth.

1-Kings 7:51: "So, all the work that King Solomon made for the house of the LORD was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated: the silver and the gold and the vessels he had put into the treasuries of the house of the LORD."

Here's the dedication of the temple; this is quite a thing, spectacular, that God would put His presence in the temple. That's called the Shekinah. We will see that there were seven days of dedication, and then seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles, and he dismissed them the eighth day. What's between Trumpets and the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles? Atonement! So, you have seven days dedicating the temple, then you have days 8, 9 & 10-the Day of Atonement. Then you have days 11-15 beginning the Feast of Tabernacles.

All of those who could not be there for the dedication, there came thousands more to be there for the Feast of Tabernacles after the temple was dedicated. That was a special trip for them to get there to see the temple and everything that was there.

Let's see concerning the dedication of the temple and how great that that was.

1-Kings 8:1: "Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, so that they might bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion."

You have Fort Antonia that wasn't there at that time. It was just a huge spike of a rock on top of this hill. Then the temple was built south of that on a flat area, and the house of David and Solomon was on Mt. Zion. That went up to a large high peak, and on top of that is where their house was.

Verse 2: "And all the men of Israel were gathered to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month." This has to be the first day of the month.

Verse 3: "And all the elders of Israel came in, and the priests took up the Ark. And they brought up the Ark of the LORD and the tabernacle of the congregation and all the Holy vessels, which were in the tabernacle, even those the priests and the Levites brought up" (vs 3-4).

They were getting ready to put it in there. They also brought all of the things from Gibeon and stored in the underground chambers everything having to do with the tabernacle.

Verse 5: "And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled to him were before the Ark sacrificing sheep and oxen which could not be counted nor numbered for multitude. And the priests brought in the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD into its place, into the Holy place of the house, into the Holy of Holies under the wings of the cherubim… [carved and overlaid with gold] …for the cherubim spread forth their two wings over the place of the Ark. And the cherubim covered the Ark and the staves of it above. And they drew out the staves, so that the ends of the staves were seen out in the Holy place in front of the Holy of Holies…." (vs 5-8).

So, they took the staves out and placed them right alongside the Holy of Holies, so the Ark—if it was ever to be moved—they would have to take those staves and put them in the Ark of the Covenant to carry it.

"…And they were not seen outside. And there they are to this day…. [the day that this was written] …There was nothing in the Ark except the two tablets of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass when the priests had come out of the Holy of Holies, the cloud filled the house of the LORD. And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of the LORD" (vs 8-11).

It shows in 2-Chron. 5 that there singers—120 trumpets, 120 singers—singing, and the glory of God appeared and filled the whole house. What an awesome thing that it was that this occurred this way.

If you lived and saw that, you would know that God was there. But human nature likes to move in a different direction. We'll see the problems that took place because of that.

Verse 12: "And Solomon said, 'The LORD said that He would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built an exalted house for You, a settled place for You to abide in forever.' And the king turned his face around and blessed all the congregation of Israel. And all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, 'Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to David my father and has fulfilled it by His hand, saying, "From the day that I brought forth My people Israel out of Egypt, I did not choose any city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, so that My name might be in it. But I chose David to be over My people Israel." And it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. But the LORD said to my father David, "Because it was in your heart to build a house to My name, you did well that it was in your heart. Only, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall come out of your loins, he shall build the house for My name."'" (vs 12-19).

Verse 20: "And the LORD has performed His Word, which He spoke, and I have risen up instead of my father David. And I sit on the throne of Israel as the LORD promised. And I have built a house for the name of the LORD God of Israel. And I have set there a place for the Ark in which is the covenant of the LORD which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt." (vs 20-21).

What I want you to do is to read the whole prayer of Solomon. He got on his knees and lifted his arms to heaven and prayed this fantastic prayer! I want you to understand how involved that Solomon was and how dedicated he was and everything that he did was right. He completed it! God blessed him!

Notice his closing comments, v 55: Then he stood and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 'Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised…." (vs 55-56).

Where do we find the word rest? Isa. 11, referring to the Millennium! And His rest—the rest of God—will be glorious!

"…There has not failed one word of all His good promises, which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant. May the LORD our God be with us as He was with our fathers. Let Him not leave us nor forsake us" (vs 56-57).

Let's understand a very important principle here with God. As long as we are with God, and seeking Him continually, He is with us. But:

• if we leave God
• if we forsake God
• if we go our own way

Then He will leave us to our own devices. If those devices become more evil, and we don't repent and return to God, then He will leave us. So, the if of IFMA is always on our part.

Verse 58: "To incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments which He commanded our fathers. And let these my words, with which I have made supplications before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, so that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel at all times as the matter requires… [think of how great it is with God and Israel; tremendous] …that all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other" (vs 58-60).

I'm reading these words with emphasis because this becomes profoundly important! It's not how you start; it's how you finish!

Verse 61: "'And let your heart be perfect with the LORD our God: to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.' And the king and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the LORD" (vs 61-62). Then it lists all the offerings that Solomon gave at that point.

Verse 65: "And at that time Solomon held a Feast and all Israel with him, a great congregation—from the entering in of Hamath to the river of Egypt—before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days." You know how I explained it divided.

• Trumpets starts it—seven days
• Atonement—break in between
• Feast of Tabernacles—seven days

Verse 66: "On the eighth day he sent the people away…. [toward the end of the day of the Last Great Day] …And they blessed the king and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for David His servant and for Israel His people."

WOW! What a ceremony that was! Think about how great and dedicated that was; absolutely amazing!

1-Kings 9 is a focal point of Solomon's reign. Let's see how God responded back to Solomon. Let's see what God told Solomon.

1-Kings 9:1: And it came to pass as Solomon finished the building of the house of the LORD, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do, the LORD appeared to Solomon the second time, as He had appeared to him at Gibeon. And the LORD said to him, 'I have heard your prayer…'" (vs 1-2). Stop and think about that! God hears our prayers.

Remember the model prayer (Matt. 6); we have to repent everyday. Why? Because we have 'the law of sin and death' in us! Even some of the things that we do, that we think at the time doing them are good, turn out not to be good.

• we have pride
• we have vanity
• we have selfishness
• we have jealousy
• we have anger
• we have hatred
• we have lust

Especially today with all of the things pouring into our homes through television, all of those things are there to impress upon our mind. Remember this: every single ad, every single movie, every single thing that is done to be put out there has been designed to do a specific thing.

Just like with music today. It is designed to literally blast through your bodies and your mind; to get you totally addicted to this kind of hateful music. I know most of us in the Church don't listen to it. But look at the young people. That's what they are addicted to. Where is God? Nowhere! God has turned them over to their own devices, and it's a terrible thing, indeed!

Here's Solomon; God appeared to him the second time, and now he's got the further blessing of God. But let's analyze what God told Solomon, because this becomes profoundly important!

Verse 3: "And the LORD said to him, 'I have heard your prayer and your cry which you have made before Me. I have made Holy this house, which you have built to put My name there forever. And My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually."

Just think about what God thinks of Jerusalem today. What a mess that place is in. This is going to be for the people during the Millennium:

• IF you will love God
• IF you will keep His commandments
• IF you will repent of your sins
• IF you will do what is right

Verse 4: "And if you will walk before Me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you… [not some, not part, but all] …and if you will keep My statutes and My judgments, then …I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever as I promised to David your father, saying, 'There shall not be cut off from you a man upon the throne of Israel.' If you shall at all turn from following Me, you or your children, and will not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them… [this next verse has been fulfilled] …then I will cut off Israel from the face of the land, which I have given them. And this house which I have made Holy for My name I will cast out of My sight. And Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people." (vs 4-7).

Stop and think about it!

• Look at the Jews; has that happened?
• Look at that their history; has it been pitiful?
• Look at their attitudes, has it been against God?
• Did God destroy Jerusalem and the temple twice, because of their sins? Yes!

Furthermore, we're going to see, because of the sins of Solomon, God took away the northern ten tribes. When we're looking at the situation concerning the Millennium and teaching the people, we need to understand that God means Truth, business, love, obedience, and we must respond!

Sidebar: Listen to the Protestants preach. They all claim the love of God, but do they love God back with all their heart, mind, soul and being? No they do not! Think about that for a minute!

Verse 8: "As to this house, which now is exalted, then everyone who passes by it shall be amazed and shall hiss. And they shall say, 'Why has the LORD done this to this land and to this house?'" And He did it so completely that the Jews today do not even know where the temple should be built.

They go to the Western Wailing Wall and they say that's a Holy place there; they pray to God and put notes in the cracks of the rocks. I guess that after a while they have to take them out and do something with them, because so many people go there. Little do they realize that that's not the temple. Jesus said of every stone, 'Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.'

Yes, the house where David and Solomon was on Mt. Zion, that whole hill was cut down and put into the western ravine. You have the Brook of Kidron on one side and then you have the arm of the land where the temple and Ft. Antonia was, and then on the other side you have the Tyropoeon Valley, which is where they put all fill dirt taking down that high hill—about 150-200 feet—on which the house of David and Solomon sat. The Jews do not even know where the temple was.

"…'Why has the LORD done this to this land and to this house?' And they shall answer, 'Because they left the LORD their God who brought out their fathers from the land of Egypt, and have taken hold of other gods and have worshiped them and served them. On account of this the LORD has brought upon them all this evil'" (vs 8-9).

Solomon was warned! Did he know? Yes, indeed, he knew! How could Solomon have prevented this? Let's see what happened to Solomon for good, every thing, all the riches. They were bringing 666 talents of gold as tribute every year from around the world to Solomon. They came to hear his wisdom. He was wiser than anyone in the world. He was richer than anyone in the world. You can't have it any better than that.

1-Kings 10:21: "And all King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; it was counted as nothing in the days of Solomon."

I read this because that's what we find in Isa. 60. There's going to be such an economic boom that gold, silver, bronze, and all of that is going to be overwhelming available for everyone.

How will the people respond? Right at first, at the beginning of the Millennium, they're going to be zealous, anxious, willing and wanting to do things! They'll want the blessing of God, the healing of God, building new houses, building new roads, building new cities.

Verse 22: "For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram…." They had ships go out from the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea and go around the world. Down from the Port of Elate they would go from there over to the Orient. They got gold, silver and all kinds of things. They had safaris down into Africa.

Verse 23: "And King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. And all the earth…" (vs 23-24). People read that and say that it must have just been those little countries around there. NO! When the Bible say all the earth, it means all the earth!

"…sought Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And every man brought his presents, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and clothing and armor, and spices, horses and mules, at a rate year by year…. [tribute to Solomon] …And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. And he had fourteen hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the cities for chariots and with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made silver like stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars like the sycamore trees in the valley for abundance. And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt and out of Kue. The king's merchants received linen yarn from Kue at a price. And a chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver…" (vs 24-29).

How should Solomon have dedicated his life so that he would stay true to God? That comes right to us. How do we dedicate ourselves to God and stay true to God on a consistent day-by-day basis; week-by-week, month-by-month, year-by-year, decade-by-decade until we are faithful unto the end? We endure whatever comes along!

Let's see the specific command that God gave. Since we're going to be kings and priests, and this is also for us to do:

Deuteronomy 17:14: "When you come to the land, which the LORD your God gives you, 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,' you shall surely set a king over you, whom the LORD your God shall choose…." (vs 14-15).

• Did God choose Saul? Yes!
• Did Saul go bad? Yes!
• Did God choose David? Yes!
• Did David have his sins? Yes!

But David repented! Saul didn't!

• Did God choose Solomon? Yes, he did!

"…You shall set a king over you from among your brethren. You may not set a stranger over you who is not your brother. Only he shall not multiply horses to himself… [What did we read that Solomon did? Horses!] …nor cause the people to return to Egypt…" (vs 15-16). Solomon made a league with Egypt! He married the daughter of the king of Egypt! What do you think the people are going to do? Don't the people do exactly as the leaders do? Especially the king! Especially the one chosen by God!

'He's chosen by God and if he does it then it's okay. If he does this, that's okay. We've heard that God said don't do it, but it must be alright because he's doing it.'

• How do you prevent that kind of thing?
• How will it be prevented during the Millennium in the Kingdom of God?

Verse 17: "Nor shall he multiply wives to himself…" We'll see that he did that and what happened to him.

• How far did Solomon go in leaving God?
• During the Millennium, when people sin, how far with their IFMA will they go?
• What are we going to do about it?
• What is God going to do about it?
• How can that be corrected?

What we're going to talk about here now is the prevention:

"…so that his heart does not turn away. Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold to himself. And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself…" (vs 17-18). Today we don't have to write it for ourselves, it's printed! And you can get it digitally!

"…a copy of this Law in a book from that which is in the custody of the priests the Levites" (v 18). He was to go down to the temple, go into one of those special rooms—they had rooms all the way around it—and have the priest bring the Scroll of the copy of the Law that was in the custody of the priest. He was to write himself a personal copy.

Think about this: Today God has done better than that. He has provided a Bible for every single one of us.

Verse 19: "And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life… [Why?] …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."

• Do you suppose when we are spirit beings that we're going to quit learning?
• Do you suppose that somehow we are not going to have to study and pray?

I don't think so!

• We will all worship God!
• We will all pray to God!

• How much more of the Word of God will there be to study as spirit beings?
• What will the Law be for all spirit beings in the Kingdom of God?

It will be written down!

• What do we have now before the throne of God?

Daniel 10:21: "But I will show you that which is written in the Scripture… [or Scroll] …of Truth…."—in heaven!

Let's apply this to ourselves today. What do you hear all the time? S & P—study and prayer! So, you can say SPR—study, prayer, repentance! Then love, Truth, righteousness and doing right, living the right way that God wants us to live. God wants us to do that now, because that's what we're going to teach the people in the Millennium.

How are they going to enter into the Kingdom of God unless we first do the things that we need to, so we can be there to be the kings and priests to teach them.

Deuteronomy 17:19: "And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, 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…" (vs 19-20).

When you understand the greatness of God and the magnitude of His creation—to the greatest ability that we can—when we're spirit beings we'll understand it that much more. Those things humble us. We give God:

• the praise
• the credit
• the honor
• the glory
  • for creating it
  • for making it
  • for sustaining it
  • for having His great plan

This is how that Solomon should have done, but we're going to see that because of complacency, self-arrogance and self-righteousness! Leads to sin!

"…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).

Isn't that something? That's a good example for us! Solomon had everything! The perfect Millennial setting with everything imaginable, everything good and right. We will see what happened to Solomon tomorrow—Day 5—and why it happened.

Scriptural References:

• Deuteronomy 30:15-20
• Isaiah 65:16-20
• Hebrews 9:27
• Isaiah 65:20-25
• 1 Chronicles 28:4-10
• 1 Chronicles 29:1-3
• 1 Chronicles 28:19-20
• 1 Kings 3:3-15
• 1 Kings 7:51
• 1 Kings 8:1-21, 55-62, 65-66
• 1 Kings 9:1-9
• 1 Kings 10:21-29
• Deuteronomy 17:14-19
• Daniel 10:21
• Deuteronomy 17:19-20

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Romans 4
• Ezekiel 36
• 1 Thessalonians 4
• Exodus 19
• 2 Chronicles 5
• Isaiah 11
• Matthew 6
• Isaiah 60

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 8-6-17

Copyright 2017—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.