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Greetings, brethren. This is day four of the Feast of Tabernacles, 2001, and so here we are right exactly at the halfway point during the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day combined. So we’ve been having a wonderful feast. I hope that you have been. And we’re going to continue in the theme of the Feast of Tabernacles in the New Testament. You know it’s really amazing. And just putting together the different sermons, it is absolutely amazing that people would think that they can preach anything concerning the Bible, that they can understand or know God in the Bible and yet reject the Sabbath and holy days, and they really don’t understand anything, do they? See, because with that they think they’re going to heaven, and the Bible shows there’s a resurrection. And moreover the Bible shows there’s more than one resurrection, which we’ll see when we get to day seven and day eight. And the whole gospel talks about the Kingdom of God and the return of Christ. So it’s an amazing thing. Not only do we have the prophecies of the Old Testament, which tell us many things, but then we get more understanding of it as we come to the New Testament.
Now let’s begin by going back to the book of Daniel. So we’re going to start back there. And remember that the book of Daniel has to be basically understood in its time frame and the meaning of all the prophecies there, especially when we get to the prophecies in Daniel 2, and Daniel 7, and Daniel 12. You have to basically understand those before you can understand the book of Revelation, because the book of Revelation is the finishing of the whole Bible. And in order to understand the book of Revelation…now if you don’t have our series on Revelation, write for it. It’s an extended series going through verse by verse the whole book of Revelation. So if you don’t have it you write for it and go through it and you will see that it really requires a basic understanding of the whole Bible before you can really understand about the book of Revelation.
Now let’s go back to Daniel 2, and let’s see where the prophecy was given by God to Nebuchadnezzar, and then the interpretation of it to Daniel to tell Nebuchadnezzar. But what we want to do is look at this from the point of view of that the Kingdom of God is going to be established, and it’s going to be forever as we’ve seen in Isaiah 9, “of the increase of His government there is no end”, there will be no end. It will go constantly all into eternity. Now let’s go to Daniel 2 and let’s look at this and let’s understand that from this time forward everything that God does relates then to the Kingdom of God. As a matter of fact we can go clear back, as we saw yesterday, where Peter said that Christ was received into the heavens until the time of the restitution of all things. And that is bringing it back to the condition that it was when Adam and Eve were first created. So that’s really quite a thing that we can look forward to, and we’re going to have a part in doing that, as we know.
So let’s just pick it up here in Daniel 2:36 so that we’ll get the full flow of everything. And it’s very interesting that history from this point, from the Babylonian kingdom forward is very accurate and very well known. History going back beyond that is a little difficult and has many more problems. Ok, now let’s begin in verse 36. “This is the dream;…” Remember now, Nebuchadnezzar had the dream. He didn’t understand it. He wouldn’t tell anyone what it was. And all of his star gazers and prognosticators, and everybody said, “Tell us the dream and we’ll tell you the meaning.” And he said, “No, I want you to tell me the dream and the meaning.” And so God revealed it to Daniel.
“This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.” Now this symbolizes the greatness of man’s kingdoms. So at the end-time we have Babylon the Great, which then is the full expression of all the kingdoms, as we find, in the book of Daniel. So it’s really something. God is the One Who gives it. Understand that. “And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold” (Dan. 2:36-38). So we have this head of gold, and then silver, and then brass, and then we have legs of iron, and we have feet of iron and clay.
Verse 39, “And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided;…”, or that is, diverse, if we could use a modern term today. It will be diverse. “…But there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly [weak, or as the Hebrew is there: brittle, subject to breaking easily] broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay” (vs. 39-43). So they will build this whole system of Babylon the Great. It will come together and it will look like it’s really going to be a great and marvelous thing, but it’s going to fall apart. And of course we see in the book of Revelation that’s exactly what happens.
Now continuing on verse 44, “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom…” Now this is the Kingdom that is talked about all through the New Testament. “…Which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people…”, we’ll see that it’s going to be left to the saints. And we also have seen in the series in Hebrews that God did not leave the world, whereof we are speaking of to the dominion of angels. So there’s quite a lesson there. “… But it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” And that’s the thing that’s important, brethren. God’s calling is eternal. God’s plan is forever. And what we are doing now is just the start. Just the beginning you see, to know, to understand God’s way. To be educated in God’s word. To live our lives through all the circumstances that we go through so that Christ in us, we can build the character of God. And character is what is the important thing. The love of God, the truth of God, the faith and hope of God. Those are the things in the character that we need to have so that we can rule in a right and a proper way that we’ll be able to serve Christ and serve all the people that we teach during the Millennium, in a way that will help lead them into the Kingdom of God so that they can have eternal life, you see.
Now verse 45, “Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands…” Now that stone is Christ. Christ is the chief corner stone. Christ is the Rock that followed them in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:4). Christ is the Rock that He said He would build His Church upon (Matt. 16:18). So here is the stone, was cut out of the mountain without hands, showing that it was supernatural. Showing that it is what God had done. Showing that it’s not what man has done at all, even though Christ was a man, became a man. This is by divine power of God. “…And that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.” Now this is why, brethren, it’s very important for us to understand: God’s word is true. God’s word cannot be broken. God’s word shows us what these things are going to be. And down through time, maybe we have misunderstood some of these things, but nevertheless they are going to take place because God is the One who holds the timetable and schedule for this. Ok, but the key is that it’s not going to be left to other people.
Now let’s come to Daniel 7. We’re not going to go through all of Daniel 7, I want to cover just a couple of parts here so that we know and understand the things that are going on. Now first of all let’s pick it up here in verse 8 because this ties in with 2 Thessalonians 2. Now there are a lot of people who claim and believe that the Beast who is going to rule the world is the Pope. No, that’s not true. The Beast who is going to rule the world is going to be the great king of the world. He’s going to be the great Beast. And as Revelation 13 shows there are two Beasts. One with seven heads and ten horns, and the other with two horns. So you have state and religion. And you just watch the news that’s taking place. Politics is getting more involved in religion, and religion more involved in politics, fulfilling the prophecies. And then out if it will come the man who will proclaim himself to be God.
Now let’s pick it up here in verse 8. “I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Just put in your margin, Revelation 13, and 2 Thessalonians 2.
Now verse 9, “I beheld till the thrones were [placed] cast down…” It says “cast down”, but “placed down”. Put in your margin there Revelation 20:4, because thrones were put down and judgment was given to them, and that is those who were in the first resurrection. “…And the Ancient of days did sit…” Now this is interesting. There is no reason at all…you just stop and think about it. Once we are resurrected and meet Christ in the air on the sea of glass. Once all the things that have taken place on the sea of glass are accomplished, there is no reason at all for us not to see God the Father. So it’s interesting that it talks about “the Ancient of days did sit.” “…Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him: thousand thousands ministered unto Him [you can put in there Revelation 4 and Revelation 5], and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” Put in there Revelation 19, casting of the Beast and False Prophet into the lake of fire. “As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds…” Now we’re going to see that Jesus gave a direct reference to Himself as being the Son of man. Now notice, “…with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days…” So here is one of those few places in the Old Testament that shows God the Father, the Ancient of days, and the Son of man, the One who became Jesus Christ. “…And they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (vs. 9-14).
Now then let’s come over here to verse 21. “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them (Revelation 13); until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High…” We are going to judge the world. Paul even said in 1 Corinthians 6, he says, “Know ye not that we are going to judge angels” (1 Cor. 6:3). Now just what it means to judge angels, I don’t know, but we’ll find out when we’re spirit beings in the Kingdom of God. But that’s going to be an awesome task indeed, isn’t it, to judge angels? “…And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom” (vs. 22-23). Now as I said yesterday, we are going to inherit it. We are going to own it. We are going to be the kings and priests, the teachers, administrators, and all of that for the whole world. Of course under Christ, under His direction.
Verse 23, “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” Now that’s Babylon the Great of Revelation 13, 17, and 18. And it’s going to be a worldwide one government, as we’ve covered many times before. “And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings” (vs. 23-24). Now, there are many different interpretations as to what this means, but the one king, the little king that arises out of him and takes three kings from it. Now if it’s going to be, as we have seen in the past, as very strong possibility that there will be ten regions of the world which will be ruled over by one of these ten lesser kings. Then ten regions are going to be taken out. Now could that be the nations of Israel divided into thee sections? Now you just think on that because he is going to take out the nations of Israel. And God is going to send Israel into captivity, as we have seen, at the beginning of the Millennium what happens? They come out of captivity. So it’s very likely that it could be that when it refers to the end-time.
Now notice verse 25. It picks up where we began in verse 8. “And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws…” And that is going to happen. As a matter of fact if you get a calendar from Europe, guess which day is the seventh day over there? Sunday. Now they haven’t changed the dates. They have just moved Sunday backward to give it the indication that it’s the seventh day. Now also please understand this, that all corporation calendars run on the same basis. Saturday they consider the sixth day, and Sunday they consider the seventh day. That’s why it’s important, brethren, that we maintain the calculated Hebrew calendar. That we maintain the understanding of when the Sabbath and holy days are, because they’re going to try and take it away from us. If they can’t take it away from us in actual deed by having us give up on the holy days, and commandments of God, and so join the great world religion, then they’re going to try and change it to confuse. And those new people who will be coming along, it will be very confusing to them because it will be said, “Well, you’re to keep the seventh day.” And they’ll look at their calendar and say, “Hey, that’s Sunday. Well, I’m going to church on Sunday now, so you know, I’m keeping the seventh day.” Has the world been deceived? Is it going to be even more deceived? No doubt about it, absolutely yes.
Now continuing on here, “…and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time [which then is 3 ½ years]. But the judgment shall sit [that is after that. Again put in Revelation 20:4], and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end” (vs. 25-26). And that’s why the whole world, as we saw at the beginning of the feast, has to end up in the condition that it is, because it’s all got to be destroyed. God is not going to do a patchwork quilt or a mosaic of putting things together by taking part of this, which was the best from men, part of that, which was the best over here in this field of men’s endeavors. He’s going to wipe the slate clean and it’s going to start all fresh and we’re going to begin on the foundation of Christ.
Now notice verse 27. I want you to understand you’re calling as pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles. “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom [which is the whole world, as we saw yesterday that Abraham knew that he was going to be heir of the world] under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”
Now, let’s come to the New Testament. Let’s see that the whole thing of the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven as Matthew writes it, is based upon these very prophecies here. Now let’s come to 2 Thessalonians and then we’ll get to the book of Matthew next. But here’s what Paul wrote. The epistle of 2 Thessalonians was the second epistle that he wrote. The first one was 1 Thessalonians. And the second one came right after that.
Let’s begin in 2 Thessalonians 1:1. “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Now you see that ties right back in with Daniel 7 about the Ancient of Days and the Son of man, correct? Yes. “Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is [proper] meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the [love] charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth” (2 Thess. 1:1-3). And of course you know, brethren, that’s the important thing. If we don’t love God and love each other, you know we need to understand something. Pretty much all bets are off in being in the Kingdom of God. You need to understand that. So that’s why we need to always put the love of God first, loving each other, and serving the brethren.
Verse 4, “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure…” Now if you go back and read in the book of Acts what happened there in Thessalonia, boy, they had riots. The Jews were coming after them big time. Verse 5, “Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer.” Now we have to be counted worthy, but notice how the worthiness is counted. Not only by the love of God and loving each other, but also the worthiness is counted because of the things that they suffered.
“Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.” (vs. 6). Now that’s how you can love your enemies. You put them into God’s hands and you say, “God you know what to do with them.” Let your judgment be that you decided upon them. And you get your feelings and you get your emotions out of it. You see, because you can become so carnal and concentrated in trying to work things out yourself that you forget to put it in God’s hands. And I can tell you this from experience, God knows how to take care of the enemy. Without a doubt, He knows how to take care of it.
“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels [so here we have the second return of Christ, coming of the Kingdom of God], in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:…” Quite a statement you see. Here we have the Kingdom of God and we know that the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the fulfilling of the Kingdom of God on earth, so again this ties right in with the prophecies going back to the book of Daniel. Now notice, “…who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;…” (vs. 7-9). Now this goes right on in to the lake of fire, which then is past the Millennium. So you see here it’s all together. It is amazing.
I do not know how Protestants can believe in the return of Christ and not believe in Trumpets, Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day, because all of those come in a package together in the fall. It’s amazing but they do. But you see, what they have is going to be taken from them. And what knowledge they understood will be diminished and removed because it’s going to come down to two ways: Either you repent and you are right with God, or you’re going right into the world. No two ways about it. It is going to be one or the other. And you wait and see, that has been happening, it will continue to happen, and it’s going to be the profound difference that is going to separate true Christians from the phony Christians and the false brethren, and the false ministers.
Now let’s go on. “…And from the glory of His power; when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy…” Now who makes you worthy? God the Father does with Christ in you by His Holy Spirit. “…Of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 10-12). So that’s quite a wonderful but short chapter, which has every one of the ingredients of God’s holy days in there. We have the calling, which then means that there was baptism, that they understood about the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Looking forward to being in the Kingdom of God, so that means Pentecost and the resurrection. Looking forward to the second return of Jesus Christ, Feast of Trumpets. Being at-one with God, Day of Atonement. And now ruling with Him, Feast of Tabernacles. All right there in that one chapter, you see. The New Testament is intrinsically bound around the meaning of the holy days, even though it doesn’t state the holy days in every instance. That’s why it’s important to know the meaning of the holy days so when you read and study these things you’ll know that it has reverence to them and comes from them.
Ok, now let’s go to the book of Matthew. We’ll look at certain scriptures in Matthew. Now Matthew calls the Kingdom of God the Kingdom of Heaven because it is the kingdom which comes from heaven, which Christ brings with Him. Now let’s come here to Matthew 4:23. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching [now notice] the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” Now what is the Gospel of the Kingdom? Well, the Gospel of the Kingdom is: Christ is the King. He ascended up to heaven and He is coming back. He prepared the way for the saints by preaching the gospel. And it’s called the Gospel of the Kingdom. Now if you’re going to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom then you have to preach all the holy days that go with it.
Now let’s come over here to chapter 5 and let’s look at some examples here. Now verse 1, “And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:1-3). That’s part of the gospel. When He says, “Theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, He’s saying they’re going to inherit it.
Now notice, then He talks about all the experiences that we will go through. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Now that means that they are going to inherit it right along with Abraham. And that means that they are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise. Now you see this is fantastic how all this comes together. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (vs. 4-6). And brethren, let me just say something here right now. Now is the time to hunger and thirst. Now is the time when you have the full word of God available to you. Now is the time to study, to pray, to really work, to apply yourself. Because the time is going to come when that’s not going to be available for you to do.
Now I’ve been saying for several years I need to bring a sermon on the underground church. But I’ve got an article written by a man who was a Sabbath-keeper in the Soviet Union. And he was a prisoner and put into prison 30 feet under the ground. And he never saw the light of day for 3 years. Now let me tell you, if you find yourself in a circumstance like that you’re not going to have a Bible, you’re not going to be able to read. But you better have it right up here in your mind so that when you’re praying, and that’s about all you can do in that situation, is just pray and talk to God in your mind, quietly, silently, because if you said anything the guards would come in and beat you up, see. So now’s the time to hunger and thirst after righteousness and be filled now. Don’t wait for sometime down the road thinking that it’s going to be worked out.
Now let’s go on. “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Remember that every time you want mercy. Have you been merciful? “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Now you can’t see God unless you’re a spirit being, which means this then is teaching about the resurrection, correct? Yes. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” And that’s the right kind of peace making. This kind of peace making is making peace with God and then peace with each other. This is not talking about Ambassadors and politics going around working treaties and bringing people together, so called peacemakers. No. True peace making is turning people to repent to God. Receiving God’s Holy Spirit. Be at peace with God and then be at peace with one another. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (vs. 7-10). Now that’s a tremendous thing. Notice all the way through here the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let’s come over here and let’s read verse 19. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” So there we go. Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God. All of these things going on. It’s amazing isn’t it? Yes.
Now let’s come over here to Matthew 6:13. It says this is our daily prayer. Notice, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…”, or the evil one. And it’s absolutely true brethren. When you understand how absolutely this world has been deceived and is in the control of Satan the devil, and those that serve him, then you will understand why that second goat for Azazel for the Day of Atonement, has to be Satan the devil to remove the author of sin. And he is the one who has been responsible for inspiring all of these things to take place. Was he not the one who deceived Eve into sinning? Yes. “…Deliver us from [the evil one]: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever.” So there we have the Kingdom again.
Now come over here to Matthew 6:33. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God…” Now how many times have we heard that? What are you seeking then? You are seeking that which is pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles. “…And His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Now you stop and think, how many things are going to be added to us when we are resurrected and spirit beings, and we’re given our responsibilities wherever it may be. And we’re going to see a little bit later on some of these other things. Now the book of Matthew, as a matter of fact all the gospels are just full, just full of the Kingdom of God. And the Kingdom of God is pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles.
Now let’s continue on. Let’s come to Mark 8. So it’s amazing. How can people study the Bible and pretend to know the word of God and yet not keep the holy days of God. Oh, they can get a little there, they can get a little there, they can get some platitudes, they can get some understanding, but they don’t have the true knowledge so therefore they don’t have true understanding.
Now let’s pick it up here in Mark 8:34. “And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the gospel’s [sake], the same shall save it.” Now that shows what we need to be doing. It talks about being worthy to be in the Kingdom. That’s part of it, isn’t it? “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own [life] soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his [life] soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:34-38). Now we just read about that in Daniel 7 didn’t we? Look how all of this comes together.
And brethren, let me just encourage you. Never let anyone minimize the feasts of God to you, or begin to leverage against you in such a way that you doubt God. That you doubt that we ought to keep the feasts of God. See, because God gives us knowledge and understanding and wisdom and truth, and the closeness to Him. Now remember when it talks about those of the church of Philadelphia. Now there still have to be Philadelphians somewhere. Now I’m not saying that we’re Philadelphians, but we can certainly learn from that lesson that we faithfully and patiently kept the word of God. That’s what’s important.
Let’s come over here to Mark 10:28. Now everyone wants to know what are they going to get in the Kingdom. We’re going to be like Christ is, but I wonder what we’re really going to look like. I wonder what it’s going to be if we could step in front of a mirror…somehow, you know, you have to see yourself. I wonder what it’s going to be like to be a spirit being and to see yourself that way. And what kind of clothes that we will wear. I know that we’re going to have white garments that are like linen. But it also says that they are brilliant and bright white. So even the garments will be glorious.
Now verse 28, “Then Peter began to say unto Him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee.” Now see, we have to give up everything. “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My sake, and the gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” So there it is. There again we have all the holy days involved, don’t we? Quite a thing, isn’t it?
Now let’s go to the book of Luke. And what you might want to do is take your new Harmony Of The Gospels and go through and study these scriptures and then you’ll get all the parallels across as you go from scripture to scripture. Now Luke 9:1, “Then He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2). Now when you preach the Kingdom of God, unless you know and understand about the holy days you’re not going to be able to preach about the Kingdom of God. Now today there are people who believe that the Roman Catholic Church is the Kingdom of God. There are people who believe that they can set up the Kingdom of God here now. But as we saw yesterday flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. And Jesus also said, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” So you see the impossibility of it. So I want you to understand the greatness of what it is of the blessing of being able to keep the feasts of God and how important the Feast of Tabernacles is and how it’s just all tied together and woven intrinsically into the gospel that Christ and the apostles preached.
Part 2
Now let’s continue right on here in Luke 10:9 where He said, “And heal the sick that are therein [where ever city you go into], and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come [near] nigh unto you.” Now this means that you have an opportunity to be part of the coming Kingdom of God now. We are not in the Kingdom of God now, but you can have a part in it. That’s why Jesus said the Kingdom of God is at hand, because the knowledge of how to get there is what He brought.
Now let’s continue on verse 10. “But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come [near] nigh unto you” (vs. 10-11). So it’s really quite a thing, the preaching of the Kingdom of God, and the gospel going out to all the world in this way, you see. Now we know, as we’ve already seen, that the gospel of this Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness, and then the end shall come. So it is amazing. Once you really start getting into these things and understanding the scriptures, why it is just absolutely astounding.
Now let’s come to Luke 12:31. Now here’s another thing concerning the Kingdom of God. “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God;…” Now that ties right in with Matthew 6:33, so you can put that in your margin. “…And all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock;…” Now you see that’s why the Church of God is not some g-r-e-a-t big thing. And look what happened when it got real big. You go back and review the sermon that I did on the stages of apostasy. And you look at your own understanding of what happened. So we are a little flock. “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:31-32). Think on that. That ties right in with inheriting the Kingdom. That ties right in with the reward that God the Father’s going to give. That ties right in with Daniel 2, Daniel 7. And that ties right in with Revelation 19 and 20.
Verse 33, “Sell [all] that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (vs. 33-34). Showing that it is the spiritual treasure and things you need to work for. Now remember the spiritual treasure is going to be, as it is in Malachi 3, that God is going to put the jewels in the crown that He’s going to give us, that He’s going to give those who are resurrected.
Now let’s come to Luke 16:16. This is also fundamentally important in understanding how the things need to be preached today. Now remember as we’ve seen, Jesus said on the Passover night to His disciples, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” So we have love and obedience. But before Christ came the only thing that was there was the authority of Moses. The prophecies were way off. But when Christ came the prophecies were brought near in beginning to be fulfilled. Now then verse 16, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached…” Now that means that the authority for the preaching comes, not just from the prophets and the law but from Christ Who is in heaven, and we preach the gospel of the Kingdom, meaning the whole New Testament now becomes the very basis of the preaching that we bring. “…And every man presseth into it.” And it’s a difficult thing to enter into the Kingdom of God. “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail” (vs. 16-17). So what he’s saying here… Now this is not reducing the law or the prophets. As a matter of fact, it’s actually making them more binding. Just as you find in the commentary in the Harmony Of The Gospels. The full spiritual intent of the law now, is preached through the means of the Gospel of the Kingdom.
Now let’s come back to the book of Matthew and let’s see some interesting things here. Let’s come to Matthew 13. And in Matthew there are many, many parables which say, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto…, The kingdom of heaven is like unto…”. And we’re going to look at a lot of those because it tells us exactly what God is doing. Now Matthew 13, and here’s a very profound thing. We’ll go through a lot of Matthew 13 because it brings us into the understanding and the knowledge of what Christ is teaching. And also we’re going to see that there is a separating point between those in the world and those in the Church, and also those in the Church who do not seriously take the business of attaining to the Kingdom of God and they become lukewarm or dead. Things happen to them. And you will see those things happen to them just as Jesus Christ said.
Now He spoke to them in parables and told them about the sower. Now after giving the one concerning the sower, the first part of it let’s come to Matthew 13:9. And He says, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Now this is profound brethren. We need to listen to the words of Christ and of God. This is all the way through the New Testament. And especially from Christ. He says in one place, He told His disciples, “Let these sayings sink deep into your ears.” In other words you are going to learn them, never forget this. Now this is something we are to learn. And He also says this to the seven churches, doesn’t He? “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.”
Now verse 10, “And the disciples came, and said unto Him, why speakest Thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven…” In other words the secret of the Kingdom of Heaven. What is the secret understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven? How is that revealed? Everybody has the Bible, don’t they? Let’s put it this way…everybody who has a Bible has the Bible. Cause there are many people today who don’t have the Bible or have the wrong Bible. But nevertheless, even in the Bibles, which are not the correct Bibles, it still has Matthew 13 with almost all the substance in it the way that it is here. Now how can it be given to us and not to them?
- It’s spiritually understood.
- Because we love God.
- Because it is God’s desire to reveal it to us.
Now come back here to Matthew 11. We’ll come back here to Matthew 13, but I just want to show you something, brethren, how important this is. And once God has given it, woe be to those who give it up and throw it away. Now there may be some who will loose it for a while, but they can be redeemed as long as they are still alive. As I’ve said many times, as long as there is life there’s hope, because there can be repentance.
Let’s pick it up here, Matthew 11:25. “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” Isn’t that amazing? Now, babes means that we have the attitude of little children. We’ll talk about that a little bit later. “Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy sight. All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him” (Matt. 11:25-27). So brethren, you have revealed knowledge. The knowledge of the secret of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Now let’s come back to Matthew 13:11. “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” See, God is the one Who does the calling. “For whosoever hath…” Now He’s talking about the Jews at that time. Did they have the word of God? Yes. Did they have the law and the prophets? Yes. Did they understand them? No, because they didn’t love God and they didn’t serve God. Oh, they had the books just like in the world today. There are more Bibles than there are people, almost literally, but how many really believe it? Very few.
Now He says, “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given…” And this is why it’s so important that you continue in growing in grace and knowledge and studying and applying yourselves that you have abundance, because God will give you more. And when you understand the true humility that comes from that then you begin to see the greatness of what God is. And you realize that everything you have comes from God. Everything physical. Everything spiritual. And if you always keep that perspective God will give you more, and give you more, and give you more. And if we get exalted in our own self-importance and think how great we are, or what great things that we have done then God is going to take it away. And He will take it away until there is nothing left. We’ve seen that within the Church of God, and we’re going to see that in all the churches of the world that profess Christianity.
“…And he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not [that is the knowledge and understanding of the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven], from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: for this people’s heart is waxed gross…” There is no love of God in their hearts. They are filled with their own sins. They’re filled with their own pleasures. They’re filled with their own doings. That’s why this is the most dangerous age to live in, because you have circuses and you have food. That is you have entertainment, you have sports, you have things to do. You have hobbies, you have different things. You have your work. You have the whole entertainment world. The whole world can come in to you just by the pushing of a button. An amazing thing. And by doing so, when you cut off God you lose all understanding. If you don’t love God with all your heart, and all your mind, all your soul, all your being, then your heart’s going to wax gross just like with these people. “…And their eyes they have closed;…” (vs. 12-15), because they no longer want to be bothered. See, so blindness comes the first step of it by those who choose to be blind and close their eyes.
Now, “…lest at any time…”, then they’re given over. And this also has to do with what? This has to do with the meaning of the Last Great Day. Now you can only understand this verse in the light of understanding the Last Great Day because if God closed their eyes and if He took things away from them so that they would not be converted, that means that He did not give them an opportunity for salvation. Now then, if you don’t understand about the second resurrection and the Last Great Day you won’t understand that these people still have hope, but a different hope at a different time. That their eternal life is going to come in the second resurrection. Now we’ll talk about that when we get to day seven and eight. You stop and think about this now.
“…Lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (vs. 15). Now you would think, and of course this is contrary to Protestant preaching because they think they have to go out and get everybody saved right now. No, now is a day of salvation for those that God is calling. Those that God is not calling, their day of salvation comes at the Last Great Day, not now. But they still do have a part in not receiving salvation by turning their backs on it. And that’s the whole thing that we will see in understanding about the Kingdom of Heaven as defined by the sower here.
Now let’s go on. Verse 16, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” And let’s ask the question brethren: Do we really see, and do we really hear? Like some said some time ago, “Do you really get it?” Now, yes, we will, if we love God, keep His commandments, keep the holy days and Sabbath we will get it, and we will be more and more converted as time goes by.
Now then verse 17. “For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” No, even Peter talked about this. Hold your place here. We’ll come back.
But come to 1 Peter. Even the prophets that gave the prophecies didn’t understand it. Daniel said right at the end of it in Daniel 12, he said, “When will these things be, and how long will this be?” And the message came to Daniel saying, “Go your way Daniel, for it’s sealed and closed till the time of the end.” We’re at the time of the end. And it says, “And at the time of the end the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” So brethren, with the feast days of God we have an understanding that only comes from the wisdom of God. And here that’s all right in the Bible. This is truly amazing.
Now let’s pick it up here in 1 Peter 1:10. “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy [Spirit] Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1:10-12). Can you imagine that brethren? That God has given us knowledge that angels desire to understand? That’s something.
I want you to just think and meditate on, during some quiet time either tonight or tomorrow morning or if you’re going out on a walk, or for those of you who are down on the beach or something like that or down by the riverside, or down by a lakeside. Just go out there and look at the vastness of the ocean, standing on the beach and just think what a marvelous thing that God has done. That He has revealed these things to us. That we can understand them. That God has called us. That He’s given us His Spirit. What an amazing and just absolutely marvelous thing it is. That’s why you’ve got to take the Spirit of God, the love of God, and the knowledge of God and hold it close to you and grow in it.
Now let’s come back to Matthew 13. Now you know all about the parable, and so forth. I won’t go through and explain that. So He put forth another parable, let’s come down to verse 31. “Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:” Now a grain or mustard seed is really a small thing. I’ve got in my hand a little sack of some mustard seed that one of the brethren gave me years and years ago. There it is, see how small those little seeds are. Does God need big things, and great things to do His work? Does He really? No. He can take the smallest, the littlest and He can create out of it the greatest and the largest. That’s amazing, isn’t it?
Now let’s come back here to Matthew 13. “…Like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is the least of all seeds [yes it is, it’s a small one]: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof” (Matt. 13:31-32). So you see, God can take the smallest and make it the greatest.
Let’s look at another one, verse 33. “Another parable spake He unto them; the kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” And this is showing in a sense…now we know during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, leaven is a type of sin, but there is a good use to leaven outside the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And this is like the action of the Holy Spirit, and when you put leaven into bread, as we learned on the Feast of Pentecost, and then you let it rise and you bake it, you permanently change the form of that dough. So that’s talking about eternal life.
Now let’s come down here to another one, verse 44. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” In other words he finds a treasure but immediately covers it up, let’s no one know, and he sells everything that he has to buy the field. Now just put in your margin there Luke 14:26, that you have to give up everything that you have to follow Christ.
Ok, let’s look here, verse 45. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (vs. 45-46). Now you see how all these parables tie in. This shows us the way, the means, the attitude of attaining the kingdom of God.
Verse 47, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:…” This is a type of the net going into the sea and gathering of every kind, this is like going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature. This is something brethren. We are blessed and with that blessing comes responsibility. And with that blessing comes obligation. And with that because we have the blessing that so many people have wanted to have down through the ages to understand these things, to know these things, to have the peace and security and the means to do it. Therefore we really need to take hold and apply ourselves and yield to God, and love God, and love each other. I can’t emphasize that enough because the day is going to come when that won’t be. And then you’re going to say in that day, “Oh I wish that I would have paid attention. I wish that I would have done thus and such.” But then it’s too late. Now is the time. That’s why it says, “Today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart.”
So here’s a net, “...cast into the sea and gathered of every kind, which when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.” Now this is a type of the bad going into the lake of fire, not qualifying, you see. “So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just [which is talking about our age, right now, isn’t it?], and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (vs. 47-50). Boy I tell ya, it’s really something, isn’t it?
Ok, let’s come here to Matthew 18. When you study the gospels this way, and you study them with the holy days in mind, it just opens up your understanding so much more. And that’s why brethren, it’s important that we go through these things during the Feast of Tabernacles because the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the fulfillment of so many of these parables and prophecies that Jesus gave.
Now verse 1, “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Now you see, most of us were in a Church who made the mistake of saying, “Who’s the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And even had one man to go around and all he did was preach about “this man would have this reward, and this man would have this reward, and this one would be in this office and that one would be doing this, etc., etc., etc., when Christ says, “You’re not going to do it that way.” It’s amazing, isn’t it? Isn’t it amazing how we deceive ourselves and can think that we’re doing something great for God when we’re doing the opposite of what Jesus said.
“And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them.” Just stood him up in the middle of them. “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children [that is, in mind and heart and attitude in loving God and serving Him and accepting His way and doing His will], ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:1-3). There you have it, see. Showing us how. That’s part of the secret of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Verse 4. “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” And I’m convinced brethren, of this, that whatever God gives us to do, we will be so happy, we will be so thrilled, we will be so satisfied, we will be, as a modern term is, fulfilled. No doubt. We don’t have to worry who’s going to be the greatest. God the Father is always the greatest, and Christ is under Him.
Now, Matthew 19:13-14, we have it again here, same thing. “Then were there brought unto Him little children, that He should put His hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.” After all, kids aren’t important, see. “But Jesus said, [Allow] Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto Me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” That’s why we have to be the children of our Father Who’s in heaven.
Matthew 20:1, “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard.” So there are some who have been called early. There are some who have been called late. And he went out and even down to the eleventh hour and there were still men out there.
Let’s pick it up in verse 8. “So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a [coin] penny.” And that’s what was given to those that were hired at the first hour. So here at the eleventh hour they get the same thing. “But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny [or a coin]. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day” (vs. 8-12). Now you see, here’s a lesson. God is going to give to those that He has called according to His own judgment. So it doesn’t matter if a person was called early, or called late. It doesn’t matter if you have worked all your life, or worked just a few years, you see.
“But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen” (vs. 13-16). And likewise with the plan of God. Shall the thing that is made say to the maker, “what are you making?” Same principle here. “Well, why is he going to get this reward?” {spoken with whiney voice} You know, just like little kids. “He got a sucker, I want a sucker.” {whiney voice and laughter} “He got a bicycle, I want a bicycle.” Ok, now those are carnal little kids, you see. God is going to do what He is going to do. And so this is to say, look, we need to get our hearts and our minds in the right place in doing what we need to do and not worry about anything else.
Then we come over here to Matthew 25. Now there are three things in here about the Kingdom of Heaven. First one is about the ten virgins, five wise, five foolish. This is a lesson in overcoming. This is a lesson in persevering with the Holy Spirit of God. Now I’m not going to go through the whole thing of the ten virgins because we’re going to run out of time if I do. But the moral of the story is this, verse 13, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
Now verse 14, “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.” And then you know what happened. The one who received five went out and traded, went out and worked. Increased it by five. So you see that shows what we are to do. We are never to be satisfied with what we have at any point. We are always to reach out and go forward and do more, and keep active, and keep busy, and in this case keep trading. Ok, same way with the one with the two.
The one who received the one talent, now this shows the lazy Christian. What does he do? He accuses God. Now why does he accuse God? Because he went and buried it and God could not bless him. And when God didn’t bless him he began to accuse God. So you see, that shows you can never be static and stay where you are, otherwise you will end up like the servant who received the one talent.
Now let’s look at the reward which happened to the five who gained five. Notice, verse 21. “His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things…”, and he made him ruler over many things. Now it’s says in another place, rulers over cities. Here it’s rulers over things. So then here’s administrating without rulers over cities. “…Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” So you’re going to be happy regardless of what you do or how much you end up accomplishing. You’ll enter into the joy of the Lord. Same way with the one who received the two talents. Gained two. “…Thou hast been faithful over a few things…enter into the joy of thy lord” (vs. 21-23).
So he came to the one which had the one talent. There are going to be a lot of people in this category, because they were just satisfied with what they have. They went and buried it. Now notice the attitude. So when he came to the one which had received the one talent he said, “…Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown…” After all if you don’t go out and sow, what do you expect me to do? Go get the seed and plant, silly. “…And gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid…” See, he didn’t love God because perfect love casts out fear, and he had fear. He wasn’t loving God. And so when you’re not loving God and you expect God to do it all for you, you end up what? Accusing God. So that’s what happened here. “And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed...” You see, you don’t know what God is going to do. So you can’t be accusing Him. You’ve got to walk in faith. You have to live in truth. You have to have the love of God. You have to be active and be doing so that you can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. So he said, “You didn’t even do the minimum. You didn’t even put my money out so I could receive usury from the bankers when I return. “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And [you] cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (vs. 24-30).
Then he also has the next one here. Son of man comes in His glory. There are going to be the sheep and the goats. And this gets down to do you love the brethren, even the least of them? That’s the whole moral of the story of this parable. Because remember, the ones who did the serving and the loving said, “Lord, when did we see you in prison? When did we feed you when you were hungry? When did we clothe you when you were naked?” And He said, Because you’ve done this to the least of these My brethren, you have done them unto Me. Enter in to the joy of the Lord.” But those on the left hand didn’t do it and they said, “Well, we didn’t see you there Lord.” See, they didn’t love the brethren. They didn’t serve the brethren the way that God wanted them to. So they are cast into the lake of fire which is prepared for Satan and his demons. (vs. 31-46, paraphrased).
So all of these parables. You see how all the parables then are tied up concerning the Kingdom of God, which show various aspects of how we attain to the Kingdom of God, what we do to grow, to change, to overcome. And to be worthy of it. And to be worthy of it is Christ in us because all worthiness comes from Him, not from ourselves, because we can’t earn it and we can’t make it on our own. But there we have it. Here the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven is preaching all about the things concerning the Feast of Tabernacles.
So you all come back tomorrow, begin the second half, and we’ll find out more about the Feast of Tabernacles fulfillment in the New Testament.
