Day 3—Feast of Tabernacles 2018

The Kingdom and Our Work

Jesus uses parables to teach us how to enter into the Kingdom of God

Fred R. Coulter—September 26, 2018

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Greeting, brethren! Welcome to the Feast of Tabernacles, a fantastic time for us to get together:

• to fellowship
• to know and understand the Word of God
• to let the Spirit of God be here with us
  • to help us to love each other
  • to serve each other

and most importantly

• to learn how to prepare to enter into the Kingdom of God
• to know that God is going to give the kingdom to us

I want review something from Day 2, from Col. 1; this is very important for us to understand.

Colossians 1:12: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified…" God the Father is the One Who qualifies us. Think about this for a minute, because this is really important:

• God the Father draws us
• Christ teaches us
• we receive the Spirit of God from the Father to be the sons and daughters of God
• then the Spirit of Christ

It says that if you don't have the Spirit of Christ you don't belong to Him. John says that you have to have the Father and the Son; you can't have one without the other!

It's the Father Who qualifies us! That's a fantastic and an important thing to know and understand. Here's what else He does:

"…for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the Light; Who has personally rescued us from the power of darkness and has transferred us unto the kingdom of the Son of His love" (vs 12-13). That is not entering into.

If something from God happens to you, then that's from the Kingdom of God to you. But you can't enter into the Kingdom of God as a fleshly human being. We need to understand that. So, this means unto. Just like Jesus said, 'The Kingdom of God has come unto you.' In other words, you're under the jurisdiction of the Kingdom of God.

We're also subject to the law of the land, we know that. But we are subject to the laws and commandments of God in the spirit, in our heart and mind, unto the Kingdom of God, through the Father and through Christ.

Verse 14: "In Whom we have redemption through His own blood… [the perfect sacrifice] …even the remission of sins; Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation" (vs 14-15).

I want to cover this, because people look at that and say, 'Jesus was the first thing God created. No! That's not what it means! Other people say that this shows that Jesus didn't exist until He was born of the virgin Mary. No! That's not what this means!

It means that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God! No one else was begotten like Him! How was He begotten? He emptied Himself of His glory and Divinity down to a pinprick of life, and in covenant with God, God the Father impregnated Him into the womb of the virgin Mary! No other human being has come into the world with that impregnation or begettal. So therefore, He is "…the Firstborn of all creation"; that is of all those born of women!

Are we created in the womb? Yes! That's how God creates new life! No other human being is like Jesus Christ Who was begotten that way and born that way. So, He's the Firstborn, preeminent over every other human being that had been born in the world. That is "…the Firstborn of all creation."

He's also called the firstborn of Mary. We know that He's called the Firstborn from among the dead. This shows that Jesus was born again when He was resurrected from the dead. It expands on v 15 in:

Verse 16: Because by Him were all things created…" [go back to Gen. 1 and John 1] …the things in heaven and the things on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether they be thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all, and by Him all things subsist" (vs 16-17)—Heb. 1, by the Word of His power He upholds all things.

Verse 18: "And He is the Head of the Body, the Church; Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead… [that means there are others to be born] …so that in all things He Himself might hold the preeminence."

• He was Firstborn in the flesh above every other human being
• He was Firstborn from the dead, above every other one who has died

There we have it!

Verse 19: "For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell."

As we're going through, we're seeing that in the New Testament, and particularly in the Gospels… as a matter of fact, we need to look at the Bible this way: It's the Word of God to tell us:

• why we're here
• why He created us
• where we're going

It's all about God dwelling with mankind! And mankind dwelling with God! How do we get from here to there? That's the whole story of the Bible! Of course, when Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God, that's what He always preached. Did He preach anything else? No!

• it is a way of life
• it is the way we have to walk

And there are times when it's very difficult!

The way that we have to go—and this will be a problem during the Millennium—we like to give ourselves a little more leeway and give us a few little indulgences along the way. That's called leaven! That's why we have the Feast of Unleavened Bread, to get rid of those little indulgences those things that come along that way by incrementalism!

Matthew 7:13—Jesus says: "Enter in through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter through it; for narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life, and few are those who find it" (vs 13-14).

Then He gives a warning about false prophets, because He knew right from the beginning that there would be more false prophets than there are true prophets.

Now we're going to see that the Kingdom of God is something you enter into. How do you enter into the Kingdom of God? By the resurrection from the dead!

Verse 21: "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord'…" You might say that's the minimum. You acknowledge that He is Lord. You acknowledge that there is a God. But He said that the narrow way is difficult! So, saying "…Lord, Lord…" is the broad way, it's easy, called fake Christianity!

"…shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but the one who is doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name? And did we not cast out demons through Your name? And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?" And then I will confess to them, "I never knew you…." (vs 21-23).

He will of the Father in heaven, that's what we are to follow. What is that? Repent, be baptized and receive the Holy Spirit!

When we receive the Holy Spirit what does that do to us? It's very similar to the begettal of human life! When the egg of the mother is penetrated by the sperm from the father, the egg seals so there's just that one life. Sometimes it ends up being two, sometimes three, and then forced, false kind of births—induced by men—can bring about five, six, seven and even eight. But that's not what God designed.

Nevertheless, when there's the impregnation, the begettal from the father, sealed! Let's see some Scriptures concerning that, because no one is going to get into the Kingdom of God or Heaven…

Sidebar: Catholics say that the Kingdom of Heaven is where all the souls go, and the Kingdom of God is the domain of pope, being the earth.

Let's see something very important concerning baptism. You have to receive the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands.

Acts 19:1: "…Paul traveled through the upper parts and came to Ephesus; and when he found certain disciples He said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit after you believed?' And they said to him, 'We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.' Then he said to them, 'Unto what then were you baptized?' And they said, 'Unto the baptism of John.' And Paul said, 'John truly baptized with a baptism unto repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in Him Who was coming after him—that is, in Jesus, the Christ.' And after hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Now, when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied. And all the men were about twelve" (vs 1-7).

Ephesus is where Paul did the baptizing, and he actually stayed there for a long time, over two years.

Ephesians 1:13: "In Whom you also trusted after hearing the Word of the Truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in Whom also, after believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."

• there has to be repentance
• there has to be belief
• there has to be the laying on of hands
• there has to be the sealing with the Spirit and power of God

2-Cor. 1 defines it even more. This is how we put Scripture together to come to an understanding of what the Truth is.

2-Corinthians 1:21: "But He Who establishes us with you in Christ, and Who has anointed us, is God"—the Father; the two work together. We receive the Spirit of the Father and the Spirit of Christ (John 14), and if we don't have the Spirit of Christ we're none of His (Rom. 8).

Verse 22: "Who has also sealed us and has given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." That's how we are sealed! Here we tie the two together. Let's see the interaction of this.

All of this is important because we're the ones who are going to be the rulers, teachers and authorities in the Kingdom of God. We can't enter into the Kingdom of God unless we are sealed, walk in the way, grow and overcome. This is what is taught through the whole New Testament.

1-John 3:4: "Everyone who practices sin is also practicing lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness."

That's the broad definition of it, because that also covers the things that are against the laws of God that look 'good' but are sin! Those are the traditions of men! They look good, sound good, and it 'agrees with the Scripture.' Does it really?

Lawlessness! Not just the violent transgression of the Law, but the well-intention of doing 'good.' Example: Back in Matt. 16 Jesus was telling the disciples… This is interesting because right in that same chapter Jesus asked the apostles, 'Who do men say I am?' Some said Jeremiah, one of the prophets, or John the Baptist raised from the dead. Peter said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!' and Jesus said, 'Blessed are you Simon Bar-Jonah, for My Father has revealed this to you.'

In the same chapter a little later, Jesus was saying that they were going to Jerusalem and 'I'm going to be arrested and killed/crucified.' Peter comes to Him sand says, 'Lord, far be this from You!' In other words, 'Lord, look at me, I'm here to save you.' What did Jesus say to him? Get behind Me Satan, for you are an offense to Me! You are minding the things of men rather than the things of God!

Was that not a good deed that Peter told Him what he was going to do? Of course, that was a good deed in the mind of a man! But it was sin—lawlessness—and it was from Satan the devil, because it's not of God!

Verse 5: "And you know that He appeared in order that He might take away our sins; and in Him is no sin. Everyone who dwells in Him does not practice sin…" (vs 5-6). The King James says 'does not sin,' but we know that's impossible and it's a wrong translation.

"…anyone who practices sin has not seen Him, nor has known Him. Little children, do not allow anyone to deceive you…" (vs 6-7).

How many, even within the Church of God have been deceived into believing things that sound Scriptural, that are actually lawless and against God, and have gone off on their own? They look at us and say that we left, therefore, we're great sinners.' NO! if you stand for the Truth and you have to leave, you are doing what is right with God!

1-Timothy 6:3: "If anyone teaches any different doctrine, and does not adhere to sound words, even those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the doctrine that is according to Godliness…. [v 5]: …From such withdraw yourself" (vs 3, 5).

It's important to realize the difference. We know that it has to be practice sin rather than cannot sin, because it says:

1-John 1:9: "If we confess our own sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

1-John 5:16: "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that is not unto death…"

So, 1-John 3 is the correct translation. 1-John 3:6: "…anyone who practices sin has not seen Him, nor has known Him. The one who practices righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous" (vs 6-7). Because if you're practicing the righteousness of God, that's the righteousness that God wants you to do!

Verse 8: "The one who practices sin is of the devil because the devil has beensinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared that He might destroy the works of the devil. Everyone who has been begotten by God…" (vs 8-9)—the Father!

• begotten
• repent
• baptized
• laying on of hands
• receive the Holy Spirit
• sealed

You are begotten! Just like when new life is formed, it is sealed! Likewise, receiving the Holy Spirit of God you are sealed!

Verse 9: "Everyone who has been begotten by God does not practice sin, because His seed of begettal… [sealed] …is dwelling within him, and he is not able to practice sin because he has been begotten by God."

That's why we find in the daily prayer that we're to ask God to forgive us our sins! We progress from ceasing sin outwardly in our actions to having our mind purified and washed and cleansed within! That's the true righteousness that God wants!

Those are the only ones who are going to enter into the Kingdom of God. There are quite a few things in Luke 18 about entering into the Kingdom of God. It's always concerning the Kingdom of God; that's what Christ came to preach. That's why in the prayer the first thing we ask for is, after hallowing God's name, 'Your kingdom come!' We end with 'Yours is the power and the kingdom forever.'

Luke 18:9: "And to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others…" That's self-righteousness! You look at others and say, 'Oh, how good I am! Look at the poor wretched people out there!'

"…He also spoke this parable, 'Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed with himself…'" (vs 9-11).

Our prayers are to be to God according to His will! Not to ourselves and praising what ourselves for what we do: 'I've been good!'

Verse 11: "The Pharisee stood and prayed with himself in this manner: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers—or even as this tax collector….'" (vs 11-12)—elevating himself above others by comparing himself with others. Paul says that those who compare themselves among themselves are not wise!

"'…I fast twice in the week, and I give a tithe of everything that I gain.'" (v 12). Wonderful! Jesus said that you should do but 'you've left off love, faith and the things you should be doing.

Verse 13: "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat himself on the chest, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner.'…. [quite a different attitude] …I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled; and the one who humbles himself shall be exalted" (vs 13-14).

For all of those self-righteous people in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus, who lived up tot the destruction in 70A.D., were they all humbled? Yes, mightily! And still are to this day.

Verse 15: "Then they brought to Him infants also, so that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, 'Permit the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the Kingdom of God'" (vs 15-16).

• they don't have the guile
• they're not involved with Satan the devil

Today many of them are, but back then they didn't' have all the things that we have today to draw kids into that sort of thing.

Verse 17: "Truly I say to you, whoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child shall in no way enter into it."

You enter into the Kingdom of God by the resurrection from the dead. That's what it's teaching all the way through the Gospels! That's what it's teaching all the way through the General Epistles, the Epistles of Paul and the book of Revelation!

Notice the next one, a rich man, a 'do-gooder,' one who probably disciplined himself well. Successful and hones in business. Probably had a good reputation in the community, looked up to because he was a good man. There are a lot of people like that in the world. That's fine, but we will see that became an idol for this man. Let's see what Jesus said to him:

Verse 18: "And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, 'Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' Then Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One—God'" (vs 18-19).

Sidebar: Why did Jesus say that? Was He God manifested in the flesh? Yes, He was! But also, He was carrying the law of sin and death in Him, and He was not 'good' as God is good in heaven in His spirit form. Therefore, He said, "…No one is good except One—God."

He didn't say that the man was very perceptive. 'Yes, I'm very good, because I came from God, and you recognized that! Wonderful! Come over here and be one of My disciples!'

Verse 20: "You know the commandments…" The Protestant's say, 'Aha! He didn't say about Sabbath-keeping.' What was the law of the land in Galilee and Judea in those days? Sabbath-keeping! Holy Day-keeping! No question! So, the man's conduct beyond that is what Jesus is talking about:

"…'You shall not commit adultery. You shall not commit murder. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and your mother.' And he said, 'I have kept all these commandments from my youth.'…. [I'm a good man, Lord] …And after hearing these things, Jesus said to him, 'You still lack one thing…'" (vs 20-22).

Kind of like Job, who was so self-righteous he thought that he was more righteous than God!

"…sell everything that you have… [get rid of all your idols] …and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me" (v 22).

What is it we will do to make sure that we're going to be in the Kingdom of God?

• Not lifting ourselves up?
• Not getting self-righteous?
• Not looking down and condemning other people that they are inferior to us because God has called us?

Listen! God called us because we are the nothing of the world! So, let's not get all excited about some of the things that come along, because we're looking to eternal life to rule the world when Christ returns!

Verse 23: "But when he heard these things, he became very sorrowful; for he was quite rich. Now, when Jesus saw him become so sorrowful, He said, 'How difficult it is for those who have riches to enter into the Kingdom of God!" (vs 23-24).

The Kingdom of God is going to come, the resurrection will take place, and I hope that every one of us pass this earthly life in faith so that we will be in the resurrection. When the resurrection comes, we will enter into the Kingdom of God at that time and not before!

Verse 25: "For it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God." Hold up a needle and look where the thread goes!

Verse 26: "And those who heard this said, 'Who then is able to be saved?' But He said, 'The things that are impossible with men are possible with God'" (vs 26-27).

Look at that eye in the needle. Could God reduce down a camel small enough to go through that eye? Of course! And bring it back to full size? Of course! There's nothing impossible for God to do! But He won't do it because this is a parable and a lesson for us to learn, that we need to put the Kingdom of God first. Jesus said, 'Seek first the Kingdom of God.'

This kind of got to the apostles, v 28: "Then Peter said, 'Behold, we have left everything and have followed You.'…. [that's quite a statement] …And He said to them, 'Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, Who shall not receive manifold more in this time, and in the age that is coming—eternal life.'" (vs 28-30). Right there it tells us everything we need to know about entering into the Kingdom of God!

Verse 31: "And after taking the twelve aside to Himself, He said to them, 'Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that have been written about the Son of man by the prophets shall be fulfilled. For He shall be delivered up to the Gentiles, and shall be mocked and insulted and spit upon. And after scourging Him, they shall kill Him; but on the third day, He shall rise again.' But they understood none of these things…" (vs 31-34).

When you go through the book of Luke, you see that he wrote an awful lot about the teachings of the Kingdom of God, and entering into the Kingdom of God.

Luke 13:18: "Then He said, 'What is the Kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?"" He doesn't tell you all about what New Jerusalem looks like. That's saved for later.

Verse 19: "It is like a tiny mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden; and it grew and developed into a great tree, and the birds of heaven roosted in its branches."

This is the Kingdom of God established on the earth. It starts out like a little grain of mustard seed. That's two things:

• the work that Jesus did started with 12 apostles, later 70 others

By the time Jesus finished His ministry, all of those who gathered together in the upper room were 120. Isn't that small as a grain of mustard seed, compared to the Kingdom of God filling the whole earth? Yes, indeed! It grows! That's the way it has to be with us.

• it also shows God's plan down through time
  • there must be growth for us
  • we must grow and overcome

This is answering the question somewhat. But all of those aspects are various features of the Kingdom of God to help us understand that it's going to be a worldwide kingdom over all nations and all the birds depict all the different nations of the world.

(go to the next track)

Talking about what the Kingdom of God is like, we're covering all the aspects:

• when it's going to come
• who is going to be in it
• how it's going to be

On Day 4 we're going see some other aspects of the Kingdom of God and how it will be when we're dealing with people. It's going to be quite a thing! Remember that the harvest for the Feast of Tabernacles is the great harvest, all the fruit! Ours is quite different. We're the grain, the bread. So, it's going to be a magnificent thing, and we're going to have part in that. Keep that in mind, because:

• being called and receiving the Spirit of God
• being the Church of God
• having direct access to God the Father and Jesus Christ

is the greatest thing that we can have in this physical life; nothing can be greater! Add onto that the promise of eternal life! The promise of what God is going to have us do to help us grow and develop in:

• character
• knowledge
• understanding
• preparing for the Kingdom of God

This is the greatest thing that can possible happen to anyone anywhere at any time!

Luke 13:18: "Then He said, 'What is the Kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?'" We already covered v 19.

Verse 20: "And again He said, 'To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like leaven…'" (vs 20-21).

Is the Kingdom of God sin? No! The truth is, leaven is a type of sin only during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is a good action to leaven, and that is to have bread rise! That's like the unseen work of the Holy Spirit within us. When bread rises it is the unseen action that is produced by the yeast or baking powder to give the expansion of the bread.

It's just like the Holy Spirit, in this case, that we receive the things of God with His Holy Spirit and it changes us. When it's baked, it's permanent. That's kind of a little different comparison, but that's what it is.

Verse 21: "It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until all was leavened."

Another parable similar to it, and this shows what it's going to be like to be able to appear and disappear. But it also tells who is going to be in the Kingdom of God, and what they're going to be like. This is also in the phraseology that even Nicodemus—a learned one among the Jews—couldn't understand.

John 3:1: "Now, there was a man of the Pharisees, Nicodemus by name, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher Who has come from God…'" (vs1-2).

Didn't they know better? Yes! Nicodemus ended up being one of those who was converted. Compare this with John 9 where the man was healed who had b even blind from birth said, 'Has it ever been heard that man has been able to do this and you say that he's not of God.' Some of the Pharisees were just the opposite of Nicodemus.

"'…because no one is able to do the miracles that You are doing unless God is with him.' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly I say to you, unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God'" (vs 2-3).

Sidebar: We've got two appendices in The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version:

• Appendix P: What Does It Mean to be "born Again"?
• Appendix Q: What Does It Mean to be "Born of God"?

Of course, we understand that is at the resurrection!

"…unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God"—which means it's impossible to see the Kingdom of God! It is spiritual, and unless it's manifested like it's described in Rev. 20-22, you don't know what it looks like. A person has to be born again!

Protestants have this all wrong. They say that their little 'conversion experience' is born again. All they have to do is read on and they'll see that it's talking about an impossibility if they believe that.

Verse 4: "Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man who is old be born? Can he enter his mother's womb a second time and be born?'" He didn't understand; he knew it was a birth process, he didn't understand it.

Verse 5: Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly I say to you, unless anyone has been born of water…'" That's your first birth; embryonic fluid is the water. Your first nine months of existence you lived in water. When you're born the contractions of the mother's muscles and the water pushes you out. Another thing is you're all greased up so you can slip out.

"…and of Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which has been born of the flesh is flesh… [born of water] …and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit" (vs 5-6).

What is meant by that? Nicodemus couldn't understand that! Spirit being! We'll see later what it was like.

Verse 8: "The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its sound, but you do not know the place from which it comes and the place to which it goes; so also is everyone who has been born of the Spirit"—a spirit being, if you're born of the spirit at the resurrection.

This is why you have to take different Scriptures and put them together. When you're born of the spirit at the resurrection, you enter into the Kingdom of God. As a spirit being you can also make yourself invisible. Jesus—after the resurrection—suddenly appeared in the middle of the room where the disciples were assembled, because they were afraid of the Jews.

Sidebar: Why were they afraid of the Jews? Because the Jews told the soldiers to say that the disciples stole the body away! They were afraid of the Jews, that the Romans would come and arrest them and kill them as well. All of a sudden BOOM! right in the middle of the room there stood Jesus. What a thing that was! They were so astonished that at first they thought it was an apparition. Then Jesus asked them if they had anything to eat. Yes, we have some fish and honey! So He ate some fish and honey.

If you're born of the spirit you can go where you want—invisibly—any time you want to. For all of those who believe in fake Christianity that they have been born again: walk through walls, disappear through the floor, go to the floor below or above, whichever you desire.

Verse 7: "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'It is necessary for you to be born again'… [to see the Kingdom of God; to have eternal life] …The wind blows where it wills, and you hear its sound, but you do not know the place from which it comes and the place to which it goes; so also is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.' Nicodemus answered and said to Him, 'How can these things be?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'You are a teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things? Truly, truly I say to you, We speak that which We know, and We testify of that which We have seen; but you do not receive Our testimony. If I have told you earthly things, and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (vs 7-12).

How amazing is eternal life going to be? Matthew 16:28: "Truly I say to you, there are some of those standing here who shall not taste of death until they have seen the Son of man coming in His kingdom."

Isn't it interesting that everything in the whole Bible surrounds the kingdom? On Church at Home {churchathome.org} we've got 21 different half-hour segments on The Kingdom of God. That's never preached in the churches of this world.

Matthew 17:1: "And after six days, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and his brother John… [the three main leaders of the apostles] …and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured… [in vision] …before them; and His face shined as the sun… [Rev. 1] …and His garments became white as the light. Then behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him" (vs 1-3).

Who was Moses? The one who received the Law of God and talked to God, and God talked to Moses, face-to-face! That shows that God did not talk to him in his glorified form, because God said that 'no one can look upon the face of God and live.' That means as spirit beings you're able to glorify yourself or reduce yourself down to what would appear to be a human being.

How is that going to work? That's going to be a great power to really know and understand! We can use that very effectively during the Millennium!

Verse 4: "And Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You desire, let us make three tabernacles here: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'"

• Why did Jesus bring just those three up there to see it?
• Why not show it to all?
• Why not even Judas Iscariot?

Because these three were to be the leaders among the apostles! He wanted to give them, through this vision, the experience of what it's going to be like to be a spirit being resurrected from the dead, and to give them the rest of their lives the burning remembrance of that in their minds. Also, this experience to be with them. Peter wrote about it.

Verse 5: "While he was speaking, a bright cloud suddenly overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, 'This is My Son, the Beloved, in Whom I delight. Listen to Him!'…. [listen and do] …And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces in extreme terror. But Jesus came and touched them, and said, 'Arise, and do not be terrified.' And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus alone. Now, as they were descending from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, 'Tell the vision to no one until the Son of man has risen from the dead'" (vs 5-9). They didn't even understand that!

• Can you imagine the shock that they were in after seeing that vision?
• Don't you if you saw something like that it would be in your memory forever?

This is a good way to understand that that was good way to ensure that the Word of God would be accurate, that the Word of God would be sure and true!

Verse 10: "Then His disciples asked Him, saying, 'Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Elijah shall indeed come first and restore all things. But I tell you that Elijah has already come…'" (vs 10-12). That means there are three Elijah's:

• the one in the Old Testament
• John the Baptist
• the one in Malachi 4 who is also going to appear with the two witnesses to restore all things

By the way, the Church has never restored all things, and the Church is not a type of John the Baptist or Elijah.

"'…and they did not recognize him; but they did to him whatever they desired. In like manner also, the Son of man is about to suffer from them.' Then the disciples understood that He was speaking to them about John the Baptist" (vs 12-13).

Verse 9: "…Tell the vision to no one until the Son of man has risen from the dead"

Luke 19 is a parable concerning what we need to do and learn from the parable. All of these parables are things that Jesus used to teach us the Truth, and to draw things to help us understand how we need to conduct our lives.

Luke 19:11: "Now, as they were listening to these things, He went on to speak a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they thought that the Kingdom of God was going to appear immediately."

The Jews were expecting another physical human being to take over the kingdom, raise up an army, get rid of the Romans, and they would have the rule and they would have the kingdom themselves without the Romans. They didn't understand that Jesus' plan was to include the whole world, all nations. They thought it was going appear immediately.

Verse 12: "Therefore, He said, 'A certain nobleman set out to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and to return'"—that's Christ!

He went to heaven to wait until everything is accomplished of God, doing all the work through the Church and individuals down through time and centuries, and then return.

Verse 13: "And after calling ten of his servants, he gave to them ten pounds, and said to them, 'Trade until I come back.'"

What does this show? Once we understand things, we need to do, God expects us to have the initiative to do them:

• without being told
• without being lorded over

How is that going to be possible? By having the laws and commandments of God and the Word of God written in our heart and mind!

Verse 14: "But his citizens hated him and sent an ambassador after him, saying, 'We are not willing to have this man reign over us.'…. [directly to the Jews and other people] ….And it came to pass that when he returned after receiving the kingdom, he directed that those servants to whom he had given the money be called to him, in order that he might know what each one had gained by trading" (vs 14-15).

This means with the Word of God written in our heart and mind, we're to live our lives and do what we need to do; we are to:

• preach the Gospel
• serve one another
• love God

All of these things together to produce the spiritual fruit, to produce the eternal things that will be with us down through ages of time!

Verse 16: "And the first one came up, saying, 'Lord, your pound has produced ten pounds.' Then he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little…'" (vs 16-17).

This tells us what most of us will be doing. How many cities are there in the world? cities? towns? villages? Who knows? Millions and millions! Don't worry, all the places of authority are not occupied or even all filled.

"'…you shall have authority over ten cities.'…. [amazing] …And the second one came, saying, 'Lord, your pound has made five pounds.' Then he also said to this one, 'And you be over five cities.'" (vs 17-19).

• Doesn't that sound like being on the Sea of Glass?
• What are we going to do, Lord?
• I've got all the instructions here!

Then He lists it all out! He can call us all by name, because it says that He's the Shepherd of the sheep and He knows them all by name, and He's going to give us new name. We're going to have authority to carry out the will of God and the plan of God to make sure that it accomplishes all that God wants.

Verse 20: "But another came, saying, 'Lord, behold your pound, which I kept laid up in a handkerchief…. [didn't do anything with it] …For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You take up what you did not lay down, and you reap what you did not sow.' Then he said to him, 'Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am a harsh man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow. Then why didn't you deposit my money in the bank, so that at my coming I might have received it with interest?'" (vs 20-23)—a proper amount of interest, not usury.

That's the bare minimum. You look at the Church of Sardis and think that maybe some of them fit here, because Jesus warned, 'Strengthen the things that remain, and if not I'll blot your name out of the Book of Life.' God isn't going to leave things undone!

Verse 24: "And he said to those who were standing by, 'Take the pound from him, and give it to the one who has ten pounds. (And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten pounds.')" (vs 24-25).

• Did he get the job done?
• Did he know what he was doing? Yes!

Give to him because he will accomplish what I want him to do!

Verse 26: "For I tell you that to everyone who has, more shall be given; but the one who does not have, even what he has shall be taken from him. Moreover, bring my enemies, those who were not willing for me to reign over them, and slay them here before me" (vs 26-27). That's the return of Christ and getting rid of all the evil!

Verse 28: "And after saying these things, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem."

Quite a thing! Yes, indeed, that it! It's also an amazing thing concerning the Psalms, which has an awful lot to do with the Kingdom of God, rulership of God over the whole world. You might say that Psa. 145 is the Kingdom Psalm. All the things here have to do with the Kingdom of God and the various aspects of how it's going to be run. This is marvelous, indeed!

Psalm 145:1: "I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You; and I will praise Your name forever and ever" (vs 1-2).

This is how we worship God! Doesn't that start out much like Jesus said when you pray, 'Our Father, hallowed is Your name.' Isn't that what David is doing here? Yes!

Take those Scriptures in Matt. 6 about praying and look into the Psalms and see how many of the Psalms are constructed exactly like that. This Psalm here is right at the beginning.

Verse 3: "Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable." What is that going to be like?

Verse 4: "One generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty acts." That's us to all of those during the Millennium! We're going to teach them God's ways!

Remember what it said in Isa. 11, that the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the seas cover the earth. What is that going to be like? Who is going to dispense that knowledge to the people? Think about what we are going to learn when we learn of it so that we can teach to the people!

• that's why the Feast of Tabernacles is so great
• that's why the holidays of this world are so wretched compared to the Holy Days and Feasts of God

Amazing thing!

Verse 5: "I will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty and of Your wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of Your awesome works; and I will declare Your greatness" (vs 5-6).

Stop and think about this for just a minute. Think about the ocean. If you've got a globe, look at it. Those of you who live near the ocean, I know that you go down there and you look at and here's all this water. It goes on for 14,000 miles, clear over to the East Coast of Asia nonstop! There are some valleys in the ocean that go down seven miles. What's down there? What's in the ocean? Think about every drop of water in the ocean is beneficial for all the animals that are there—the fish and the air-breathing whales, seals, dolphins, and so forth—and when every wave comes up on the shore, a little oxygen comes out of the water up onto the land and into the air so that we can have air to breathe, oxygen to keep us alive.

It's an amazing thing that God did with the oceans; His mighty acts!

Verse 6: "And men shall speak of the might of Your awesome works; and I will declare Your greatness."

Think about what they're going to learn about God! Compare that with the education that people get today; what a pitiful thing the education is today! Almost worthless! It's good enough that you can function in the world, but I mean, comparing to what God has here…

Verse 7: "They shall pour forth the memory of Your great goodness and shall sing of Your righteousness." There are two things we're going to be doing in the Millennium:

• a lot of singing
• a lot of drinking of wine

Not drunkenness, but in the right measure. The singing is going to be stunning! The music today mostly is raw satanic evil!

This is all about salvation, v 8: "The LORD is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love."

What do you think it's going to be like for all the world to be loving God and keeping His commandments, and we are teaching them. We are part of the God Family doing the work of God to help as many as possible come into the Kingdom of God. There never could be a greater calling for us, brethren. Think about all of those down through past history of time that God has called. We're all going to be involved in it. This is going to be a mighty, mighty thing to be, to be in the Family of God and be in the Millennium, and carry that down a thousand years, and see all of those who are converted and brought into the Kingdom of God.

Don't worry, every single one will be needed! There will be no unemployment lines!

Verse 9: "The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O LORD; and Your saints shall bless You…. [that's us and all the converted people, as well] …They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power" (vs 9-11)—a Kingdom Psalm!

Verse 12: "To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts…" That's what we're going to do:

• teaching them
• training them
• instructing them
• watching over them

It's going to be something! Think about how great that's going to be, to be in the Kingdom of God!

"…and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations" (vs 12-13)—all people, past, present, future is all included in God's plan.

What do we do in the light of this? Let's see one of the first instructions that Jesus gave concerning what we are to do. This is quite amazing when you tie it together with Matt. 5:48, because this is telling us what God wants us to do, what He wants from us and how we need to participate in what He's doing in our lives.

It isn't going to be that God is going to do everything for us. We've got to work, be zealous and strive.

Matthew 5:48: "Therefore, you shall be perfect, even as your Father Who is in heaven is perfect." That's what the whole plan of God is about: for us to serve in the Millennium!

To keep us going, even the world knows that you've got to have your mind always on the goal:

• Where are you going?
• What are you doing?
• How are you getting there?
• What do you want to accomplish?

It's the Kingdom of God! We saw where we started: keep your mind fixed on Jesus and His purpose for us!

Matthew 6:33: "But as for you, seek… [and keep on seeking] …first… [always first] …the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…" His perfection, His righteousness and His Kingdom, all three combined together.

"…and all these things shall be added to you" (v 33).

Let's finish with a wonderful verse in Luke 12; so don't worry about anything. If you're young and just getting started, keep at it. If you're old, don't worry; God loves you and wants you, and wants you to endure to the end, and you'll be there in the Kingdom of God.

Luke 12:31: "But seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock… [do not worry, fret or doubt; don't let any of those things enter into your mind] …for your Father delights in giving you the kingdom" (vs 31-32).

• that's what God wants
• that's why we're here
• this is why we keep the Feast of Tabernacles

On Day 4 we're going some other things concerning the Kingdom, and how things are going to operate. This is going to be very exciting and insightful for us to learn!

Scriptural References:

• Colossians 1:12-19
• Matthew 7:13-14, 21-23
• Acts 19:1-7
• Ephesians 1:1-13
• 2 Corinthians 1:21-22
• 1 John 3:4-7
• 1 Timothy 6:3, 5
• 1 John 1:9
• 1 John 5:16
• 1 John 3:6-9
• Like 18:9-34
• Luke 13:18-19, 18, 20-21
• John 3:1-6, 8, 7-12
• Matthew 16:28
• Matthew 17:1-13, 9
• Luke 19:11-28
• Psalm 145:1-13
• Matthew 5:48
• Matthew 6:33
• Luke 12:31-32

Scriptures quoted, not referenced:

• Genesis 1
• John 1
• Hebrews 1
• John 14
• Romans 8
• Matthew 16
• John 9
• Revelation 20-22; 1
• Malachi 4
• Isaiah 11

Also referenced:
from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version:

• Appendix P: What Does It Mean to be "born Again"?
• Appendix Q: What Does It Mean to be "Born of God"?

Church at Home {churchathome.org}: The Kingdom of God

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 7/15/18

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