The Last Great Day—2017

The Second Resurrection & Judgment Day!

Revealing the fullness of God's plan

Fred R. Coulter—October 12, 2017

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Greetings, brethren! Welcome to the Last Great Day! What a great day this will be when the time for its fulfillment comes! It is actually the day that the whole world is waiting for, but they don't know it. They can't understand why the world is the way that it is.

Even for those who are 'Christians' in the world, even some who keep the Sabbath but don't keep the Holy Days, do not know how God is going to solve all of the problems of the sins of mankind; especially when you find all the Holy Days listed in Lev. 23.

As we have covered before, Lev. 23 is like a bag of seeds, and each Holy Day is like a seed that unfolds into a plant and produces beautiful fruit. Well, the Last Great Day unfolds an orchard and produces greater fruit.

We're going to see that the Last Great Day is the least explained in one place, but has other Scripture that can fill in all the details. It's just listed as the eighth day. It appears to be least important of all the days, but in fact, as we will see, it is the most important, because it reveals the fullness of God's plan!

Leviticus 23:33: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying, "The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD"'" (vs 33-34). We have kept that.

Verse 35: "On the first day shall be a Holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein." Then the offerings at the temple were to be every day made by fire.

Verse 36: "Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On 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."

Then He gives a summary concerning all the Feasts of the Lord. This tells us our relationship with God concerning the Feast and that God has something very important on all of these Feast days.

Verse 37: "These are the Feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be Holy convocations to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, everything on its day; besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD" (vs 37-38). This is why we take up an offering on all of the Holy Days.

We don't give offerings day by day from the point of view that there are no animal sacrifices required. So, taking up an offering as God says:

• we are to give an offering 'according to the blessing that God had given us'
• we are to give 'according to the promises given to us'
• we are to give from the heart, not grudgingly

The grace of God will provide for us so that we will have sufficiency in all things. Then when we enter into the Kingdom of God, then we have the fullness of everything!

This Last Great Day was not named the Last Great Day until we find it recorded in John 7. So, we'll pause and take up an offering.

We thank you for it in advance, thank you for your goodness and mercy in helping us in every way. It helps us to get the Gospel out to all of those who will hear and give a warning message as well.

(pause for the offering)

As you view the history of mankind on earth, they've been beset with problems, sins, wars, fighting, killing, earthquakes, disasters, fires, floods, troubles in everyone's individual life. Of course, today we're facing all the lawlessness that is going on; every person doing what is right in their own eyes.

Because lawlessness is multiplied, 'the love of many has grown cold.' So, we're confronted with intractable problems. People ask: Why God doesn't intervene to stop it?

• He hasn't stopped war
• He hasn't stopped murder
• He hasn't stopped sin

He hasn't stopped things that are very important such as:

• abortion
• crime
• mental illness
• despair
• Satan the devil and the demons (until the beginning of the Millennium)

All mankind has been subjected to all of these things as a result of sin, and it goes all the way back to Adam and Eve and their sin. It comes forward clear down to this time, as pictured by the Last Great Day.

Let's understand something really important, which you already know: Satan the devil has blinded the eyes of people to understand the Truth and gets them to sin and disobey, which automatically closes their mind and they can't understand.

John 7 is a very good example of it, because it goes beyond just the meaning of the day, and actually applies to all of mankind and the finale of God's plan. It doesn't tell us here; it just identifies the day and then tells us something else that's very special.

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.'" That sounds a little bit like John 4, rivers of living water.

Notice no qualifiers, v 38: "The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said…" We need to understand that the Scripture applies at many different times.

"'…out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, which those who believed in Him would soon receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified" (vs 38-39).

Let's tie that in with John 3:16. Think about this: there were over 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until Christ came, though that was the first thing that was prophesied after Adam and Eve had sinned. But it took 4,000 years. We need to look at the full scope of the time-plan of God in order to understand how these Scriptures will apply at different times.

Obviously. the Holy Spirit came to those who believed, beginning on Pentecost in 30A.D. And the Holy Spirit is given to those who repent, and are baptized, accept Jesus as Savior, and are willing to love and obey God.

That excludes how many people? Those who are called now are the called, chosen and few and faithful! From the time of Adam and Eve down to Christ, very few were ever saved for eternal life. So, when you read John 3:16—of course, most people know this; they've heard it—but the truth is that it has a far greater meaning than they have ever understood, which is explained with the Millennium and the Last Great Day.

John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…" How can you say that God loves the world when there's so much hatefulness, war, killing and every sin going on in the world?

• tragedies
• upsets
• earthquakes
• floods
• disasters

How does God love the world when those thing take place all the time? That's a good question, but they never ask: Why are we really suffering? That's because beginning with Adam and Eve they accepted Satan the devil as the one who would teach them, instead of God!

Yet, right there when that happened, God gave the prophecy that He was going to save mankind. Up to this time He hasn't saved very many. During the Millennium He's going to save a lot. So, the answer comes in the eighth day—#8 means a new beginning.

"…so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life" (v 16).

• How is God going to give that?
• How many people lived and died and didn't even know about Jesus?
• How many have heard of Jesus really understand what God is doing with His plan and His people? How it's accomplished!

This is why we have the Holy Days, because this tells us how God is going to do it. We love God and keep His commandments, keep His Sabbath and His Holy Days, put the Scriptures to know what God is doing. That's how God has hidden it from the world. Yet, His Word is going to remain absolutely true. It's going to be carried out in great, magnificent and awesome way.

Here's a very interesting thing. When Lazarus got sick and Jesus deliberately stayed away so Lazarus would die. He did it for a purpose. Some would say that that was mean of Jesus to do that. NO! He wanted to teach a lesson. When we come to John 11, as He was coming back, Martha went out to meet Him:

John 11:21: "And Martha said to Jesus, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.'" Let's take that statement there and think about the principle of it. If God could prevent it, which He can, why didn't He do it?

God is not in the business of preventing sin! He is in the business of forgiving and overcoming sin!Also, to show a purpose here, that through Him is the resurrection!

After Jesus told Martha that Lazarus would be raised from the dead and she said she knew that, on the last day.

Verse 25: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he die, shall live again.'" Again, that has to be applied many different ways.

So, they went out to the tomb and He called for Lazarus to come out of the tomb. He was raised from the dead and walked out of the tomb, still having the grave clothes on him, and taking off the death napkin that was over his head.

I wonder what he thought when he got out of the grave? He stood there and here are all these people. 'What are you all doing here? What is this?' That's the tomb where you were buried! 'Really? I died?' Yes, and Jesus raised you from the dead!

Jesus did that so that Lazarus could live long enough to receive salvation, which is the whole message of the Last Great Day. The key to understanding the Last Great Day is to fulfill whomever believes, to fulfill anyone who believes on Jesus will receive the Holy Spirit and be saved and will have their sins forgiven. That means anyone down through time in history. So, let's see how that's accomplished.

Rev. 20 gives us the key. We know that 1-Cor. 15 tells us that when Christ returns, those who are His will be raised from the dead. That's depicted by the Feast Day of Pentecost, but what about the rest of the people? By the time we come to Rev. 20 Satan is bound, the resurrected saints begin to rule over the world with Jesus Christ. We'll be kings and priests and reign a thousand years.

Here is a inset sentence; the only one that gives us the true key that answers the question about those who died and never knew, and that's almost all of mankind.

Revelation 20:5: "(But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.)…."

Then it says that those in the first resurrection, v 6: "Blessed and Holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection…" and will reign with Christ.
At the end of the thousand years Satan is loosed for his last mission. We covered that on Day 7. Now let's notice what takes place in v 11. Here we have the ending of the thousand years. Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire and bound in the darkest blackness forever. When it says Satan, that means all the demons as well.

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…" (vs 11-12).

Who are these? The rest of the dead that never heard, never knew, and did not commit the unpardonable sin! The last part of the Last Great Day has to do with eliminating those who committed the unpardonable sin.

We know, as Paul wrote, that God acknowledges those who keep some of the Laws of God and do not sin a sin unto death; that is a sin unto eternal death! That in the Day of Judgment God will deal with them. What do we have here?

Verse 12: "And I saw the dead small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works."

Let's stop here for just a minute and understand a couple of things very important to know. The wages of sin is death! They lived their lives and they were sinners and they died. But they didn't sin a sin unto eternal death. That becomes important, because there are other Scriptures that describes that there are going to be those who are raised from the dead unto judgment:

• who were never called
• who never knew
• who never had an opportunity

Think of this for a minute: If God does not give an opportunity for salvation to the vast majority of people, is He not a respecter of persons? He would be, wouldn't He? So, this is why we have what is called, what we call the second resurrection. They are raised from the dead to be judged, not on how they lived their first life, but on how they live the second life.

This is not a second chance; this is their first chance! They never had a first chance, and yet, God wants all to be saved who would believe, all to receive the Spirit who believe in Him. So, He must give them an opportunity to believe in Him. That's why this time.

Let's see something very interesting in Matt. 12. These are some of the Scriptures that a lot of people don't understand. If they believe that their soul goes to heaven, they couldn't possibly understand these Scriptures. They're very hard for some people to understand who know part of the Truth.

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."

The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the unpardonable sin! The Holy Spirit comes directly from God the Father and Jesus Christ, and those people reject it and refuse it, and that blaspheme is so great that they have:

• rejected God
• rejected salvation
• rejected the Truth

This is why all judgment has been given to Christ, because He knows the hearts of men. Those people, we'll see later, will be in the resurrection unto the Lake of Fire, which is the second death.

Verse 32: "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…" The time that they're living their lives now, or whenever they lived their lives, because the age of man is from Adam until the completion of the age up to the beginning of the Millennium.

"…nor in the coming age" (v 32). What is the coming age? If they die it has to be after the 1,000-year period! That was hard for people to understand, but the key to understanding it we find in the Old Testament, as well, but the key to unlock this mystery is not understood until:

Revelation 20:5: "(But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.)…." That's all whomever lived and died. Those who believed in Christ will be resurrected on Pentecost before the Millennium begins.

Matthew 12:38: "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'" (vs 38-40).

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a guarantee that all the words of God will take place and come true. Verse 41 without Rev. 20:5 and Ezek. 37, how are you going to understand this verse?

Verse 41: "The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with… [alongside; these were generations at different historical times] …this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here." Let's think about this verse for a minute:

• "…shall stand up…"—resurrection
• "…in the judgment with this generation…"—separated by hundreds of years
• "…and shall condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah…"

Though they repented, they didn't receive eternal life at that time. Why? Christ had not come! Christ was not preached to them. They just had repentance toward God because of their sins, which they did. But they still died. They died in the condition that they had not committed the unpardonable sin.

Another example of this, v 42: "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation…" That's another period of time that's different from Jonah; probably about 400 years removed from the time of Jonah. This is why Jesus is giving this.

Verse 42: "The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation… [at the same time] …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."

This is repeated in Luke 11 as well. So, 'with'means at the same time. What do we also have here is the generation that Jesus was speaking to were the children of Israel, the Jews during His ministry. He made it clear that 'many are called but few are chosen.'

That generation is also going to be raised to a second physical life. How do we know that? Psa. 85 is a very interesting Psalm that talks about living again. This is in relationship to the children of Israel coming back out of captivity from Babylon. Here in this verse is something that probably pertains to the second resurrection. Let's see that a lot of these people died, but they hadn't committed the unpardonable sin:

Psalm 85:3: "You have taken away all Your wrath; You have turned from the fierceness of Your anger. Restore us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You draw out Your anger to all generations? Will You not give us life again…" (vs 3-6). Doesn't that sound like they had died?

"…so that Your people may rejoice in You? Show us Your mercy… [after receiving life again] …O LORD, and grant us Your salvation…. [they didn't have salvation then] …I will hear what God the LORD will speak; for He will speak peace to His people, and to His saints… [the Church] …but let them not turn again to folly" (vs 6-8).

This time they can't go back and sin, because if they do, there will be no salvation. It's also very interesting that if you read the last part of Ezek. 36, this is about the children of Israel coming out of captivity to begin the Millennium. Ezek. 37 is another whole phase of God's plan. When they come back out of captivity, these are the ones who are alive.

• How many of the children of Israel died down through their history that never received salvation? Nearly all of them!
• Is God going to forget them?
• Is God going to forget the rest of the world and all of those who have lived and died? He made them in His image!
• What is He going to do with them?

The answer is contain right here:

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." This is a way of telling you that they lived one life. You can't have bones of someone unless they have lived one life.

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 this is death going back a long, long time.

Verse 3: "And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.'" Nothing is too hard for the Lord! He knows!

As we read more of this, I want you to see how it is structured, because what God does He tells Ezekiel what He's going to do and then He does it. The Bible is structured this way in many, many places. Let's see how this works:

Verse 4: "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 4-6).

God tells Ezekiel what He's going to do: restore life to these people. Here are the bones:

• What about the people that died in the oceans?
• Consumed by sharks?
• What about people burned in fire? No bones!

But this is a way of showing the resurrection. So, just like we find in Heb. 12, that there are 'the spirits of just men perfected' that will be the instrument of resurrection—the first resurrection for all the saints—likewise, there has to be a place where God stores every spirit of man who has lived and died: man, woman and child, and even newly conceived. You are what you are at the time you are conceived. All the rest of it is a matter of growth, birth and living a human life.

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." This must have been very startling to him.

Verse 8: "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.'"' 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" (vs 8-10).

What did we find in Rev. 20? The rest of the dead were raised and stood before the Great White Throne, and there were so many that there was no place left over for them. That tells you the vast group of all human beings who have lived and died:

• never had a chance for salvation
• never knew about Christ

or if they did they

• never knew the Truth

standing before the throne! Here we find how God is going to accomplish that. True enough, this is to Israel.

• What do we find in the New Testament? To Israel and the Jew first, and to the Gentile!
• What did we find in Matt. 12? The Gentiles and Jews resurrected together!'
• What do we have here? Israel resurrected!

Let's see what's going to happen to them! Will they remember their past life? Yes, we'll see that they remember their past life, because God takes that 'spirit of man' that went back to God at their death and puts it into a new body and a new mind! Everything that they were is stored on that 'spirit of man.'

Verse 11: "And He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel…. [all of them from beginning to end] …Behold, they say…'" They're able to talk, able to think, able to remember. What are they able to remember? That their lives were really not very good!

"…'Our bones are dried and our hope is lost; we ourselves are completely cut off'" (v 11). No salvation! But that is just the beginning of the story. The account of what God is going to do, they're going to remember what they have done. They're going to repent.

The books are opened, and the Book of Life and their judged out of the things for eternal life that they are now going to do. They never had an opportunity to do until they were resurrected from the dead. If they were judged by what they did in their first life, then obviously there would be no salvation. But since they didn't sin a sin unto second death, then they have this second physical life for their first opportunity for salvation.

Let's see it right here, and this applies to all the people of the world:

Verse 12: "Therefore, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, and will bring you into the land of Israel."'"

In two verses He says 'grave' four times. So this shows that they were dead. Then you combine that with what we read in Matt. 12, and that includes the people of the world.

That's how God is going to fulfill John 3:16 and John 7 about anyone who believe will receive the Spirit of God, here it is. Now, when they're resurrected from the dead:

• Don't you think their minds are going to be opened?
• Don't you think they're going to be happy that they now have a chance for salvation?
• How about all of those who were killed in war?
• How about all of those who were aborted?

They never even knew that they existed! Someone is going to say, 'How is God going to resurrect them?' As long as they had 'the spirit of man'—and that's given at conception—then if they're killed in the womb that goes back to God. God will resurrect them as, probably, full term babies and give the majority of them back to their mothers who aborted them.

Think what a glorious thing that's going to be. Talk about undoing all evil! That's going to be fantastic!

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. And I shall put My Spirit in you…[conversion] …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" (v 13-14). We will see how this is going to be.

(go to the next track)

Here's a parable to explain something teach many lessons. If Protestants read this, they think there's heaven and hell. That's not true! There is eternal life and being with God, and heaven on the earth, and there is Gehenna fire, which is hell. But they're going to burned up in it; the second death. But the Bible gives us some timeframes when these things occur. Because we know and understand the Holy Days, we can fit the timeframe.

Luke 16:19: "Now, there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, and daily indulged himself in luxury. And there was a certain poor man named Lazarus, who was laid at his porch, full of sores. And he longed to be nourished with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; and the dogs even came and licked his sores" (vs 19-21). That's a pretty sad situation.

Verse 22: "Now, it came to pass that the poor man died…" It doesn't say when he died; we don't know how many years it was from his death to the next part of this sentence. People can assume that it's immediate, but we find from 1-Cor. 15 that no one is raised from the dead until the return of Christ. We find from Matt. 24 when the angels carry us up to meet Christ in the air. So, there's no timeframe here. This is why you need the rest of the Bible to interpret these things.

"…and he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom…." (vs 22). If you are Christ's then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise; so carried to Abraham's bosom.

"…And the rich man also died and was buried. And in the grave he lifted up his eyes…" (vs 22-23). When will that take place? Do you open your eyes in the grave? If you're not dead and you can get out of it, yes! But when you open your eyes is when you're resurrected, and being resurrected back to flesh because Rev. 20 says 'this is the second death.'

Again, we need the timeframe. Now this is after the 100-year period of the Great White Throne Judgment.

"…and was in torment, for he saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom" (v 23). They're going to see all of those who are saved, all of those who are spirit beings.

Verse 24: "And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have compassion on me and send Lazarus…'" What a change of attitude. But does there come a time that's too late for repentance? Yes! This is it!

"…so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am suffering because of this flame" (v 24). What is he doing? Standing right there at the Lake of Fire! The ones who have committed the unpardonable sin down through time are all going to be raised together to stand there to be thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is telling us what's going to happen without the timeframe. That's why it's easy to misunderstand and misinterpret the Scripture.

Verse 25: "Then Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime… [the second lifetime for him; a second life. But the time for that life is going to be very short. you received good things to the full, and likewise Lazarus evil things. But now he is comforted, and you are suffering. And besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed'" (vs 25-26). There's no way for flesh and blood to inherit the Kingdom of God. Isn't that what Paul wrote? Yes, indeed!

"…so that those who desire to pass from here to you are not able…" (v 26). You're not going to be able to go back and be a human being, flesh and blood, again. Now, in the Kingdom of God, you must be a spirit being to live forever and live in New Jerusalem on the earth, which will be a new earth.

"…nor can those from there pass to us" (v 26). Very interesting! That's the division between physical and spiritual, and the two will not meet.

Verse 27: "And he said, 'I beseech you then, father…'" Does he have a memory? Yes! He remembered what it was when he died.

"…that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers; so that he may earnestly testify to them, in order that they also may not come to this place of torment." (vs 27-28). So, they're going to be tormented by seeing the Lake of Fire, then when they're cast it they'll all be burned up.

Verse 29: "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them.'" This is saying that 'at the time that your brothers were living and you were living they had Moses and the prophets. This also tells us that the rich man did not hear Moses and the prophets.

Jesus told the Pharisees, 'I know that you do not have the love of God in you. You do not have the Word of God in you, for it you did you would have loved Me. If you had believed Moses you would have believed Me' (John 5).

• Did they repent?
• Did they believe Jesus?

They will be in this group with the rich man.

Verse 30: "But he said, 'No, Father Abraham, but if one from the dead would go to them, they would repent.'" He understood that Lazarus had died, but now he has received salvation. He's saying, 'Send Lazarus because he was raised from the dead,' and they would believe him and repent.

Verse 31[transcriber's correction]: "And he said to him, 'If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, they would not be persuaded even if one rose from the dead.'"

These are the ones who are going to be in the Lake of Fire. This is why you have rightly divide the Word of God, rightly put it together and you must love God, keep His commandments, keep His Sabbath and Holy Days in order to understand the Truth. So, a little bit of Truth over here without that knowledge will do you no good. A little bit of Truth over there without the knowledge of God will do you no good.

Rev. 20—what's going to happen here? They're all judged individually according to their works, regardless of how they died: whether in the sea, in the land, whatever. It even says in Deuteronomy that if you're in the farthest place in the heavens, God will even bring you back from there. So, there are probably going to be some people out there, astronauts, that are not going to make it back. There are already some that were blown up in space.

Here's what happens; they receive their final sentencing and they go into eternal fire; that is fire that God started. What's going to happen with this fire?

Revelation 20:14: "And death and the grave were cast into the Lake of Fire…." The King James Version says, 'And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire,' because they mistranslate it. If hell is ever-burning, how do you cast hell into ever-burning fire? Ever-burning means age lasting! So, when this happens, and they're burned up, the age of man is going to come to a close in a fantastic and dramatic way.

"…This is the second death" (v 14)—which means that in order to die twice, you must live twice. How else could it be?

Verse 15: "And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire." What's going to happen with that Lake of Fire? Peter knew this, but he didn't know the time-setting. Quite interesting how that God gives part of it in one place and part of it in another place; part of it in the Old Testament and part of it in the New Testament, etc.

2-Peter 3:7: "But the present heavens and earth are being held in store by His Word, and are being reserved for fire in the day of judgment anddestruction of the ungodly"—second death; Lake of Fire!

Verse 8: "Now, beloved, do not let this one fact be hidden from you: that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." He's not delaying!

He's going to return, v 10: "However, the Day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night…"

Verse 11: "Since all these things are going to be destroyed, what kind of persons ought you to be in Holy conduct and Godliness, looking forward to and striving for the coming of the day of God, during which the heavens, being on fire…" (vs 11-12).

What's going to happen with the Lake of Fire? The atmosphere around the earth is going catch fire! It's going to burn up everything physical. As spirit being it won't affect us at all.

"…shall be destroyed, and the elements, burning with intense heat, shall melt?" (v 12). This is all in preparation for the new heaven and the new earth, and in preparation for God the Father and Jesus Christ to come into New Jerusalem. The earth is still going to be here, but it's going to be a new earth, a new heaven, exactly as it says. That's how it's going to be.

The first earth was for the angels; they sinned, and it was destroyed with a flood. It was renewed and God created man to be on it. Still the same earth, but it was renewed, so it was like a new physical heaven and earth. After the fire is burned up and all of the wicked become ashes, then God is going to transform the earth into a place of dwelling for all of those who have entered into the Kingdom of God, and for all of those who are in the first resurrection we will be dwelling in New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:1: "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."

As human beings we need the seas to modulate the temperature, to keep it even and to have water. No more sea means that it is only going to be fit for spirit beings who do not need the sea.

Verse 2: "And I, John, saw the Holy City…" Remember what Jesus said to His disciples on the Passover night? Behold, I'm going to prepare a place for you, and for all the saints!

Now the earth has been prepared for all of those who are spirit beings, regardless whether it's the first resurrection or the second resurrection.

"…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; and He shall dwell with them… [that is men and women made perfect] …and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall not be anymore death, or sorrow, or crying; neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away'" (vs 2-4)—and are burned up!

Now we are ready for the greatest living possible, the greatest blessings possible, for the greatest relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ possible!

Verse 5: "And He Who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Then He said to me, 'Write…'" When God wants us to have the things that we need to know, He tells all of His servants to write! That way it's recorded for us.

"'…for these words are true and faithful'" (v 5). He was told to write because 'these words are faithful and true.'

Verse 6: "And He said to me, 'It is done…. [the plan of God is complete] …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.'" Always have the Spirit of God, renewed and flowing into us. That is going to be fantastic!

Verse 7: "The one who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son."

• What did it say that we covered in Rom. 8? We're joint heirs with Christ!
• What does it say in Heb. 1? That He inherits all things! Ruler over all things! That's the universe!

Now we're ready to really start living!

What's it going to be like to travel out into the universe? Not needing food, water or air, but as spirit beings living forever!\?

Sidebar: You need to live forever to travel around the universe because it's so great!

Verse 8: "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." They won't be around!

• No more Satan!
• No more evil!
• No more conniving!
• No more working against God!

But all in all!

Verse 9: "And one of the seven angels that had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, 'Come here, and I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife.'" The Lamb's wife is not the city. That's where she will dwell with all of the first resurrection.

Verse 10: "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, Holy Jerusalem…"

Read those Scriptures that He created Jerusalem for joy! Apply that here, because here is New Jerusalem, the Holy Jerusalem, spiritual Jerusalem. We will have joy like we would never understand today as human beings.

Verse 11: "Having the glory of God. And her radiance was like a most precious stone, as crystal-clear as jasper stone"—built out of the greatest, most wonderful things that can be, and to appreciate the significance of it as spirit material. Not just physical!

Verse 12: "And the city also had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and inscribed on the gates were the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel." Four by four! Those are the gates in v 13.

Verse 14: "And the wall of the city had twelve foundations…" Those are not foundations, but sections of the wall—12 sections! Keep that in mind.

"…and written on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And the one who was speaking with me had a golden measuring rod, so that he might measure the city, and its gates and its wall. And the city lies foursquare, for its length is as long as its breadth. And he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand furlongs; the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured its wall, one hundred and forty-four cubits…" (vs 14-17)—12 sections; each section is 12 cubits.

"…the angel's measure was according to a man's. And the structure of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like pure glass" (vs 17-18)—spiritual gold you can see through. Amazing!

Verse 19: "And the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every precious stone: the first foundation [section] was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls…" (vs 19-21)—a spiritual pearl! Imagine that!

"…each of the gates respectively was a single pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as transparent as glass…. [an amazing that John saw] …And I saw no temple in it; 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…" (vs 21-23).

Sidebar: This doesn't mean that they don't exist. This indicates that they do exist, but for the light on the city and in the city, they don't need it.

"…that they should shine in it; 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…" (vs 23-24).

• all of those that came through the second resurrection
• all of those that came through the Millennium

They are going to dwell on the rest of the earth. This is going to be a fantastic place to live! Think of what the rest of the earth is going to be like.

What are going to do? I don't know! But since God works, and Christ said, 'My Father works' we're all going to work. What kind of work will we do? Fantastic spiritual work of the greatest, most profound nature, beyond our comprehension to even think about right now! Isn't that going to be something? Yes, indeed!

"…and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it" (v 24). How that's going to be all structured, what they're going to be doing, we don't know. I'll tell you one way to really find out: Make sure that you're there!

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" (vs 25-26). So, whatever God's plan is going to be, carried out at that time, it's going to be fantastic!

Think about how glorious that this earth is, even the way it is physically right now, what's it going to be like when it's all spiritual. We're still like that little speck of life that doesn't have any consciousness, yet. That is we don't have any real deep spiritual consciousness of what this is really going to be like. We have to wait for the resurrection, but this is a glimpse of it to tell us that we have something so great and marvelous and fantastic to look forward to, that it is going to be absolutely mind-blowing! There will be love, joy, peace, harmony and a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, and each other: all together!

There isn't going to be anymore sin, v 27: And nothing that defiles shall ever enter into it… [it isn't going to be there to enter] …nor shall anyone who practices an abomination or devises a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." All of the others in that category are already burned up and gone! They're ashes!

Rev. 22 finishes this vision and plan of God, to give us:

• the greatest hope
• the greatest inspiration
• the greatest love in our heart

the greatest desire to:

• love God
• keep His commandments
• serve Him and Christ
• be in the first resurrection
• be in New Jerusalem
• be right there at the throne of God

Revelation 22:1: "Then he showed me a pure river of the water of life… [constant spiritual renewal, growth and understanding] …clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of God [the Father] and of the Lamb. And in the middle of the street… [here comes the River of Life and there's a street on each side] …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" (vs 1-2). That means the continuous maintenance of spiritual life for all who have come into the Kingdom of God.

How that works, I don't know. We'll have to find out when we get there. So, let's all be there, so we will know. Just think of the love and joy that we will have when we find out.

Verse 3: "And there shall be no more curse…"—because there's no more sin, and Satan and the demons are out in the blackest darkness forever, and are there as a perpetual witness that we will never, never, never turn against God!

"…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).

What is that going to be like to talk to God the Father? Can you imagine what that's going to be like? We'll have all eternity, so everyone is going to be able to talk to God the Father! Won't that be something! Think of that! Amazing!

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."

What we are going to be given will be everlasting, eternal jobs, offices, positions, whatever it may be. "…reign into the ages of eternity."

That's something! You might think about it at this time! Is all of this really going to happen? Yes, it will!

Verse 6: "And he [the angel] 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.'" For God it's a short time. For us, it may be long. Whatever, it's going to come to pass.

Verse 7—Jesus says: "Behold, I am coming quickly…. [especially now that we're living in the end of the age] …Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book"—and everything concerning:

• the plan of God
• the love of God
• the hope of God
• the Truth of God
• the commandments of God

Contained in this book, which is the Bible, in addition to everything that I just mentioned is also part of the book of Revelation.

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). That's certainly true for us today. The time is near!

Then after all these mighty and spectacular visions, John brings us down to the present time:

Verse 11: "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." In other words, just because it takes longer than we have anticipated, don't go back into the world and sin.

Verse 12: "And behold, I am coming quickly; and My reward is with Me…" We want that reward. The reward is in addition to eternal life. Think of that! This is why we need to always be zealous, growing and overcoming, like I covered on Day 7.

"…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…" (vs 12-14).

Yes, we must love God with all our heart, mind, soul and being. And we must keep His commandments, as well. How? Have them written in our heart and mind so that we do them. We cast down every vain thought, everything against the obedience of God, and bring it into the obedience of Christ, which was perfect! He never sinned once, so that we can receive this blessing!

"…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 14-15). This is a warning to anyone who reads this. If you don't do what has just been said, you're excluded and have no part. You'll be burned up in the Lake of Fire, because that's where all of these people are going to be.

Verse 15: "But excluded are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and everyone who loves and devises a lie. I, Jesus, sent My angel to testify these things to you in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star.' And the Spirit [Christ] and the bride say, 'Come.'…." (vs 15-17). Rather than be in that category that you're excluded:

• come to God
• come to Christ
• come to the Father
• come to the Truth
• come to repentance

"…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. For I jointly testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, that if anyone adds to these things…" (vs 17-18). This is summing up the whole Bible. This is not only the book of Revelation, but the whole Bible.

"…God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book" (v 18). What is the final plague? The Lake of Fire!

Verse 19: "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." What a warning!

Because you have such a fantastic vision and understanding of what things are, and we are responsible for:

• the Spirit of God
• the Word of God
• the Truth of God

• to love Him
• to serve Him

That's why these warnings are so strong and powerful! God loves us and doesn't want us to fail.

Verse 20: "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 20-21).

How great is the Last Great Day? The eighth day! The most insignificant one of all becomes the greatest of all!

Have a wonderful Feast going home, a wonderful time going home. May God protect you with His angels, watch over in what you do, and that your life will be filled with happiness and joy and strength to go forward with Christ, to be faithful to the end!

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:33-38
• John 7:37-39
• John 3:16
• John 11:21, 25
• Revelation 20:5-6, 11-12
• Matthew 12:31-32
• Revelation 20:5
• Matthew 12:38-42
• Psalm 85:3-8
• Ezekiel 37:1-14
• Luke 16:19-31
• Revelation 20:14-15
• 2 Peter 3:7-8, 10-12
• Revelation 21:1-12, 14-27
• Revelation 22:1-21

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• John 4
• 1 Corinthians 15
• Luke 11
• Ezekiel 36
• Hebrews 12
• Matthew 24
• John 5
• Hebrews 1
• Revelation 21:13

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 8/13/17

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