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Day 4—Feast of Tabernacles
After 500 years of living in Perfectville sin begins to multiply
Fred R. Coulter—October 17, 2019
Greetings, brethren! Welcome to Day 4 of the Feast of Tabernacles. I hope you're having a good Feast, fellowshipping with the brethren, having a lot of great food and being together, and that you are learning at this Feast of Tabernacles why we are here and what we will be doing.
As you look around the world, it's evident that the world needs the rule of God and the Kingdom of God.
- God has called us
- God is training us
- God is preparing us
to rule the world under Christ! Think on that!
The reason that He has called you is because those who are doing it now are not worthy. They don't know how to do it the way God wants it done, because they have rejected God and gone their own way. Look at the mess that there is in the world everywhere!
We know that the most important thing that's going to happen in our lifetime is the return of Christ and the setting up of the Kingdom of God. So, during this Feast of Tabernacles I want to focus on:
- what it will be like
- what we will be doing
- how it is going to be done
so that we can realize that being here at the Feast of Tabernacles—and the world does even know that, except some few—that we are the hope of the world under Christ!
I want you to think on that, because that's a tremendous thing to understand. If you get down and discouraged because you have a trial, problem or difficulty that you're working on, keep that in mind! God has called you:
- because He loves you
- because He wants you in His Kingdom
- because He wants you to rule and reign under Christ
to bring
- peace
- prosperity
- great goodness
- salvation
to this world!
He's doing it in such a way that the world doesn't even know what actually is going on! Because the most important things that are going on, right now during this Feast, is the Feast of brethren of God:
- learning
- preparing
- growing
- overcoming
to rule with Christ!
Let's look at some Scriptures in the Old Testament; let's see some of the promises that God has given, and what it's going to be like during the Millennium. Let's also see how God is going to handle sin. The first thing to do is stop all the confusion!
Zephaniah 3:9: "For then I will give a pure language to the people…" What will that be? Those who believe in Hebrew say that it's going to be Hebrew!
I think it's going to be the language that God originally put in the minds of Adam and Eve when He created them. Wouldn't you say that that's the purest human language possible? Yes, indeed! God can do this in a miracle, BANG! like that! Just like He changed the languages at Babel, so He's going to change the languages back to a pure language.
"…that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one accord" (v 9).
- one way
- one truth
- one righteousness
- one Family of God
- one Kingdom of God
- one people of God
under the Kingdom of God in all the nations!
Verse 14: "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The LORD has turned away your judgments…" (vs 14-15)—the judgments of exile!
"…He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall not fear evil anymore" (v 15). That's going to be quite a thing!
Verse 16: "In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, 'Fear not! Do not let your hands be slack, O Zion. The LORD your God is mighty in your midst; He will save; He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest in His love; He rejoices over you with singing'" (vs 16-17). That's going to be a great and marvelous time! Think of it, the whole world!
Let's see how everything is going to be setup. How is God going to handle it when people sin, because He's not going to take away free moral agency, even though, as we saw in Ezek. 36, He is going to bring human nature back to what it was before the sin of Adam and Eve. But did not Adam and Eve have to choose? Yes! We'll see that in a little bit.
Isaiah 65:17: "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth…." That is true! You know how the earth is just in complete destruction. Of course, that's going affect the whole environment of the atmosphere around us and the part of the heaven that covers the earth. That's going to be all renewed.
"…And the former things will not be remembered, nor come to mind" (v 17). Think about how great that is going to be! You get down to the second, third and fourth generation and here we are in the middle of the Feast, that's 500 years!
How many people will there be? It's going to be a miraculous thing with children, because I am sure that God is going to make the whole process of birth for women a whole lot easier.
Verse 18: "But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create… [He's creating things on the earth, character in individuals and so forth] …for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." That's all of us! Remember the great tabernacle describe in Isa. 4; it's going to be with a cloud by day and fire by night—a large tabernacle.
Verse 19: "I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I will joy in My people; and the voice of weeping will no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying."
Verse 20 is a little tricky and hard for us to understand. So, we will see, with the help of other Scriptures, what it really means and how it's going to be applied.
Verse 20: "There will not be an infant who lives but a few days…" No more births that are stillborns, no more babies dying in just a few days!
"…nor an old man that has not filled his days…" (v 20). How long is that going to be? What does that mean? Isn't it wonderful:
- no more cutoff in the midst of life
- no more drugs
- no more sins that are being committed today
"…for the child will die a hundred years old…" (v 20). Why is there death? It tells us that in Adam all die! But in Christ shall all be make alive 1-Cor. 15)! So, here's an old man who has fulfilled his days. The child is going to grow to be 100-years-old, and that's the old man.
"…but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed" (v 20). What does that mean? Let's look at one thing that is most probable to happen.
1-Thess. 4 talks about the time when Christ is returning and the first resurrection is taking place. 1-Thessalonians 4:13: "But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep…"
If you die in the faith, that's like falling asleep, because the next instant of your consciousness you will be resurrected.
"…that you be not grieved, even as others, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in exactly the same way also, those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him" (vs 13-14). They will have been raised from the dead to meet Christ in the air!
Verse 15: "For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall in no wise precede those who have fallen asleep, because the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds for the meeting with the Lord in the air; and so shall we always be with the Lord" (vs 15-17).
Let's clarify this a little bit where it talks about the resurrection. Here you are alive, Christ is returning. It says that all are going to die. All must die in Adam. You won't be put in the grave if you're alive when Christ returns. But something has to happen, because you must die. But it's going to be an instantaneous death and in instantaneous transformation. That's what it's going to have to be. That way:
- the Word of God is complete
- the Word of God is fulfilled
- all die in Adam
- all are made alive in Christ
So, it all fits together!
1-Corinthians 15:42: "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (vs 42-44). That's what we're looking for, the spiritual body! We'll get a little glimpse of that, too.
Verse 45: "Accordingly, it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul; the last Adam became an ever-living Spirit.' However, the spiritual was not first, but the natural—then the spiritual!The first man is of the earth—made of dust. The second Man is the Lord from heaven. As is the one made of dust, so also are all those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly One, so also are all those who are heavenly" (vs 45-48).
During the Millennium we'll have both. We will have all the people that we are given charge of:
- to serve
- to rule over
- to teach the Word of God
They're all physical! Then we are all spiritual! They will be able to see us, and understand what it's going to be like when they enter the Kingdom of God.
Verse 49: "And as we have borne the image of the one made of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly One. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery…" (vs 49-51). We can understand the description, but how it works is another whole different understanding!
"…we shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed, in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (vs 51-52).
Now then, Christ has already returned, the Millennium is 500-years-old, but how do people enter into the Kingdom of God during the Millennium? If we can apply all of these Scriptures together we will be able to see that there will come a time at 100-yerars-old…
Isaiah 65:20: "There will not be an infant who lives but a few days, nor an old man that has not filled his days, for the child will die a hundred years old; but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed."
Let's take the righteous: If they live a life that is the way God wants it—grow, change and overcome—what's going to happen when they reach 100-years-old? There's going to be a transformation, a change! I don't know how all of this going to work. I've thought many times that it would be a tremendous thing that whenever it's time for those to enter into the Kingdom of God, that we're all in our congregational meeting and those who are going to be transformed will be called forward. Right before the eyes of the whole congregation there will see that transformation instantaneously. So, their physical bodies die, but they have a spiritual body.
Let's see this vision of the transfiguration. This is what's going to have to happen for those during that time.
Matthew 17:1: "And after six days, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and his brother John, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them…" (vs 1-2). This was a vision to them, but this shows the change that can happen from flesh to spirit!
- Was Jesus in the flesh? Yes!
- When He was resurrected, did He regain the full spiritual? Yes!
But this was a vision to where Jesus was showing what those in the resurrection will be like!
"…and His face shined as the sun, and His garments became white as the light. Then behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him. 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'" (vs 2-4).
Isn't that the way human nature is? You always want to do something to help God, but that's not God's way of doing it!
To the human mind that sounds reasonable and rational. At this point Peter wasn't converted, so we can understand that.
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!' 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…'" (vs 5-9).
From this we know that if a person dies a sinner, they're going to go to the grave and they're will not be a resurrection to eternal life for them, because it says they are 'accursed.' We know that they will be resurrected in the second half of the second resurrection to be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
This also tells us that during the Millennium people will sin. Some people will sin unto the second death! Otherwise they wouldn't be accursed. When we put the Scriptures together this tells us a lot.
Those who are righteous will reach 100-years-old and at the designated time they will be transformed from flesh to spirit. The sinner dies 100-years-old and will be buried. Every burial will be noticed, that this man or woman sinned the unpardonable sin, and will not be resurrected to eternal life.
Isaiah 65:21: "And they will build houses and live in them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build, and another live in them; they will not plant, and another eat; for like the days of a tree are so will be the days of My people, and My elect will long enjoy the work of their hands…. [and then be changed a 100-years-old] …They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for calamity. For they are the seed of the beloved of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear" (vs 21-24).
Now, notice the close relationship that they will have with God, and that also means with us. Whatever it is that is going to be given to them to be blessed. We will follow through with the instructions of God so they will be blessed in whatever manner and way that God sees fit. We're to carry that out!
Verse 25: "The wolf and the lamb…" Doesn't say lion and lamb.
I had a woman who sent me an e-mail saying that she tried to find in the Bible where the lion and the lamb lay down. Everybody has a picture of this big lion with a lamb. We all thought that was true. But she read what it said here, "The wolf and the lamb…" The lion is mentioned a little later in the same context.
"'…will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the food of the serpent. They will not hurt nor destroy in all My Holy mountain,' says the LORD" (v 25). That's the key!
How is God going to handle, and we are going to handle, when sin is committed. God has given us all free moral agency, and we must choose! God is not going to change this at all. We will see what God told the children of Israel just before they went into the 'promised land.' God always operates this way. He always gives free moral agency, and everybody is going to have to choose.
It seems to us, living in this time now, how could anybody really want to sin? Well, look at some of the sins that are committed today, and you say, 'How can anyone do that?' It will be the same way then! There will be people who will sin and will not repent! God always honors repentance.
Let's see that this is going to be for every single person. It's for us today, because everything that we do is a choice, a decision. We think about it. Once in a while when we don't think and we do something, sometimes it comes out good, and sometimes it comes out stupid, and sometimes it's comes out as a disaster.
Deuteronomy 30:15: "Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil, in that I command you this day to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways…" (vs 15-16).
That's going to be the whole mantra of the Millennium, that we teach people to love God with all their heart, mind, soul and being! And to love their neighbor as themselves, and the brethren as Christ has loved us. But there will still be those who will sin, because now it's going to be a choice that each individual will make. There will not be those running around teaching people to sin. We'll see what happens when they sin, and they don't repent.
"…and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments so that you may live and multiply…." (v 16).
Isn't that what God said in Isa. 65? They will live, multiply and bring forth children!
"…And the LORD your God shall bless you in the land where you go to possess it" (v 16). They'll already be in the land, but the same principle applies.
Verse 17: But if… [that if will be there through the whole Millennium, because everyone is going to have to choose] …your heart turn away so that you will not hear…"
That's what happens first, they don't want to listen! Then they begin to think in their mind that they don't like this, this is little harsh, whatever it may be. Then they begin to sin by going against the laws and commandments of God! And they won't have much of an opportunity to carry it along too far. Because, as we saw yesterday, we will be teachers. If they start going to the right hand or to the left hand, what do we say? This is the way, walk in it!
- What's going to happen if they refuse?
- What happens then?
They're not going to be left in the society to entice other people to sin.
"…but shall be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them…" (v 17)
That won't be available at that time, but remember Ezek. 14; they can have idols in their mind! Then those, when they won't listen to God become their gods, whatever it is that they want, whatever it is that they're thinking that's contrary:
- to the Word of God
- to the instructions that they have received
- to what we have been teaching them
Verse 18: "I denounce to you this day that you shall surely perish… [What did it say of the sinner? The sinner will die at 100-years-old!] …you shall not prolong your days on the land where you pass over Jordan to go to possess it…. [over Jordan] …I call heaven and earth to record this day against you…" (vs 18-19).
That is also going to be preached. God has given this backed up by the heaven and the earth. You can't get anymore guarantee than what God says is going to take place than having God say, 'I call heaven and earth against you this day.'
"…that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live, that you may love the LORD your God…" (vs 19-20). This will be taught over and over and over again during the Millennium!
"…and may obey His voice, and may cleave to Him; for He is your life and the length of your days… [100 years] …so that you may dwell in the land, which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give it to them" (v 20).
It's going to be the same with every nation, with all people everywhere in the world; this is going to apply! Let's see that God set before them life and death, blessing and cursing, and He told Adam and Eve to obey His voice! When they didn't obey His voice, and He brought His judgment against them, He said, 'Because you didn't obey My voice…'
We know they were created' God made Adam and then He made Eve.
Genesis 2:15: "And the LORD God took the man and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and keep it"—also to guard it!
We're all going to have work to do all during the Millennium. All the people will have work to do. God will be there; we'll be there, and there will be blessing aplenty galore, overwhelming! But, as we'll learn, there is going to set in 'goodness fatigue.' We'll cover that starting in Day 5. Goodness fatigue can be a very dangerous thing, indeed!
Verse 16: "And the LORD God commanded the man…" We know that God gave the Sabbath to them, so He told them, obviously, to keep the Sabbath because He made it Holy. God was living in the Garden of Eden, probably in a different location than they were, and He was with them every day.
They could see God, and they could talk to God. Just like us, we're going to be there with the people and they can see us; we'll appear to them much like a human being. There will be times when we will show our glory, and we will be instructing the people on what to do.
Verse 16: "And the LORD God commanded the man… [when God commands, we are to obey] …saying, 'You may freely eat of every tree in the garden… [God gives lots of latitude to do good, any tree except the one] …but you shall not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, for in the day that you eat of it in dying you shall surely die'" (vs 16-17).
We find in Rom. 5 because of one man—Adam—sinned, death passed into all mankind. That's how we all die in Adam, because of the sin of Adam, which was twofold:
- he sat or stood there and watched Eve converse with the serpent instead of casting the serpent out, getting rid of him and guarding the Garden of Eden like God said
- after Eve was convinced that it would be a good thing…
and Satan always comes along with a benefit to make you good, bigger, better, stronger, whatever!
…so she took of the fruit and ate it
It wasn't just a bite, she ate it. And she told Adam, 'Look, this is really good,' and he took it and ate it. That was sin! Eve was deceived, Adam was not. He could have stopped the whole thing by telling Eve, 'Throw that fruit away and don't eat it.' But because he didn't the judgment came upon them! The woman would have sorrow in childbearing, and the man would have sorrow in going out and cultivating the ground and bringing in food, and they would die! Yes, they lived hundreds of years, much more than us.
- What happened to Adam and Eve, even though the wages of sin is death?
- What happened to Adam and Eve when they sinned?
- They were cast out or removed, or exiled, from the Garden of Eden!
That is a key thing!
So, when people in the Millennium sin and don't repent… Adam and Eve didn't repent, they made excuses for their sin. The woman said it's the serpent, and the man said it was 'the woman You gave me,' so it was God's fault! I wasn't God's fault because there's independent free moral agency that God gives every human being, and He will not take it away!
So, for them to continue living, which they had to so that there would be a population of human beings on the earth, God did not execute them immediately, even though the wages of sin is death, but He gave into their very beings genetically the law of sin and death! So, there would come a time when they would die, exactly as He said, 'In dying'—showing the process of aging—'you shall die.'
Let's come to the situation of Cain and Abel. Cain was born first, then Abel. Abel brought an offering of the firstlings to God, and God was pleased with that. Why? Because Abel did it according to the way that God instructed him!
Sidebar: If there's the firstlings of the herd, that tells us that all the other commands, similar to the ones given to ancient Israel at Mt. Sinai, were given to Adam and Eve.
There was tithing, the firstborn, the Sabbath and the land sabbath and all of that was given. Abel is noted for his righteousness.
In the 135th year of their lives, Cain decided to bring an offering that he wanted to bring. Any old offering!
Genesis 4:3: "It came to pass that Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground.
Verse 5: but He did not have regard unto Cain and his offering. And Cain was extremely angry and his countenance fell."
If someone chooses to sin and not repent, what's one of the first things they do? They get angry because someone is coming and telling them, 'Look, you're not supposed to do this.' Cain was sinning because he was bringing what he wanted to bring. There' s nothing wrong with bring fruit of the ground or the tree. You bring the firstfruit and the tithe. If he had done that, wouldn't his offering be accepted? But Cain probably brought the things that were not the best the things that were not the real top of the crop, but what he wanted to bring!
Much like in the book of Malachi that the priests were taking the lame and the blind [animals] and offering them and keeping the best animals for themselves. God said that was sin to them! Likewise here:
Verse 7: "If you do well, shall you not be accepted?…." Isn't that true? If you do well there nothing wrong with what you have done, and God accepts you.
"…But if you do not do well… [meaning that he was sinning against God and not doing what God said] …sin lies at the door… [right there where the altar of offering was, right outside the Garden of Eden] …Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it!" (v 7). Sin wants to take you down!
During the Millennium Satan is not going to be around. So, these sins will be deliberate. "…Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it!" How do you rule over sin!
- repentance and casting it away
- repentance and getting rid of the thought
- repentance and desiring to obey God
- repentance and desiring to have forgiveness
- repentance and desiring to be in right standing with God
- repentance and desiring to re-establish yourself with Him in love
That's how you overcome it!
(go to the next track)
We've seen that God's principle is that if you sin you're removed. If you repent, you come back. Let's see again how it's going to be working during the Millennium.
Zechariah 8:11: "But now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days,' says the LORD of hosts, 'For they shall sow in peace; the vine shall give its fruit, and the ground shall give its increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things'" (vs 11-12).
We've seen it; it says in Amos that the plower is going to overtake the reaper there's going to be such an increase of food. Just think, when there is a sabbatical year, every seventh year, it's going to be for those who work the land like a year-long vacation. I don't think that they're going to just let it all go to pot. No, they're probably going to build fences, take care of things that they need to for the land. But God says that in those years that He will give plenty of food to store. So, those will be great years.
Sidebar on economics: The seven-year cycle of God is the way that you have continuous stable economic development and growth without inflation. Men have never been able to figure that out. But it will be then.
Verse 13: "'And it shall come to pass, that as you were a curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you, and you shall be a blessing. Do not fear, but let your hands be strong.' For thus says the LORD of hosts, 'As I thought to punish you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,' says the LORD of hosts, 'and I did not repent; so, again, I have thought in these days to do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. Fear not. These are the things that you shall do….'" (vs 13-16).
New Testament doctrine, and here is how people are going to live. This is why the majority of people will enter into the Kingdom of God when they're 100-years-old and they'll be changed from flesh to spirit. Here's what you shall do:
"…Each man speak the truth to his neighbor. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates" (v 16). That's going to be really quite a thing. Remember when I talked about Perfectville and how would you like to live in Perfectville? That's what the whole Millennium is going to be:
- perfect world
- perfect nations
- perfect people
When there sin they can repent!
Verse 17: "'And let no one imagine evil in your heart against his neighbor; and do not love a false oath, for all these are things that I hate,' says the LORD. And the Word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth month, and the fast of the seventh month, and the fast of the tenth month…"'" (vs 17-19).
These were all the fasts of Judah, and they were doing these so they could 'force God' to bring them back to Jerusalem, rather than really repent, rather than really turn to God so that God would do something. No, their self-righteousness to try and do it on their own.
God say that now in the Millennium things are going to change and here is what it's going to be like:
"…shall be to the house of Judah for joy and gladness, and cheerful feasts. Therefore, love truth and peace" (v 19). All New Testament doctrine!
That's why it's so important for us today. God has called us, living in this world that's filled with evil, that we have to change, grow, overcome, and that is accomplished:
- through the power of God's Spirit
- through repentance
- through training
- through study
- through prayer
so that we develop the character of:
- love
- joy
- peace
- longsuffering
The book of Isaiah contains a lot of things concerning the Millennium. But it's interspersed with different things, and some verses come along and all of a sudden here's a verse for the Millennium, then it goes back to what it was covering before. Then three or four more verses for the Millennium. Then it continues to go ahead and then reverts back to something that happened before. So, if you don't understand the book of Isaiah and realize that when you read through the book of Isaiah, it's not in a chronological way from start to finish. It's all scattered in between, here a little, there a little; a line here and precept there, and we have to rightly divide it.
Isaiah 45:5: "I am the LORD, and there is none else. There is no God besides Me… [that is on the earth, the Most High was in heaven] …I clothed you, though you have not known Me; that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else" (vs 5-6). That's the supreme rulership of Jesus Christ and the saints with Him!
Verse 7: "'I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil. I the LORD do all these things.' Drop down from above, O heavens, and let the clouds pour down righteousness. Let the earth open, and let salvation bear fruit; and let righteousness spring up together. I the LORD have created it" (vs 7-8).
That's quite a thing! Think how that's going to be! The most wonderful thing about it is going to be the food that will so good, so natural, and raised in the right way. And guess what? We're not going to need doctors or hospitals! That is going to be something!
We're not going to have prisons. We may have areas for those who need to repent, but haven't committed a grievous sin, where they can go and take a sabbatical as it were, so they can pray, study, repent and recover from their problem or fault or sin, and then be re-instituted into society. There won't be any of that fighting going on like it says here:
Verse 9: "Woe to him who fights with the One Who formed him, a potsherd among the potsherds of the earth! Shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?' Or your work, 'He has no hands'?"
Think about it, there will be people who will come along and they will think that God is not fair. This is their woe:
Verse 10: "Woe to him who says to his father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to the woman, 'What are you laboring over?' Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and the One who formed him, 'Ask Me of things that are to come concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands'" (vs 10-11).
That's the whole purpose and goal of what God wants it to be. God is the One Who creates the character in us. We do the work and God does the forming. We do the labor and God gives the power with Holy Spirit to accomplish these things!
We saw when Adam and Eve sinned that they were removed from the Garden of Eden, but they could come to the East Gate. That's where they met God, and where the altar for burnt offerings and so forth was. That's where they would go to God and He would give them instruction on what they should do.
We learn from that that right at first when they sinned they were moved out of the Garden of Eden and they could be close to it, but they couldn't go in it.
When Cain sinned and murdered his brother (Gen. 4), he was exiled even further into the Land of Wandering, because there was no repentance on his part. I don't know if there was repentance if God would have restored Abel. Who knows? We don't know all of those things! But we do know this: that when there is grievous sin—we're going to read about exile here—they are removed from the land. God is the One Who sends the forces, the agents, the armies to remove them from the land.
2-Kings 17:7: "Now, it came to pass because the children of Israel had sinned… [it shows in the first part that they brought Shalmaneser, the king of Assyria] …against the LORD their God, Who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods, and walked in the statutes of the nations whom the LORD cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which the nations had made. Now, the children of Israel secretly did things that were not right against the LORD their God…." (vs 7-9).
If anyone tries that in the Millennium, what are we going to say? Here is the way, walk in it! If you go to the right hand or to the left hand, whichever way you go, you're going to come right back to the middle.
"…And they built high places in all their cities for themselves from the Watch Tower to the fortified city. And they set up images and groves for themselves in every high hill, and under every green tree. And they burned incense in all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had removed from before them, and they practiced evil things to provoke the LORD to anger" (vs 9-11).
I want you to stop and think about today. Remember the DVD that you got: Abortion: America's Greatest Sin. God's judgment is coming upon this nation. It's going to come and it's going to be heavy, difficult and hard. It's going to be exactly as God has said, because God is going to be avenged of the blood of the innocent that they abort!
Granted, there may be a small respite for a time, because some states are trying to come as close as they can to outlawing abortion. But abortion is one of the most evil things that God said is like sacrificing children to the gods, it never even came into His mind!
So, you can know for sure that what you see with all the evil going on, with the immigrants come in, with the drugs coming in, with all of these things taking place—the problems and difficulties within cities—these are all punishments from God because of abortion and turning your back on God and for having myriads of witches and witchcraft. It's going to come, just like it is right here.
Verse 12: "For they served the idols of which the LORD had said to them, 'You shall not do this thing.' And the LORD testified against Israel and against Judah, by all the prophets, by all the seers, saying, 'Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law, which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets'" (vs 12-13). They always had the Word of God! They knew!
Think about what it's going to be like during the Millennium. I'm sure that at the first part of the Millennium everybody is going to be willing to cooperate, because they want everything to go well. But when you get into the middle of the Millennium there are probably going to be more sinners. There are probably going to be more people who want to go their own way. IF they want to go there own way and don't repent when they're given a sabbatical where they can just stay, study, pray, overcome and repent, THEN they're going to have to be removed further away.
Just like Cain; he didn't repent and he removed. The children of Israel didn't repent and they were removed. The children of Judah didn't repent and they were removed.
Verse 14: "Nevertheless, they would not hear, but hardened their necks…" That's the key when people come to harden their necks or harden their heart and refuse because they just want it their way! There will be those people during the Millennium. They will be removed! Remember where we started: the sinner shall die accursed! Cutoff from God! No opportunity for eternal life!
"…like the neck of their fathers who did not believe in the LORD their God. And they rejected His statutes and His covenant, which He made with their fathers, and His warnings that He testified against them. And they went after vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations around them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them not to do like them" (vs 14-15).
Of course, they are going to have the witness of all human history, and every nation on earth. So, if anyone decides to be stubborn, they will be removed!
Is it possible that even in that situation someone might repent. If that's the case, will that be recognized and be brought back? Very likely!
Here's the grievous sin; v 16: "And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God and made molten images, two calves for themselves. And they made a grove, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire. And they used divination and sorceries, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger. So, the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of His sight; not one was left, only the tribe of Judah by itself. Also Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but walked in the statutes, which Israel made. And the LORD rejected all the seed of Israel, and afflicted them, and delivered them into the hand of spoilers until He had cast them out of His sight" (vs 16-20).
Rev. 20 is one of the most difficult to understand. But as we have seen, there will be those during the Millennium who will sin, there's just no way around it. What will happen when they sin? They'll be given a chance to repent!
If they don't repent then they'll be given a sabbatical probably so they can study, pray, yield to God, and if they do that and repent they'll be reinstated. But those who don't will be sent away. They will be permanently removed.
Revelation 20:3: "Then he [the angel] cast him into the abyss, and locked him [Satan] up, and sealed the abyss over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were fulfilled…"
As we get further and further into the Millennium, will we have more and more sinners who will have to be removed? Where will they be removed to? Rev. 20 tells us!
"…and after that it is ordained that he [Satan] be loosed for a short time" (v 3). We don't know how long a short time is, but generally in the Bible that's three to three and a half years!
Verse 7: "Now, when the thousand years have been completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison; and he shall go out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, of whom the number is as the sand of the sea, to gather them together for war" (vs 7-8). This has to be those who are exiled and removed!
Let's stop and think about it: right at the first part of the Millennium we saw the final battle was with Gog and Magog and all of the other nations. God literally brought upon them such devastation that He said they would know that He is the Lord their God! Those in Gog and Magog at the first of the Millennium knew the Lord.
God did not predestinate Gog and Magog to be the ones to suffer what's going to be suffered here. Otherwise God would be a respecter of persons. So, we need to look at this as not Gog and Magog the people—because it says the nations who are in "…the four corners of the earth. Gog and Magog…" (v 8); we need to look at that as land, territory.
Apparently, this is where they are exiled not to come back. There they live until they are a hundred and then they are buried. By the end of the Millennium there's not an opportunity for all of them to live to be a hundred and be buried. What does God do? The Millennium must end! So, here are those incorrigible out there in Gog and Magog. So, lo and behold, here comes Satan the devil and says:
Finally, I'm out of prison, that God down in Jerusalem had be locked up for a thousand years, but now I am out. I want to tell you what wonderful people you are. I want to tell you that now we have a chance to do something that will saved every one of us, because God has not dealt with you in a right way. God is unfair! God is too harsh!
Now, here's what we're going to do. Let's all get together and we're going to plan for a great war, because Jerusalem down here and all of those there, if we can conquer Jerusalem we will control the world! Since they have no defenses, we will win!
All of the people worshipped Satan, and they all worked hard and they all got busy and made everything for war. Why did God allow this? Because those who are not repentant cannot move over into the next phase of God's plan, the 100-year period and the second resurrection. They can't be with those people.
This brings them, when they come down to Jerusalem; v 8: "…of whom the number is as the sand of the sea, to gather them together for war. Then I saw them go up upon the breadth of the earth and encircle the camp of the saints…" (vs 8-9)—probably at Feast of Tabernacle time, when the representatives of all the nations of the world will be there representing their people who are back in their nations and keeping the Feast of Tabernacles.
God has said in Zech. 14 that if all nations don't keep the Feast of Tabernacles then those who don't have rain, it will be their curse, and those who have rain He will cut it off until they all obey Him. This here has to probably be Feast of Tabernacles time.
"…and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven and consumed them" (v 9).
Think about this for a minute. The final rebellion, and fire comes down from God to consume them. What is that? That is their first death! God has decreed that all the incorrigible wicked will die twice! So, this is their first death and then, we will see on the Last Great Day, they're all going to be raised out of their grave for their second death.
This is what God is going to do. This is how God is going to handle it. This is why during the Millennium everyone is going to live 100 years and those who are fit for the Kingdom of God will be transformed from flesh to spirit. Those who have not repented will have been exiled during the Millennium, and the sinner being a hundred will be accursed and buried.
Then the last part of the Millennium, it looks like an increasing number of people who do not believe God, who choose to go their own way, and they will be exiled to Gog and Magog for this final battle.
That tells you what God is going to do with the wicked and how God is going to bring many more people into the Kingdom of God during the Millennium!
Scriptural References:
- Zephaniah 3:9, 14-17
- Isaiah 65:17-20
- 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
- 1 Corinthians 15:42-52
- Isaiah 65:20
- Matthew 17:1-9
- Isaiah 65:21-25
- Deuteronomy 30:15-20
- Genesis 2:15-17
- Genesis 4:3, 5, 7
- Zechariah 8:11-19
- Isaiah 45:5-11
- 2 Kings 17:7-20
- Revelation 20:3, 7-9
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Ezekiel 36
- Isaiah 4
- Ezekiel 14
- Romans 5
- Zechariah 14
Also referenced: DVD: Abortion: America's Greatest Sin {truthofGod.org}
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 7/23/19
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