Feast of Tabernacles 2003 – DAY 4

Fred Coulter - October 14, 2003

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And greetings brethren, this is day four of the Feast of Tabernacles, 2003. And it looks like we’re half way through the feast. When we’re done today we’ll be half way through the feast. And it just seems as though that time catches up with us. And you know, as we have said from the theme for this year is beginning and endings, so if there’s a beginning there’s an ending and also that means there’s a middle. So now let’s see what we’re going to be doing during the millennium. And we have to go back and catch up just a little bit on Pentecost and Trumpets. Let’s go to Revelation 11, and let’s see when it actually is turned over to Christ, the authority to do so, so He can come as King of this world.

Revelation 11:15, and that takes place at the resurrection when “…the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.” Now of course the next holy day after Pentecost is Trumpets. And Trumpets also tells us something else, as we have seen. So let’s just review this one section here. Let’s come back to Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14 shows when Christ will actually come on the earth and we will be there with Him.

Now Zechariah 14:4, “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” So the way that’s going to be – the valley’s going to run this way so the mountain’s going to split this way. Now it says here, the last part of verse 5, “…and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.” Now we’re coming because we have a job to do. We have been prepared, not only in character, but now also in being, so that we are spirit beings. Now here verse 9, “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth:…” (Zech. 14:4-5, 9). And so the millennium will start.

Now let’s come back to Revelation 20 and let’s see where we are told what we are going to do. And I think we’re going to find this very interesting even though this is the scripture that we have covered many times. And of course every Feast of Tabernacles we ought to cover it because this is “in season” and we are to preach the things that are due in season, and now is the season for it. So here let’s look at the beginning of the millennium, and then when we come to the seventh day we will look at the end of the millennium, because God’s plan is going to go forward according to the way that He’s laid it out. And the understanding that we have of it is fine. I’m sure that there are a lot of other things that we’ll learn actually after we’re resurrected and we start doing what God wants us to do.

Now we have to fill in the next holy day then, which is what? Atonement – Satan is bound. Now verse 4, beginning of the millennium. “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them,…” Now “thrones” is a sign of authority. Now we’re going to have authority. Now as we saw on “Events After Pentecost” that part of the reward is going to be to rule over cities. Now how many cities are there on earth today? I don’t even know the number. Now it’s going to take an awful lot of administration to carry out the work of God. It’s not going to be like the church is today – scattered, small, dispersed, because Christ is going to finish at the resurrection, bring all the saints up together, and now we are going to have whatever number it takes in the millions, and millions to carry out the administration of the government of God on this earth, so “thrones” shows authority. Now then it says, “…and judgment was given unto them:…” This means we are going to make the judgments. We are going to lay down the laws of God. We’ll know what they are. That’s why we have to learn them today. How can we possibly be able to have judgment and administration in the millennium if we don’t learn some things now. So this shows we are going to have judgment. That means authority, power, we need wisdom, we need judgment. All those things was given to them.

“…And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” So there, we’re going to live and reign with Christ a thousand years and carry out the government of God all during the millennium. So this is going to be quite a magnificent thing that we are going to do. Now remember when we come back to start administering the kingdom of God on earth under Jesus Christ, and under David, and under the twelve apostles, as we will see, there’s going to be a lot of work to do because this earth is going to be in the worst condition that it has ever been since the beginning of the creation. And it’s all going to have to be rehabilitated for all the people that survive through it all because there will be a lot of people that will survive through all the, as we can say tribulation and holocaust at the end. Now just how many that will be we don’t know. We can speculate on it, but we’ll just have to wait and see what it is when the time comes.

Now let’s begin with Christ. Just as we have been prepared for this work, Jesus Christ was prepared for this work. Now let’s look at some of the prophecies and how Jesus was prepared for it. Let’s come back here to Isaiah 9 and let’s see the whole thing that Jesus had to go through in order to be prepared. Now lot’s of times we think, you know, “Well, we’ve got a lot of work to do, but it was easy for Christ.” No. His preparation was difficult as well. And He actually had to do more to qualify and prepare then we did.

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born,…” Of course the prophecy over in chapter 7 says, “And a virgin shall conceive” (Isa.7:14). But the Hebrew is, “the virgin shall conceive,” meaning one particular virgin, not just sort of a virgin that God selected right at, you know, a virgin. “Well here is a virgin.” No, it was the virgin, and she shall bring forth a child. And here’s the prophecy of it. So in order for Christ to qualify He had to divest Himself from being God and be born of the virgin Mary. And then He had to grow in knowledge and wisdom and everything as a human being, as well as the Son of God. So He had double duty there, didn’t He?

“…Unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder:…” Now He’s going to be the King, the head, the ruler, and we’re all going to work under Christ. And we’ll probably all work under some of the apostles and the others. Of course there’s going to be Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob and you know King David and so forth. So we’re all going to have a place, we’re all going to have a part to do, and we all will have a work to do. So it’s really quite a magnificent thing that we’re able to keep these feasts and to have this knowledge and understanding. Just think about it. How many people in this world have any knowledge or understanding of what God is going to do? Hardly any. Of the billions and billions of people God has called us, God has selected us, God has chosen us, as well as all of those that He has chosen wherever they are. And so this is a tremendous thing. God hasn’t called us to sort of a modified version of salvation of the Cahtolics or Protestants. Instead of going to heaven, we stay on earth. No, He’s called us with the greatest calling, with the greatest work, with fantastic responsibility, great authority which then is going to grow, and grow, and grow, and grow, and grow through the millennium and through all time. So we need to understand that. God’s calling and God’s salvation is absolutely just a fantastic and a marvelous thing.

Now let’s continue on here. “…And His name shall be called Wonderful, [now these are all names of God], Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Because only Christ can bring peace. Look at this world today. Striving, striving, striving for peace and what do we have, war, war, war, war, killings, murder, debauchery. He’s the Prince of Peace. He’s going to be an everlasting Father because the marriage of the Bride and Christ will produce children, and those children then will be the children of that union. So that’s when He becomes an everlasting Father. And God the Father will always be our heavenly Father, and He also is an everlasting Father. So if you understand father and son, and then son with children, you still have the father who you could now say is a grandfather to those coming into the millennium. So we will have a special relationship with Jesus Christ, and a special relationship with God the Father through all eternity. You know, this is something so huge, so big that it’s hard for our minds to really grasp it. So let’s see if we can get a little inkling of this.

Now notice verse 7. “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end,…” It goes on for all eternity. Now if you think the plan of God now is fantastic, well I just wonder what it’s going to be when the end comes and the new beginning, the new Jerusalem comes? Then that’s really going to be something. And not only that brethren, we are going to grow in grace and knowledge and understanding forever and ever and ever. It’s not going to be like this life where sometimes you can get bored and you don’t know what to do. You know this is going to be absolutely marvelous and a tremendous challenge as spirit beings. So, I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to it.

Now notice this, “…upon the throne of David,…” Now we’ve seen that there are thrones for the saints. Now here’s a throne for Chirst. It says, “…upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it [now here’s how He’s going to do it] with judgment and with justice…” Now I think this past summer we have seen how judgment and justice is turned and twisted, when the United States was sodomized in one week. Of course it’s been building, building, building, building for a long time. But what is the thing that destroys a society? Wrong judgment, sinful judgment, lack of justice. So it’s going to be established. Christ is going to establish it. He’ll set that forth for us. “…From henceforth even for ever.” Now notice how it’s going to be carried out. It’s not going to be an oh-hum kind of thing. It says here, “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isa. 9:6-7). And that’s why we need to have zeal and enthusiasm and have our minds open to really understand what God is doing and providing for us.

Now let’s look a little bit more here concerning the throne of David going to Jesus. Let’s see a prophecy of this in Psalm 89. And of course when this was given to David, he didn’t really understand it. And Psalm 89, when you read the whole Psalm, it is a Psalm that was written after they came back after the Babylonian captivity, and the Psalmist here for Psalm 89, which was by Ethan one of the Ezrahites, that is one of those that worked with Ezra. And they came back from Babylon and there was no king. There was no descendant to sit on the throne. And so he was lamenting, “God You promised. God, You said.” And yet he couldn’t see it. Well you know the rest of the story was that the daughters of Hezekiah were taken by Jeremiah to Ireland and subsequently the throne was preserved that way.

Now notice, let’s begin right here in Psalm 89:34. “My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips.” It’s sure. It’s going to happen. “Once have I sworn by My holiness that I will not lie unto David.” Now how sure is this? Absolutely sure. “His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah” (Psa. 89:34-37). And then he went on to complain, “Well, how’s this going to happen?” Well, that’s what we are talking about today – how’s it going to happen? Well, Christ is going to take it over.

Let’s come back here to Luke 1, and let’s see how this theme of the throne of David follows all the way through. And right at the time, as we see here in Luke 1 where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary what was going to be, let’s see what the words were, and let’s see what it is. Because now remember, when you read through the account of Luke there are several places which says, “And she pondered all of these things and kept them in her heart.” Now the pondering means she thought on them frequently and kept them in her heart. It says it here in chapter 1 and also toward the end of chapter 2.

Now here’s the announcement that was made for her. Let’s pick it up here in verse 30. “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour [that is, grace] with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father [which means forefather] David: and He shall reign over the house of [Israel] Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:30-33). So this ties those prophecies of the Old Testament together with this. And the prophecy carries right through. So Mary knew right from the beginning exactly what this was. Now I’m sure she didn’t have some of the understanding that we have today, but let’s remember this, it’s a very important thing that you’ll read about in the commentary in the New Testament. Elisabeth was Mary’s aunt. And Salome was the sister of Mary, which means that Mary was half Levite, and half Judah. Her father came from Judah, which means that her genealogy is reckoned with Judah, but there is Levitical blood in Mary, which means that she undoubtedly had gone through the scriptures. And going to wherever they went, probably the synagogue, and heard these scriptures read, and here an angel comes and tells her that “You are going to be part of fulfilling these prophecies.” No wonder she would think of these things, you know, ponder them. And I imagine she would think about this very often. You know, I’m sure that all during the time that Jesus was developing and growing before birth that she thought on this many, many times. And then you go read all the prophecies that happened here after that.

Now let’s continue on here. Let’s come to Acts 2, and let’s see right when the church began, right when they were preaching on the Day of Pentecost. The very purpose of the church then is also stated in that it is going to be under David, and that Christ is going to sit on the throne of David. So you see, all the way through, this comes all the way through.

Acts 2, and let’s pick it up here beginning in verse 29. Peter is speaking and he says, “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, [now that’s what we just read in Psalm 89 – his seed – it’s talking about Christ], according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;…” (Acts 2:29-30). So you see there is going to be the throne of God right on the earth. Now tomorrow we’re going to talk about will there be a temple, and will there be sacrifices? Well, we won’t get into that this time. We’ll go on from here.

Now let’s see some other things here concerning this, and how all of this comes together. Let’s see what it’s going to be with the apostles. We have the throne of God established, Christ is going to sit on it. Now let’s see some other things concerning the apostles. And this likewise was also prophesied back in Psalm 122. So let’s go back there and see this. See, because with rulership in the kingdom of God… Now it’s not going to be a democracy. It’s not going to be an oligarchy. It is going to be a kingdom, and Christ is the King. And all of those who, as it were, are going to be under Christ, are going to be as it were, subordinate kings. He’s going to be the King, and there will be subordinate kings.

Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:…” Now I wonder what new Jerusalem is going to be like on the earth. Now, new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven is another story. It says, “Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the LORD. For there are set thrones of judgment,…” Now this has to do with Revelation 20 – thrones were set. These were thrones of judgment. “…The thrones [now notice, plural] of the house of David.” Now what do you mean “thrones” plural, of the house of David. Well, we’re going to see these are the thrones that were promised to the twelve apostles. And also Jesus told them that. Let’s come back here now to Luke 22, and let’s see that Jesus promised the twelve apostles that very thing. So this is, you know, Jerusalem is going to be quite a place. Jerusalem during the millennium, it’s very hard for me to picture and to understand about it yet, but I’m sure that we’ll understand a little bit more, but nevertheless I think it’s a good thing here.

And in this Jesus also taught another lesson. This shows not only how the apostles should have served during their ministry, but it shows how they are going to serve when they are in the kingdom of God, and it also is a lesson for us in how we’re going to serve. Now let’s see it here. Let’s pick it up here in verse 24.

“And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.” Now the thought just occurred to me: how many times have we heard sermons in the past, “Well, so and so’s going to be here, and so and so’s going to be here, and so and so’s going to be here. And this one is going to be greater, and that one is going to be greater.” And yet here’s a verse which shows us that if we sit around and try to analyze all that, who’s going to be the greatest, Christ doesn’t want any of that because that’s not the basis of how to serve. And even as a king, Christ is going to serve. And even as kings we are going to serve. But notice He tells how not to serve.

“And He said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them;…” And that means that they lord it over with power and just, you know, all the force and brutal dictatorship kind of thing that kings and dictators are noted for. “…And they that exercise authority…” Now those are the religious ones, that exercise authority like Simon Magus, like the Pope today. “…Exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so:…” So here’s the basis of how the apostles were to serve during their ministry, how the apostles are going to serve in the millennium, and likewise how we’re going to serve. “…But he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth [to eat] at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth [to eat] at meat [greater]? but I am among you as he that serveth” (Luke 22:24-27). So Jesus set the example, and that’s the example we are to follow.

So yes, though we’ll have all power, and all authority that we need to do the job that we need, we are not going to exercise that power and authority unless it’s really needed. We’re not going to use it for the whims of our own lusts, our own self-centered satisfaction or anything like that. No, it’s going to be of serving, of teaching, of helping, because we are going to be working with God to increase the family of God all during the millennium so that there can be billions, and billions, and billions in the kingdom of God, because you know, we need to think big, huge, gigantic. Meaning that what is God going to do with the whole universe? And how many spirit beings in His family, and in His kingdom does He need to accomplish the work that He’s going to do? Going to be an awful lot, isn’t it? So you know, God knows what He’s doing.

But here He shows the way that we are to serve. So he says here verse 28, “Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me;…” Now we just read about that – prophesied and so forth. “…That ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones [those thrones of David we just read about in Psalm 122] judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (vs. 28-30). Now that’s why they are called the thrones of David, because you have Christ sitting on the throne of David, then you have the apostles sitting on the thrones of David, subordinate kings ruling and judging over Israel. Now David is going to be right there with Christ, you wait and see. So it’s going to be quite a fantastic and marvelous thing that’s going to take place. I hope we can really grasp what God is doing and how He’s going to set this forth.

Now then, what about the saints? What about us? We saw that thrones were set, ok. Let’s look at some of these things. Let’s come back to Daniel 7. And here’s a prophecy of what we are going to do. We are going to be directly involved in carrying out the administration of the kingdom of God. Daniel 7:9. Now notice how similar that this is, and how there are shades of what comes later in the book of Revelation, that we read.

Now verse 9, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down [or that is, placed down], and the Ancient of days did sit [now that’s God the Father], 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: thousands thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened” (Dan. 7:9-10). So this goes not only to the beginning of the millennium, but it goes clear through to the Great White Throne Judgment because the books were opened. Now all of those who live into the millennium and are born during the millennium, they are going to be under judgment for eternal life at that time. So the books will be opened there. And then we have when the millennium comes to an end and the Great White Throne Judgment begins…so see every time we have an ending we have a beginning…then the judgment books will be open for them.

Now let’s come down here to verse 13. “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, 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. 13-14). So that’s quite a thing. So you talk about being in on a tremendous and big time project. This is it.

And you see, that’s why the holy days are so important. Just like God wanted them to know concerning the prophecies what was taking place, He wants us to know and understand what His plan is, and how we fit into it so that we can have the encouragement, the hope, the love, the drive, the zeal to continuously perform what God wants us to, and to realize that when we come to the end of our lives and are buried and wait the resurrection then we look forward to that new beginning, which will be participating right in these very scriptures that I’m reading to you now. This is not some fairy tale anymore than it was a fairy tale when Gabriel came to Mary and told her about Jesus being born and sitting on the throne of David. This is exactly the same thing we’re talking about here, brethren. God is going to give us the kingdom.

Now let’s see it right here. Now we’re going to have to fight against some things. And it talks about the system of this world, and especially as it’s coming at the end. And it’s going to happen. Verse 25, “And he shall speak great words against the most High [that’s the one who will be the anti-Christ], and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws [that was already done once]: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit [now notice how many times it says, “the judgment shall sit”], and they shall take away his dominion,…” (vs. 25-26). Now who is “they”? That is, Christ and the saints. This great, huge, gargantuan Babylon the Great at the end that we see now developing right before our eyes, all that power and everything that they build up and develop for this great end-time Babylon the Great is going to be stripped away from them. And we’re going to see it’s going to be given to us.

“And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom 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” (vs. 27). Now that’s something. You know, I don’t know about you, but many times I get frustrated trying to watch the news. And the news this year has just been almost hardly any better than the national enquirer. And they really don’t give you the news, and they really don’t give you the truth. And it’s all a bunch of propaganda confusion so that they can control people more, and more, and more. But you see none of them realize that this is going to happen to this world. And you know, you can almost imagine this: suppose that someone was on Larry King Live and told Larry King, “This is what’s going to happen – God is going to take over the rulership of this world, sit Christ on His throne. The great resurrection is going to take place of the saints, and they’re going to sit on thrones, they’re going to have authority, and they are going to rule in this kingdom. And furthermore it’s going to be a permanent thing.”

“Well, where do you get that?”

“Well, that’s in the Bible.”

“Well, I never knew that.”

See. I just wonder how many religionists would get all upset hearing that, if that thing would happen.

Now let’s see another prophecy concerning us and what we’re going to do. Let’s come to Isaiah 61. And this also gives us a description of what we are going to do, and what we will be called. See now, because part of the thing, as we saw on Pentecost, is that we’re going to receive a new name. And we’re going to have a new job. Now here, Isaiah 61:6 tells us about it. “But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD:…” Now that ties right in with where we began in Revelation 20:6 – be kings and priests and reign with Christ a thousand years. “…Ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.” So not only is there going to be the reward to do these things, but it’s going to be a continuous ongoing thing all during the millennium, and then on down into the rest of eternity. So this is really quite an amazing thing that God has laid out here for us, isn’t it? Yes. We shall be called the Priests of the LORD, and Ministers of our God.

Now let’s come to Isaiah 30, and let’s see what we’re going to do. We are going to teach the people. We are going to prevent all crime. We are going to be able to intervene in a special and particular way as spirit beings that cannot be done today. And it’s not going to be left in the situation that we have today where that crime can take place and no one know about it. It’s not going to be like this Lacy Peterson thing, that who knows who did what? I don’t know if many of you have heard it but they found ninety miles from Modesto, where this crime supposedly took place, that there was a man that had a van that was driving around and they found body parts in it. And who knows how Lacy Peterson was killed. Who knows where her head is, or her feet are, or her arms are. You know, those things won’t take place, because first of all the rule of the government of God is going to be based upon love. And it’s going to be obedient love. And children will be taught in such a way that they are not going to be programmed into being evil, demonic monsters that they are today. And we’re the ones that are going to help do the teaching. And we’re the ones that are going to ensure the safety and peace.

Now it tells us right here. Let’s pick it up in verse 18. “And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him. For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee” (Isa. 30:18-19). So when He hears, He’s going to answer. And we’re going to be the ones who will be right there to fulfill the answer, won’t we? That’s why we’ll be there.

“And though the LORD give you the bread of adversity [and so there may be some trials and difficulties], and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more [now we’ll be right there, right on the spot], but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:…” (vs. 20). Now that’s all a part of the responsibility of being over cities, being over countries – helping, and teaching, and serving. And as those cities and countries grow in population then so our responsibility will grow proportionately.

Now notice, here’s how we’re going to do it, “…and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left” (vs. 21). So that’s going to be quite a wholly different administration than what we understand today. And yet it’s going to be done in love. And it’s going to be done in truth. And it’s going to be done in mercy with judgment and understanding, and to help and serve, and to prepare more people for the eternal kingdom of God. So this is a gigantic, huge, almost mind-boggling concept and understanding of what God is going to do. Now can you imagine if human beings had this power with the carnality and evil that they have in their minds – why it would be an absolute dictatorship that would be totally unbearable. But you see, since we are going to be qualified, born into the kingdom of God, working under Jesus Christ, working under the apostles, doing all of this in love, and truth, and understanding, this is going to work magnificently.

Part 2

Now let’s see some more about the rule and reign of God, which means the rule and reign of us. Wherever it talks about, as we’re going to read now, where “The LORD reigns” that means we do too. Lets’ come to Psalm 93. It talks about “The LORD reigns.” There are several Psalms we’ll go through where it starts out “The LORD reigns.” Now you tie that together with all the scriptures that we’ve covered up to this point and these are really some tremendous scriptures.

“The LORD reigneth, He is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength,…” Now that also means us. We’re going to be spirit beings. We’ll be clothed with majesty, much less than Christ of course, and we will be endowed with strength, won’t we? Yes, indeed. “…Wherewith He hath girded Himself: the world also is [e]stablished, that it cannot be moved.” There’s no way that the kingdom of God is going to be taken over to others. Remember, we read that He’s not going to leave it to others. It’s for the saints, under Christ. “Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting” (Psa. 93:1-2). So just think about that for a whole thousand years. Men have been trying, for how long, to have a thousand year reign, and they’ve all fallen flat on their faces.

Now let’s look at another Psalm here. Psalm 97. Just turn the page to Psalm 97. Again it starts out the same way. “The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.” So that’s going to be quite a thing. There’s going to be happiness, it’s going to be joy, it’s going to be fantastic, it’s going to be a marvelous thing that is going to take place. And the world is going to be really a…we’re going to see here in a minute, that every ill, every wrong, everything that has divided mankind, everything that has caused mankind suffering through war, through lying, through false religion, all the things that mankind has gone through. And I know it’s always amazing to me – I’ve got what is called the Langer’s Encyclopedia of World History. And all it is, is just a listing year by year of the things that happened in different parts of the world. It’s well organized, and so forth. But it is filled with wars, and murders, and assassinations, and kings fighting, and emperors fighting, and poisoning one another, and slipping the dagger under the fifth rib. It’s just an amazing bloody carnage of human history. And it began with Cain who killed his brother, and has been shedding human blood all the way through clear to our day. Well, that’s all going to end. There’s going to be rejoicing, the earth is going to be established, and it’s going to be for the good of the whole world and all people, and we are going to have our part in it.

Now let’s come to Psalm 99, in my Bible just down the corner of the page. “The LORD reigneth; let the people tremble:…” Now they’re going to fear God. It’s not going to be this, “Well, I wonder where God is? Well, He’s gone off far away.” Or, as it is today, “God is dead.” Or, some are saying, “We need to have a new way of looking at things. There is no God external to us out there in the heavens separated from the material world, and we’re going to have to find out what is the meaning and purpose of the universe, and the purpose of human life.” Now these are the educated ones. Matter of fact, these are the words of Robert W. Funk head of Jesus Seminar. That they are in a project going through and destroying the Word of God. And yet the very thing that they are destroying tells them exactly what they need to know: why we’re here, why God created us, why God made us. And furthermore he says that prayer…you can’t pray to any external God out there. Prayer is just meditation. And meditation is more listening. Now the kind of meditation that he’s having and listening, there are probably some sound waves coming in from Satanic sources to lead him to believe and follow the things that he does. It’s very likely. And if nothing else, if you’re just sitting there thinking and quietly listening to yourself, what are you doing? You’re just listening to your own carnal, evil mind. You know, it’s not going to be like that. People are going to fear God.

Verse 2, “The LORD is great in Zion; and He is [high] above all the people. Let them praise Thy great and [awesome] terrible name; for it is holy. The king’s strength also loveth judgment; Thou dost establish equity, Thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob. Exalt ye the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool; for He is holy.” Now we know this is a millennial setting because notice look, “Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call upon His name;…” Now remember when the vision of transfiguration took place, and Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and He was transfigured before them, that there appeared Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Well, here we have something similar to it. Moses, and Aaron, and Samuel. This means that they’re resurrected. They’re there with God. “…Among them that call upon His name; they called upon the LORD, and He answered them.” Then it shows what He did in the past. “He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept His testimonies, and the ordinance that He gave them” (vs. 2-7). And of course all during the millennium guess what? We are going to scrap all the laws of all nations everywhere. And we are going to give God’s laws, and His commandments, and His statutes, and His judgments. It’s going to be a totally different world.

You see, a theocracy never works unless God rules it. When you have a theocracy like you have in Iran today with the Ayatollahs, it is a brutal dictatorship because no man has the capacity to sit in the place of God and do His job. That’s why the Pope is a total failure. No man should be exalted to that position. Well, he’s soon going to take a demotion. You know, there isn’t going to be any such thing as Pope, there isn’t going to be any such thing as Cardinals or Bishops. There isn’t going to be any pedophilia in the ministry – molesting children. All of that’s going to be gone. There are not going to be any corporate heads of giant corporations stealing millions and billions of dollars and pushing in the face of the poor. It won’t happen any more. All those things are going to change, see.

Now it says here, verse 8, “Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: Thou wast a God that forgavest them, though Thou tookest vengeance [against] of their inventions.” There’s always going to be punishment and correction. “Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy” (vs. 8-9).

Now let’s look at some other things concerning how this is going to be done. Let’s come to Isaiah 60. Let’s see what it’s going to be with the world. Let’s see how the nations are going to react. Isaiah 60:1. Now this is quite a beautiful rendition in “The Messiah.” Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee” (Isa. 60:1-2). This is the beginning of the millennium, or you can say the dawning of the millennium because what is going to happen with the last of man’s rule, it’s going to end up in the darkest age that men have ever been in. And out of this darkness and out of this gloominess comes the resurrection, and the saints coming back to the earth to rule with Christ. And Christ is going to be the light.

“And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee:…” They’re going to be coming to God. They’re going to have their natures changed. There’s going to be salvation offered. There’s going to be the Holy Spirit given. “…Thy sons shall come from far, and Thy daughters shall be nursed at Thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee” (vs. 3-5). Now that means all the wealth, all the things that are produced by the nations. You know, just imagine, eliminate all the waste, all the foolishness, all of the inflated profits as far as business is concerned, and you have the world that is blessed that produces. And everyone is educated, and every one worships God and knows God. It is going to be another whole world such as we have never understood. And we are going to help bring that about.

Now let’s come down to verse 11. Now speaking of Jerusalem here, “Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish;…” (vs. 11-12). They’re all going to serve Christ. They’re all going to serve us or they’re going to perish. Now remember what the punishment is going to be if they don’t come and keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

Hold your place here and let’s go back to Zechariah 14. Let’s read that. You know God is going to have some very convincing persuaders. God has the power to do it and they are going to keep the Sabbath, they’re going to keep the holy days, they’re going to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And every nation had better send their representatives up to Jerusalem to represent that country for the Feast of Tabernacles. And all of those back at home better be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles there.

Now let’s pick it up here in Zechariah 14:16. “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem…” Now, I want you to read that again – ALL the nations. How many is that? ALL the nations. They are all going to do it. “…Shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Now that’s going to be a real thing, isn’t it? No more Christmas, no more Easter, no more Halloween, no more Sunday-keeping. No more witches sabbats, no more witches covens. I mean think how marvelous this is going to be. “And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain” (Zech. 14:16-17). If you don’t have any rain, you don’t have any water. Now you’re going to get the point very quickly. See, God has the power, so if they don’t come up He’s going to turn off the spickets. God can send the rain to bless those who do come up.

“And…” Now if you live in a desert like the Egyptians, or Saudi Arabia, or Lybia, or any of the desert areas. “…And if the family of Egypt…” The most notorious for all of their paganism and worshiping of gods, and I’ve often wondered, “I wonder what’s going to happen to the great pyramids in Egypt. I bet they’ll be destroyed. I bet there won’t be a remembrance of it.” “…And come not, that havenorain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” Now what plague do you want? Frogs, lice, flees? Do you want boils, banes? That will be very convincing. Or in the case of the Philistines when they came and stole the ark, they all got hemorrhoids. Well you have a whole nation full of hemorrhoids, they’re all going to be moaning and groaning and they’re going to say, “Boy, we better keep this Feast of Tabernacles. Yeah. Oh God, this is painful.” “Aha. You got the point.” There isn’t going to be any of this, you know, “Oh those are just the days that Moses gave.” There isn’t going to be anyone standing up and saying, “Well you don’t have to keep those days. You can do anything you want to.” No, if they do, this is what’s going to happen. Now notice verse 19, “This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles” (vs. 18-19). So yes, there will be great enforcement, won’t there? Yes, indeed. It is going to be something.

So the nation that will not serve… Well, let’s come back here to Isaiah 60. The nation that will not serve, they’re going to get the point. They’re going to get the message. They are going to learn. Now verse 13, “…shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of My sanctuary; and I will make the place of My feet glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee [that is, bending down to worship]; and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet;…” That sounds a little bit like Revelation 3 that we read the other day, doesn’t it? Yes, indeed, that He’s going to make all of those of the synagogue of Satan come and worship before our feet. And here’s the prophecy of it right here. “…And they shall call thee, The city of the LORD, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 60:12-14). Then it talks about, you know, you have been forsaken, and so forth, and now it’s going to be all changed.

Verse 15, “Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings:…” God is going to give to His firstborn church, He’s going to give them the best of everything. That’s what it’s talking about. You know, God is not going to have us there working for nothing. He’s going to provide all these things, and we’ll be spirit beings, be able to use them and enjoy them. Be no problem with that. See, the best of everything. “…And thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob” (vs. 15-16).

Now when they all yield to God and God’s blessings are poured out, notice what’s going to happen. Something phenomenal - a great economic boom that men could never even think of doing. Now notice this. “For brass I will bring gold,…” I mean no more plastic, you know. “…For iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (vs. 17-18). That’s going to be quite a thing that’s going to take place.

Now let’s come over here to Isaiah 61 and let’s see something else here. Verse 9. No, verse 4, then we’ll go to verse 9. “And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations [that’s going to be a lot of work to do because it’s all going to be desolate], and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.” And you can be sure – every idol, every gargoyle, every obelisk, every thing of the religions of this world are going to be destroyed and made dust and gotten rid of. It isn’t going to be anymore. It’s all going to work good. “And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shallbe your plowmen and your vinedressers” (Isa. 61:4-5). Then it says there what we already read, that you shall be named the priests of the Lord.

Now let’s come down here to verse 7. “For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them. For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth,…” (vs. 7-8). So there’s going to be constant direction coming from Christ – how we are going to do this. And of course we’re going to have to grow constantly in the job as the population increase. And then many are added into the family of God during the millennium. So this is going to be just a tremendous thing. You’re going to have the best job, the best work, the best existence, the best of everything. And that’s what this Feast of Tabernacles pictures.

“…And I will make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,…” And so that’s what God is going to do with us. You know, it’s, you know… If we can just grasp an understanding of how this is going to be, and if we can keep this in the forefront of our minds to give us hope, to give us drive, to give us energy, to give us zeal. And of course we’re living in a Laodicean age where we need to have this kind of thing so we can really yield to God and grow in grace and knowledge. And these are the things that we look forward to. And that’s why keeping the Feast of Tabernacles is so important. Now notice, “…robe[s] of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations” (vs. 8-11). So this is going to be absolutely overwhelming. This is going to be a marvelous thing indeed.

Now let’s go back to Isaiah 2, please. Let’s see what God is going to do. This is going to be something. The whole world is going to be changed, made over, redone. The nature of human beings is going to be changed – probably go back very similar to that what it was with Adam and Eve. Now let’s pick it up here in verse 2, Isaiah 2. “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” Now go back and look at all those scriptures that we’ve covered that says “all the nation - all nations.” And the nation that doesn’t submit, if they don’t they’re going to be destroyed. If they don’t obey God, they’re going to receive punishment. All nations shall flow unto it.

“And many people shall go and say,…” So there are going to be some, many people, who are going to get the point. “…Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:…” No longer every person doing what seems right in their own eyes. “…For out of Zion shall go forth the law,…” For all you, perverted grace/lawless keepers – listen up: the law is going to go forth. “…And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:…” (Isa. 2:2-3). So right at the beginning of the millennium there’s going to be some activity going on for those who are not yet willing to submit to the rule and the kingdom of God.

“And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into puninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” How about banning 99% of all toys. How about replacing them with real live pets. That will be something, won’t it? No more toy swords. No more toy guns. No more cops and robbers. No more Cowboys and Indians. All gone. “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD. Therefore thou hast forsaken thy people the house of Jacob, because they be replenished from the east,…” (vs. 4-6). And that’s why now they have come back, and so forth.

Now let’s come here to Isaiah 11. Let’s see what the condition of the world is going to be. And of course remember, whenever we’re reading these things, we are a part of what God is doing because there is Christ sitting on the throne of David, David with Him. There’s going to be Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There’s going to be Moses and Elijah. There are going to be the twelve thrones with the twelve Apostles sitting on those thrones judging the tribes of Israel. There are going to be the kings ruling over the different nations. The Apostle Paul will probably be in a very high position helping all of those who govern the different nations, or the Gentiles because he was the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Now let’s pick it up here in Isaiah 11:1. “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his [stock] roots: and the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,…” Now this can refer to Jesus first coming, which is true. It can also refer to the establishment of the kingdom of God, which we will see where it fits in here. “…The spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (Isa. 11:1-6). Now that’s far better than having a little plastic scooter going down the sidewalk, isn’t it? It’s going to be a tremendous time. And everything is going to be changed.

“And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.” I still cannot imagine that, but I can read it and say, “Yes, it’s going to be so.” Verse 9, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (vs. 7-9). Which means that we’re going to have a tremendous educational program going, right? It is going to pale into insignificance the education that people get today. When we are the teachers, when we are showing them the way of God, and helping bring the blessing to them, and they see the results of it, it is going to be so absolutely marvelous. And the further that we get away from the beginning of the millennium down into the middle of the millennium, the more that the horror and war and everything will be forgotten, which will be in a sense a blessing, but as we will see a little later, that it’s also going to be a problem when we come toward the end of the millennium because they haven’t learned the lessons.

Now let’s come to Psalm 145, So what I’ve been doing in this sermon is giving you job description, to use a modern terminology. This is what we’re going to be doing. This is what Christ is going to be doing, the Apostles will be doing, all of the saints will be doing. Now, Psalm 145. Let’s pick it up here beginning in verse 1. “I will extol Thee, my God, O king; and I will bless Thy name for ever and ever.” Now this is going to go on every day. They’re going to worship God, they’re going to pray to God, they’re going to study His Word, they’re going to be educated in everything. They are going to be so tremendously educated in things that it is, you know, like the knowledge of the LORD covers the earth like the oceans.

“Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise Thy works to another [all down through the millennium], and shall declare Thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of Thy terrible acts: and I will declare Thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy” (Psalm 145:1-8). And of course, once everybody gets the point that that’s true then it’s going to happen.

“The LORD is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.” Just flooding the world, as it were, with His grace and mercy, and truth and knowledge. “All Thy works shall praise Thee, O LORD; and Thy saints shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom [which is what we’re doing right now], and talk of Thy power; to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations” (vs. 9-13). That’s a tremendous Psalm. That is just absolutely marvelous. Yes, God is going to be with them. He’s going to bless them, He’s going to preserve them, He’s going to love them.

Can you imagine a society based upon the love of God, and loving your neighbor as yourself? Can you imagine a society and how children are going to be reared and taught and trained, and how that God is going to bless mankind with tremendous wholesome, great, wonderful food that He has created? No more of this packaged redone, reconstituted, genetic engineered stuff. None of that. And everyone’s going to be healthy, and happy, and radiant, and just a great and exciting time.

Now let’s continue on here. Let’s come to Isaiah 65:15, and we’ll go ahead and end here. It says, “And ye shall leave your name [that is, the enemy] for a curse unto My chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call His servants by another name: that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from Mine eyes. For, behold,…” Now this is what’s going to happen all during the millennium starting right at the beginning. “…Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind” (Isa. 65:15-17). And so that’s what we’re going to be doing for a thousand years.

And brethren, this Feast of Tabernacles, like every one of the holy days of God, tells us about His plan, and what He’s doing and our part in it, and now we know more and understand what God has in store for us as pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles.