Feast of Tabernacles 2006 – Day 1

Greetings brethren! This is the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feasts of God as we get closer we get to the end, we understand and realize that they are the most important thing that we need to understand in relationship to understanding God's plan and what He's doing. We know that God tells us we are to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

We are told how we are to keep the Feasts, Deuteronomy 16:16: "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty, every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you" (vs 16-17).

Every year we go through these things and we need to understand and realize this: that of everything in the Bible when you put it all together, there is more about the meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles than any other Feast day, because this is going to be the great harvest of God!

We also need to realize this: that the Feast of Tabernacles for the children of Israel was to remind them that they were slaves in Egypt, and that they also dwelt in tents while they were coming with the exodus and dwelling in the wilderness for 40 years.

Leviticus 23:33: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying, "The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD. On the first day shall be a Holy convocation…. [which is today] …You shall do no servile work therein. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day shall be a Holy convocation to you. And you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly. And you shall do no servile work therein. These are the Feasts of the LORD which you shall proclaim to be Holy convocations…" (vs 33-37).

What we see with the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day is that there is very, very little in the Old Testament explaining about the Last Great Day, and we have to put all the Scriptures together, which we will when we come to the Last Great Day.

Verse 39: "Also, in the fifteenth day of the seventh month when you have gathered in the fruit of the land… [this is the great harvest, all the harvest is over] …you shall keep a Feast to the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a Sabbath… [whenever you see a Holy convocation that means it is a Sabbath] …and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath" (v 39).

Here's what they were to do, and this also shows the very temporariness of physical life, v 40: "And you shall take the boughs of beautiful trees for yourselves on the first day, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And you shall keep it a feast to the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generations. You shall keep it in the seventh month" (vs 40-41). That seventh month is according to the Calculated Hebrew Calendar.

Verse 42: "You shall dwell in booths seven days.…" That's temporary dwellings and we'll talk about some of the meaning of it today, but basically today we're all a temporary tabernacle or temple of God awaiting the resurrection.

"'…All that are born Israelites shall dwell in booths, so that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.' And Moses declared the appointed Feasts of the LORD to the children of Israel" (vs 42-44).

Lev. 23 is the one chapter in the whole Bible that contains all the Feasts of God. The way that we understand them is: that we follow God's instructions on how to understand His Word: 'here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept,' and we put it together to build a whole picture. The religions of this world and carnal-minded people like to take Scriptures that are apparent contradictions and subtract. In other words, they fight Scripture with Scripture. Well, God doesn't want that.

Let's see something in Luke 16 that's important for us to understand about our relationship with God. We all want eternal life; we all want to serve with Christ.

I got a letter from a man saying, 'I don't desire to be a king or priest, is there some place where they might even have a street-sweeper in New Jerusalem?' I said, 'Well I don't know, I don't think the streets are going to be dirty, but there will be plenty of room for all of those who will be helpers in addition to being kings and priests.'
So, don't worry about it, and besides the important thing is to realize that when you are resurrected and are a spirit being, your whole outlook is going to be entirely different than what it is as a human being. So, we won't be limited in the things that we're limited in today, and it will be a whole lot better.

Here is a very important thing to understand, and you see the way that we tithe and handle our finances, and so forth, is all a part of how we live God's way. The way that we bring offerings and use the money that we have today, which is soon going to be hyper-inflated to where it's going to be a very difficult proposition at all to really have some profitable things to do with money.

Jesus says, Luke 16:10: "The one who is faithful in the things that are least is also faithful in much… [this covers every aspect of our Christian life] …and the one who is unrighteous in the things that are least is also unrighteous in much. Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches??" (vs 10-11).

That's what we're going to be given – the true riches of God, the true wealth of God, and not only that, when we are kings and priests in the Kingdom of God, the nations and the people are going to bring their tithes to us and we bring a heave offering of ten percent to Christ. So, we need to think and understand about that! It is going to be a tremendous thing when that occurs. Think about this as you prepare your offering. Think about this in relationship to how you worship and serve God and so forth.

Verse 11: "Therefore, if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's…" (vs 11-12)—because the tithe and the offering belong to God.

That's what He said; those are His. But He gives us the choice of deciding to do it and participating in it, to know whether we're faithful or not, to know whether we love Him with all our heart or not. And this is expressed in the things that we do that we give back to God.

He says, v 12: "And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give to you your own?…. [talking about the resurrection when we are in the Kingdom of God] …who will give to you your own?…. [here's a very important principle]: …No servant is able to serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and he will love the other; or he will hold to the one and will despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (vs 12-13). Keep that in mind in everything that you do with your tithes and offerings.

(pause for offering)

Let's see the meaning of this day and look at it from what God teaches us, and as I mentioned, there are more themes, there is more information in the Bible for all of the Feast of Tabernacles and the Kingdom of God than anything that we have of any of the other Holy Days.

And you go through and when you study A Harmony of the Gospels, go through and see how much Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God. That was the beginning of the real preaching of the Kingdom of God. See after Jesus was baptized and he came into Galilee, he said: 'Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.' That was the beginning of the preaching of the Kingdom of God.

In Luke 13 we find that, that's what He was doing He was teaching the Kingdom of God and all the aspects of the relationship with God leading up to being resurrected and entering into the Kingdom of God.

Luke 13:22: "Now, He was going through the cities and villages teaching, while making progress toward Jerusalem. And one said to Him, 'Lord, are those who are being saved few?'…." (vs 22-23). Yes, few not many!

'Broad is the gate and wide isthe way that leads to destruction, but narrow is the gate and straight is the way that leads to life' (Matt. 7)—yes, few!

Verse 24: Jesus said to them, "Strive with your whole being to enter in through the narrow gate; for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, but shall not be able."

Now we can see that today how many thousands of kinds professing Christians are there out there who are really not Christians, but have been deluded into thinking that they are.

There's always a time, which you might say, a cutoff point, and for many of us the cut off point is that we've lived to the end of our lives, are put in the grave and are awaiting the resurrection. But there's always the cut off point, and Jesus brought this out over and over again.

Verse 25: "Once the Master of the house has risen up and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside the door and knock, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us'; then shall He answer and say to you, 'I do not know you or where you are from.' And you shall begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You have taught in our streets.' And He shall say, 'I tell you, I do not know you or where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness'" (vs 25-27).

This applies to all those professing Christians who say you do not need to keep the commandments of God, you do not need to keep the Holy Days of God, 'all you need to do is believe and have an experience in your heart and you are saved.' Well, you see there's far more to it than that.

Verse 28: "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you yourselves are cast out." This is talking about the resurrection and our reward, and our working and functioning in our reward.

Verse 29: "Then they shall come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God."

That's what's going to happen at the resurrection because Jesus said He is going to, at the sound of the trumpet, He is going to send out the angels who are going to carry the resurrected saints from the four corners of the earth; same situation that we're talking about there.

Now let's review how Christ is going to come. Luke 21 will show us about how it's going to be, and as I've mentioned and have been emphasizing, the events that the Holy Days picture are historical, epical, tremendous, powerful, interventions of God to show Himself to His Church and to the world. God is just sort of letting things go their way now because it's His purpose to do so because He is storing it all up for the magnificent return of Jesus Christ.

Luke 21:24: "And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress and anxiety among the nations, the seas roaring with rolling surges; men dying of heart attacks from fear and dread of the things that are coming on the whole world; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (vs 24-26).

We covered that, but I don't think we really grasp what it's going to be. Not only is the earth going to be shaken, but the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Verse 27:" And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and glory." This is talking about not only the glorious return of Christ, but the beginning of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Now let's see what Paul wrote and we will see how when Christ comes to the earth we know that He is going to take care of the armies that are coming to invade and coming against Christ and the saints, fighting against them, and we know that Satan has to be bound. But we know that God is going to put down all evil and we're going to see it'll take a little time for some people to get the point. Not everyone gets it all at once. Some people will learn a whole lot faster than others. But others are going to have to be corrected in order for them to really submit to the Kingdom of God.

2-Thessalonians 1:3: "We are duty-bound to thank God always for you, brethren, even as it is fitting, because your faith is increasing abundantly… [we hope that is happening with you, too] …and the love of each one of you is abounding toward one another; so that we ourselves are boasting about you in the Churches of God because of your endurance and faith in all your persecutions, and in the tribulations that you are bearing" (vs 3-4).

We have that right ahead of us again just like it was there with those in Thessalonica.

Verse 5: "Your faith and endurance are a visible testimony of the righteous judgment of God, so that you may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. Since it is righteous with God to recompense tribulation to those who are persecuting you; and to you, who are persecuted, rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels, dealing out vengeance with flaming fire upon those who do not know God, and those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His strength, when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in that day in all those who believe (because our testimony was believed by you); for which cause also we are praying continually for you…" (vs 5-11)—which we do brethren; we pray daily for you that:

• you may grow
• you may change
• you may overcome
• you may repent
• you may be healed
• you may be relieved of distress
• you may have strength in your trials
• you may have wisdom in understanding what you need to do to live your life

All those things we pray daily for you!

"…we are praying continually for you, that our God may count you worthy of your calling, and may fulfill in you all the good pleasure of His goodness, and the work of faith with power… [this is what we have to look forward to] …so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (vs 11-12).

That's quite a salutation! He's telling all of them what they need to know and what it needs to be to attain to the Kingdom of God. We know that Satan has to be bound, but once he is bound, that doesn't necessarily change the way of the thinking of people, and certain things are going to have to be done to help convince them that they need to yield to God.

Revelation 20:4: "And I saw thrones… [for ruling, judgment and authority] …and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given to them"

Now later in the Feast I'm going to cover Judge Righteous Judgment. We need to learn how to judge righteous judgment today, that's all a part of our education preparing for the Kingdom of God.

"…and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and those who did not worship the beast, or his image, and did not receive the mark in their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (v 4).

That is the Millennium and that's going to be the time of God's rest, the time of God's glory, and the time of our helping Jesus Christ and God the Father bring many, many, many billions of people into the Kingdom of God.

It's going to be accomplished after Satan is removed. And all of those who are in the first resurrection and rule and reign with Jesus Christ will always be in a position above those who come into the Kingdom of God during the Millennium. They're going to have an entirely different set of circumstances; Satan isn't going to be there. But God's Spirit is going to fill the earth, and it's going to be a time of tremendous love and joy and everything like this.

Verse 6: "Blessed and Holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection… [blessed and Holy put you in the same category as God] …over these the second death has no power. But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Now, when the thousand years have been completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison" (vs 6-7).

That's at the end of the Millennium, and we'll cover that on day seven, everything in its due order.

Now let's see some things in the book of Daniel concerning the Kingdom of God and of our being able to rule and reign with Christ. {note sermon series: Daniel and Revelation}

Let's think about all the powers of the earth as they are going to come together at the end time under the beast. This is what it's talking about here with a little horn.

Note sermon: The Beast Who Was and Is Not, Yet, Is. You need to understand that the beast that is coming is going to be a worldwide government and a worldwide religion through the beast and the false prophet. This is what it's talking about here,

Daniel 7:21: "I watched, and that same horn… [the little horn] …made war with the saints and overcame them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High…." (vs 21-22). That ties right in with Rev. 20. We are going to be given judgment.

"…And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom…. [the whole world] …Thus he said, "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be different from all the other kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth, and shall trample it and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise. And another shall arise after them. And he shall be different from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak words against the Most High… [that ties in with Rev. 13 and 2-Thess. 2] …and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change the set times and the laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time" (vs 22-25). That again ties in with Rev. 13 about the martyrdom of the saints.

Verse 26: "But the judgment shall sit, and his dominion shall be taken away to be consumed and to be destroyed unto the end. 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…" (vs 26-27).

More and more it's being impressed upon my mind, so I'm going to try to impress it upon your mind:

• the greatness of the calling that God has called us to
• the work that He has called us to do
• the work of straightening out the whole world
  • to be able to rule and reign with Christ a thousand years
  • bringing into the Kingdom of God the great harvest of millions and millions and millions of people

"…Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all kingdoms shall serve and obey Him" (v 27).

Let's see how He starts doing that and what Christ needs to do in order to get this accomplished.
Let's look at the condition of the earth. You need to understand what that's going to be. Isa. 24 shows you the work that we have to do, you see:

• every valley's going to be exalted
• every hill is going to be made low
• the whole earth is going to be in chaos and confusion

in order for all the works of men and all the works of Satan to be destroyed, and then begin building the Kingdom of God.

God isn't going to build on the broken foundations of men, He's going to build on the foundation of Jesus Christ. He is going to build the Kingdom:

• in truth
• in righteousness
• the love of God

So, when we look at what the earth is going to be like here in:

Isaiah 24:1: "Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants." Just think about the mental and emotional condition of those people who survive this.

I saw on History Channel, a special on the survivors of the tsunami in Japan. Everyone was saying, 'O God, why did this happen? O God, why did You abandon me?

• their lives are going to be absolutely turned upside down
• their emotions and their feelings are going to be shattered
• they are going to be just shells of people wanting to know why

• Why did this happen?
• How did this come about?
• Where was God?

That's why Christ has to return! Then He shows exactly what's going to happen – the whole earth is going to be upside down.

Verse 3: "The earth shall be completely laid waste, and utterly stripped; for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and languishes; the world withers and languishes; the proud people of the earth wither. And the earth is defiled under its people; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, the curse has devoured the earth, and they who dwell in it are desolate; therefore, the people of the earth are burned, and few men are left" (vs 3-6)

Now we need to state right here, a very important thing to understand: the Seventh-Day Adventists teach that no one survives the end-time and the earth is desolate for a thousand years and all the saints are in heaven going over, looking into the lives of every human being to judge them.

Well now, let's understand something: How are you going to fulfill all the other prophecies which show that the earth is going to be rebuilt, that the earth is going to be made a glorious and a wonderful place for people to live in, if it's desolate for a thousand years? No!

Verse 23: "Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun shall be ashamed, for the LORD of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, and gloriously before His elders."

That means that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—we can go back to Seth and to Enoch and Noah and to all the righteous kings and all the righteous prophets—will be in the Kingdom of God; Jesus said they would.

Zech. 14 talks about what's going to happen when Christ sets His foot on the earth. Let's see how that right at first God is going to have to deal with the different nations. As we covered on Trumpets, His feet and the feet of the saints will stand on the Mount of Olives.

Zechariah 14:4: "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives… [v 5]: …And the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with You."

Verse 9 "And the LORD shall be King over all the earth…" That's when Jesus said to Pilate, 'If My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight.' So, now is the time.

"…in that day there shall be one LORD, and His name shall be one" (v 9).

Let's see how God deals with people, because not all are going to submit. Some will submit right away, but others are going to be disbelieving, others are not going to want to keep the Feast of Tabernacles and what they would label as 'those Jewish laws.'

Verse 16: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations…" That is an all-inclusive statement, not just the nations alone, but all the nations and everyone that is left. The few men that are left… We don't know how many there will be, but if it follows the pattern of the other things, maybe there will be a tenth of all human beings who will survive all the end-time events, and come on over into the beginning of the rule and reign of the Kingdom of God.

"…all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (v 16).

That's a very powerful Scripture! You keep that in mind for anyone who says 'Oh well, you don't need to keep those Feasts.' Well, show them what Christ is going to do when He returns. He's going to make them keep the Feast of Tabernacles. He's going to enforce it. Some will willingly keep it, but there are going to be some who are not going to be convinced, and God has many different ways of convincing them. Here's how He's going to do it:

Verse 17: "And it shall be, whoever will not come up from all the families of the earth to Jerusalem to worship…"

Now you're not going to get all human beings to Jerusalem, so that means in whatever nation or country that the people are living in, their representatives are going to represent them in Jerusalem, and they will keep the Feast of Tabernacles there, while everybody back in their nation will be likewise keeping the Feast of Tabernacles there. "

"…to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain" (v 17). It doesn't take very long for people to get the point when there is no rain, and there are no crops, and there are no blessings.

Verse 18: "And if the family of Egypt that has no rain, does not come up to present themselves…" This is going to be a hard.

Can you imagine what a hard, bitter pill this is going to be for Egypt? Of course, Egypt represents all the Muslims and all the Muslim nations. Think of the bitter pill of going to Jerusalem and of keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. They're going to have to give up their Ramadan. They are going to have to give up their Friday day of worship and keep the Sabbath.

All the Protestants and Catholics, on the other hand, are going to have to give up Christmas and Easter and Halloween, and all the occult, pagan holidays and give up Sunday, and they're going to have to keep the Sabbath. And they're going to have to keep all the Holy Days of God and the Feast of Tabernacles.

There is going to have to be a tremendous change of thinking that is going to have to take place, which will be accomplished in two ways. One of them is by coercion, which we're reading of here. If they don't do it, God is going to coerce them to do it.

Verse 18: "…this shall be the plague with which the LORD shall strike the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be Egypt's punishment, and the punishment of all the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (vs 18-19).

If they don't have rain in their country, He is going to send a plague. Well, did God send plagues on Egypt one time? Yes, He did! He's going to send it on them another time to show that:

• He is God
• He is powerful
• all the gods of Egypt, and all the gods of this world are nothing

Through Isaiah and the Psalms and especially in the book of Isaiah concerning the Kingdom of God and bringing it about it's worth two or three sermons in itself. I think one year I did almost the whole Feast of Tabernacles just going through the book of Isaiah and the book of Psalms. So, we'll touch on some of that this time. But you see there's so much with the Feast of Tabernacles that every year, even though we cover the same theme and the same meaning of the Feast; there is so much, that it can be different from year-to-year and day-to-day during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Isaiah 4:2: "In that day shall the Branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth excellent and comely for those who are the survivors of Israel. And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion, and he who remains in Jerusalem, shall be called Holy…" (vs 2-3).

That is because we'll be resurrected. We are called Holy and blessed (Rev. 20).

"…even everyone who is written unto life in Jerusalem" (v 3). That's obviously New Jerusalem in heaven above, and it's obviously talking about the Book of Life.

Verse 4: "When the LORD shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from its midst by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. And the LORD will create over every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for over all the glory shall be a canopy. And there shall be a tabernacle for shade by day from the heat, and for refuge, and for shelter from storm and rain" (vs 4-6).

Now this is speaking symbolically referring to the vicissitudes of life and the difficulties that people will go through that God is going to give them comfort; God is going to give them joy! This is how it's going to work itself out, as God shows.

Let's see again that God is going to have to convince some people in a pretty profound way.

Micah 4:1: "But it shall be in the last days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains…"

When it talks about all the mountains will be removed and fall, now symbolically, that shows all the governments of men are going to fall. They have to in order for the kings and priests of the saints to rule and reign, and the rule will come down even to the cities.

"…and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, 'Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths'—for the Law shall go forth out of Zion, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem" (vs 1-2).

Not all people are going to respond, and here's what He's going to have to do, and we'll see how He's going to do it here in just a minute.

Verse 3: "And He shall judge among many people, and will rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore."

That's the time we are looking for. What's going to happen with this is global worldwide government and this global worldwide religion that is coming under Satan the devil and his grand glorious finale? God is going to teach the lesson that man without God:

• cannot rule his life
• cannot know what is right and wrong
• cannot understand his nature
• cannot understand what God is doing
• cannot understand God's plan

God is going to make it tremendously, abundantly clear that that's just the way that it is! Let's see another prophecy of it.

Zechariah 8:20: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'It shall yet come to pass, that there shall come people and inhabitants of many cities. And the residents of one shall go to another, saying, "Let us go at once to pray before the face of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will go also"'" That's going to be the whole focus of their lives, to really serve God.

Verse 22: "'And many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the face of the LORD.'…. [we just read that, but some have to be convinced] …Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men, out of all languages of the nations, shall take hold, and will seize the skirt of a man, a Jew… [that's going to be us, the resurrected true converted Jews] …saying, "We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you"'" (vs 22-23).

Quite a thing! We'll take a look here in just a minute at what's going to happen to those nations that must be convinced that they ought to serve God.

(Part 2)

Now let's see how God is going to have to deal with certain of those large, huge nations that have to be brought into subjection in order for there to be final peace established after the Kingdom of God is set up under Jesus Christ and the saints. Israel is brought back into their land.

We don't want to go through all of Ezekiel 38 or 39, but we need to cover some of the highlights and understand when this is going to be. This is going to be after Jesus Christ and the saints return to the earth. This is going to be after Israel has been gathered and brought back to the 'Holy Land' and they have peace. God is dealing with them. Some of the nations will come up and they will want to learn of God's way; other nations will have to be forced to do it because they're going to try to make war, and this is going to be the final war that is going to take place, which is going to end all rebellion against God.

Ezekiel 38:1: "And the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Son of man, set your face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief ruler of Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him. And say, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the chief ruler of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal'" (vs 1-3). Then He is going to bring them. It lists all the different nations that are with them.

Verse 7: "Be prepared; yea, prepare for yourself, you and all your assembly that are assembled about you, and be a guard for them. After many days…" (vs 7-8).

Many days in prophecy is approximately three and one-half years. Three and one-half years into the Millennium, those nations of Gog and Magog—Russia, China, all the Orient, some of the nations down into Southeast Asia coming on back through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Persia, Iraq and Iran—are not yet going to be convinced, because God has something special for them. His judgment is going to come upon them! And remember that out of that area came the army of 200-million, and with the armies scattered all the way back from the Middle East clear back to the Far East, there are probably some of those armies of the 200-million who survived all the battle, and so what's going to happen is this: after Israel is in the 'promised land', brought back out of captivity, He says here,

"…you will be summoned. In the latter years you shall come into the land restored from war… [has to do with the physical land of Israel] …gathered out of many people… [the exodus of all the Israelites back to Israel] …on the mountains of Israel, which have always been waste… [up to this time] …(But she has been brought out of the nations, and they shall dwell securely, all of them.)" (v 8).

When that happens, v 9: "And you shall go up, coming like a storm. You shall be like a cloud to cover the land, you and all your bands, and many people with you.'"' Thus says the Lord GOD, 'And it shall be in that day that things shall come into your heart, and you shall devise an evil plan" (vs 9-10).

This is kind of a repetition of Pharaoh in Egypt in coming after the children of Israel after they escaped; only this time it's on a grand world scale, and these are the nations that Christ is going to have to rebuke.

Now there are nations far off and they've come to make war, v 11: "And you shall say, 'I will go up to the land of unwalled villages…'" No defenses, no armies, no rocket launchers, no missiles, planes, anything!

"…I will go to those that are at rest… [they are already rested and in the inheritance that God has given them] …who dwell securely, all of them dwelling without walls, and there are no bars nor gates to them... [he thinks in his heart, 'I'm going to come'] in order to take a spoil, and to steal a prize; to turn your hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land" (vs 11-12).

All those nations to the north and to the east are going to come up and see this, and they're going to say, 'We can have it for the taking.' What's going to happen?

Verse 14: "Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "In that day when My people of Israel dwell securely, shall you not know it?"'"

• they are going to know they are dwelling safety
• they are going to know that they have been brought back by God

But they are still not convinced, and there are other nations that are still not convinced. So, this tells us how Christ is going to fulfill it where it says that He shall rebuke strong nations afar off. They still think they're strong.

Verse 15: "And you shall come from your place out of the uttermost parts of the north, you and many people with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. And you shall come up on My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It shall be in the latter days" (vs 15-16)—also includes the beginning of the Millennium.

"…and I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me…" (v 16). This is right at the beginning of the Millennium; not all heathen know God; not all are going to Jerusalem to learn of His ways.

"…when I shall be sanctified in you, O Gog, before their eyes" (v 16).

Verse 18: "'And it shall come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,' says the Lord GOD, 'My hot anger will be aroused. For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken, "Surely in that day there shall be a great quaking in the land of Israel"'" (vs 18-19).

It's going to be tremendous. This is going to be the last great, great subjecting of the nations that will not yield to Jesus Christ and the saints. God is reserving this for a special purpose.

Verse 21: "'And I will call for a sword against him upon all My mountains,' says the Lord GOD. 'Each man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will judge him with pestilence and with blood. And I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people with him, an overflowing shower, and great hailstones, fire and brimstone" (vs 21-22).

Those are the things that God always uses. He used them in Egypt; He used them to destroy armies that were gathered there in the seven last plagues, and He uses it here to show His power against them. Now notice here is the reason:

Verse 23: "Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself. And I will have Myself known in the eyes of many nations… [this is going to convince them that, yes, this is really God] …and they shall know that I am the LORD." That's going to be quite a thing that will take place here.
Ezekiel 39:6: "And I will send a fire on Magog, and on those who dwell in the isles…. [other nations that have not submitted that are way off] …And they shall know that I am the LORD." That's why He's doing it, so that they will know.

Verse 7: "And I will make My Holy name known in the midst of My people Israel. And I will not let them profane My Holy name any more. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel." That's how God is going to convince them to submit to Him.

Let's see what's going to happen to the children of Israel and all of those who submit. Let's see what has to happen. Because of this, there's going to be repentance and when there is repentance there is going to be a change of heart. Israel will already have repented and be brought back to the 'promised land'. What happens in Ezek. 38 to the children of Israel when they repent is also going to happen to the heathen when they repent after these tremendous things that God is going to bring upon them. They are going to be convinced.

Think of all the things that happen leading up to the return of Jesus Christ, all the wars, all the battles, all the things that took place, and yet, out there in the north and the east there are still going to be people who will not be convinced. That's why you have Ezek. 38 and 39 taking place after Israel is come back into the 'promised land', after Israel has been given their inheritance, and have peace and rest and beginning to build their lives, and they come down and see this, and then this last war takes place to convince the whole world that, yes, God is God; and, yes, the saints of God are ruling with Him.

When there's repentance, this is what is going to take place. Let's see again where it talks about the heathen that will know God:

Ezekiel 36:23: "And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD,' says the Lord GOD, 'when I shall be sanctified in you before their very eyes. For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries, and will gather you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean waters upon you, and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from your idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My ordinances and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers…." (vs 23-28).

Verse 31: "And you shall remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good…" This is going to happen to every nation, every individual is going to come to repentance and God will give them a new heart.

"…and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations" (v 31).

This is how God is going to do it, quite a fantastic thing. There is an awful lot in the Word of God that tells us what He is going to do.

Let's see some more how the Kingdom of God is going to be and how it's going to work and what it's going to be like.

Isaiah 26:6: "'The foot shall trample it, even the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy.' The way of the just is uprightness; O Upright One, You make the path of the righteous level. Yea, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; for Your name and for Your remembrance is the desire of our soul" (vs 6-8).

This shows here how that God is going to really bring the Truth, knowledge and understanding to the people. Let's see how it's going to be with those of us who are going to be ruling and reigning with Christ:

Isaiah 61:6: "But you shall be called the priests of the LORD… [where we began in Rev. 20] …it will be said of you, 'The ministers of our God'; you will eat the riches of the Gentiles, and you will boast in their glory. For your shame you will have double; instead of dishonor they will rejoice in their portion; therefore, in their own land they will possess double; everlasting joy will be theirs. 'For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them'" (vs 6-8).

That's the covenant that we enter into while we are on the Sea of Glass before we come back to the earth. It is a New everlasting Covenant of ruling and reigning with Christ.

Verse 9: "And their seed… [we're the seed of Abraham] …shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring… [that is all those who come in to the Kingdom of God] … among the people; all who see them will acknowledge them, that they are the seed the LORD has blessed.'" That's us; that fulfills the promise to Abraham.

Verse 10: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul will be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the robes of salvation, He covered me with the robe of righteousness like a bridegroom adorns himself with ornaments, and like a bride adorns herself with her jewels; for as the earth brings forth its bud, and as the garden causes that which is sown to grow; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to grow before all the nations" (vs 10-11).

Now what this does, this shows us that we are part of that, and we are part of helping to bring all nations under the true government and Kingdom of God. Now that's a tremendous thing for us to understand.

Now think of it this way: when you watch the news on television, don't you get frustrated? It's the same old, same old, same old thing, and you see all the evils that are taking place, and you get disturbed, and you get to feeling bad about it that all these things are taking place. Well, think of this: each one of us are going to have the job of changing that, not only just for some people, but for the whole world! That's going to be a tremendous thing!

Here is what we are going to direct them to do… and the way it always is, God is going to have people clean up the mess that was caused by the judgment for their sins! Now you talk about a project of building and making the world right, think on this:

Verse 4: "And they will build the old wastes, they will raise up the desolations of former times. And they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations." That's going to be quite a project doing all of that:

• supervising that
• making sure that it is done
• making sure that it takes place

Quite a tremendous and magnificent thing that it's going to be!

Psalm 105 is a Millennial Psalm; there are quite a few Millennial Psalms, matter of fact I could probably give at least two sermons on the Kingdom of God and Millennial Psalms from the book of Psalms.

Psalm 105:1: "O give thanks unto the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people…. [that's what we're going to do] …Sing to Him, sing praises unto Him; talk of all His wonderful works. Glory in His Holy name; let the heart of those who seek the LORD rejoice" (vs 1-3).

They're going to do it. Once there is repentance, people are going to be seeking God and seeking His way in everything that they do.

Verse 4: "Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore. Remember His marvelous works, which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth" (vs 4-5).

What's going to happen? We are going to also remind people of all those events that took place leading up to the return of Christ, and all the marvelous events and judgments of His mouth that took place.

Verse 6: "O you seed of Abraham His servant, you children of Jacob His chosen." This is going to be something, brethren. 'We are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise.'

Verse 7: "He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth." The only time that could be is when Christ and the saints are reigning, so that they know that all the judgments are in all earth, not just in one little country, but the whole world.

Verse 8: "He has remembered His covenant forever, the word, which He commanded to a thousand generations; the covenant, which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac; and He confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant" (vs 8-10).

That blends into the Church, which is spiritual Israel, and the everlasting covenant that we will partake of.

Psa. 96 is one of the reigning Psalms that says the Lord reigns, and we saw it's going to be in Jerusalem, and it's also going to be the saints are reigning. Let's see what the earth is going to be like.

Psalm 96:1: "O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth."

After all these nations have been put down, after the last battles against Gog and Magog, and peace begins to spread to the whole earth, think about what this Psalm is telling us. Just think of what it's going to be like every Sabbath:

• people gathered together
• worship God
• sing unto Him
• praise God
• praise the saints that are ruling with God

Verse 2: "Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations… [that's what we're going to do] …His wonders among all people, for the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods" (vs 2-4).

What we're going to do, we're going to go in there and we're going to teach them the right way and then they are going to go out and:

• destroy all their idols
• destroy all their gods
• blot out the memory of the name of it
• no one is going to be allowed to secretly pass these traditions on to the people

Because Isa. 30 says that the teachers will be seen and they will be able to say, 'This is that way, walk you in it, if you start to go to the left-hand or to the right-hand.' Plus every Sabbath they're going to be taught God's way.

• they're going to be converted
• they're going to have new hearts
• they're going to have new minds
• they're going to have new attitudes
• they are going to have the Spirit of God in them

This is going to be a great and marvelous thing, and we're going to be able to witness it; we're going to be able to be part of it; we're going to be able to be helping administer this to all the people of the world.

Verse 5: "For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O you kindreds of the people; give to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; bring an offering and come into His courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of Holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. Say among the nations, 'The LORD reigns, and the world shall be established; it shall not be moved; He shall judge the people with righteousness'" (vs 5-10).

This is a tremendous Psalm picturing all the things that are going to be taking place during the Millennium:

• the conversion of the people
• the love of the people

Think what a great and fantastic thing that is going to be!

Verse 11: "Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness of it. Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it; then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD; for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth; He shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with His Truth" (vs 11-13). That's what we're going to administer; that's what's going to be done.

Psalm 99:1: "The LORD reigns…"

Psalm 97: "The LORD reigns…"

Psalm 98:2: "The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations."

For that is a tremendous thing, all the salvation of the whole world is going to take place here.
Now let's see what's going to happen and what the earth is going to be like and what glorious, marvelous reward that we have been called to share in; to administer and help bring and minister the government of God, to help administer the spiritual conversion of the people of the world to bring them to the understanding of God so that they can be brought into the Kingdom of God as spiritual sons and daughters of God!

And Rev. 21 talks about the nations that are saved. So this is going to be a great and a fantastic, wonderful thing that's going to take place.

What we're going to see here is that we share and participate in this.

Isaiah 60:16: "You will also suck the milk of nations… [the best is going to be given to the sons of God] … and suck the breast of kings; and you shall know that I the LORD am your Savior and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob."

Here is how great the economy is going to be. Today you hear a lot about the economy, but it is going to be paled into total insignificance of what it's going to be during the Millennium.

Verse 17: "For bronze I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver; and for wood I will bring bronze, and for stones, iron. I will also make your overseers to be peace, and your rulers to be righteousness."

Now that's us administering the laws and the commandments and the spiritual aspect of the Kingdom of God so the people can come to repentance, people can come to the knowledge of God, and, of course, all the way down through the Millennium. As we get further and further into the Millennium this is what is going to happen.

Just picture 200 years down into the Millennium that those things that happen at the return of Christ are going to only be things, which will be reviewed because of everything that is there:

• the great and glorious things that God will do for the people physically
• the great and glorious things that God will do for the people spiritually
• the increase in the Kingdom of God and the number of people coming into the Kingdom of God is going to be marvelous and overwhelming.

God is going to fulfill His purpose and His promise and we are an integral part of helping to carry that out.

Verse 18: "Violence will no more be heard in your land…" No war, no violence, no crime, no rapes, no robbery, no stealing, no adultery, no lying!

"…neither wasting nor ruin… [that won't be] …within your borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise" (v 18).

I just wonder what it is going to be like every Sabbath wherever they start the Sabbath. I don't know if it's going to start in Jerusalem first, very likely, and then it's going to encompass the whole earth. Just think what it's going to be like if you were, say, stationed above the earth and you could look down on the earth and you could see as the Sabbath comes, everybody begins keeping the Sabbath; they come to Sabbath services, they're taught the way of God; all the Psalms and praises to God, all of that's going to be absolutely marvelous and beautiful. It is going to be such a fantastic time that mankind down deep inside always wants it, but doesn't know how to do it because of his nature and because of Satan. All of that is going to be changed, and we're going to do it! That's a tremendous thing to understand!

Now let's see how it's going to affect the whole earth. Remember every time that we read these verses, put yourself into it because you are going to participate in this, which says that the LORD is going to do it, that's true, but He's going to do it through His spiritual family. And we're going to be the ones who will implement it on a working basis in every area of the world.

Isaiah 11:1: "And there shall come forth a shoot out from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." This is Christ!

Let's understand that this goes clear back to the very physical birth of Jesus and blends into the spiritual reign beginning in the Millennium and then on down into eternity.

Isaiah 9: 6: "For unto us a Child is born… [that's when Christ was born in the flesh] …unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulders… [but He had to come qualify first] …and His name shall be called Wonderful… [these are the names of God, that's why Jesus was God manifested in the flesh] …Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father…"

The Father is the Father of those in the first resurrection. We are the sons and daughters of God the Father. When Christ and the church marry and begin the reign of Jesus Christ through the Millennium, then there are going to be more children brought into the Kingdom of God and Jesus then will be a Father. That's why it says, "…Everlasting Father…" that's when it is going to take place. He is not a father now, but He will be when those in the Millennium start entering into the Kingdom of God as we go down in time in the Millennium.

"…The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end…" (vs 6-7). We don't even have a faint clue as to what God is going to do with the rest of the universe after all those enter into the Kingdom of God, and we won't find out unless we attain to New Jerusalem and know what the plan of God is going to be for all the ages of eternity after that.

"…upon the throne of David, and over His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with righteousness from henceforth, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this" (v 7). What do we have in these two verses?

• a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ
• a prophecy of His coming rule and reign on the earth
• a prophecy of His spiritual government that goes all the way down through eternity

That's quite a thing!

Now let's see again what's going to happen and what the world will be like under the rule and reign of the saints.

Isaiah 11:2: "And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him… [that happened when Christ was on the earth in the flesh, but also in his full spiritual power] …the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. And His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. And He shall not judge according to the sight of His eyes, nor after the hearing of His ears. But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and shall reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked" (vs 2-4). That's how He is finally going to clean everything up at the beginning of the Millennium.

Now let's see how it's going to develop down through the Millennium in the rest of these verses.

Verse 5: "And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins. Also the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the cub lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them" (vs 5-6).

I tell you what, all children growing up in the Millennium are going to have an absolute marvelous time: no more plastic toys, no more electronic games. They are going to have real live pets, and have the responsibility to take care of them. It's going to be quite a thing here!

Verse 7: "And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox."

I wonder if God is going to change the nature of a lion that he is going to actually chew his cud or not; I have no idea. But after watching some of these things like on the National Geographic channel where you see about the packs of lions and how they go out and kill and stalk and grab their prey by the throat and by the nose and take them all down. They can even take down a water buffalo. They get a whole pride of lions together and take them down. Or you look at a special on the leopard and the leopard goes out and hunts at night and is a lonely stocker, and he gets these little kids of springboks, and he kills them and then he takes them up into a tree to keep the food away from the hyenas and the lions.

Imagine what that's going to be like, to where the children call 'kitty, kitty, kitty' and here comes a lion, a leopard or a cougar. You know when they get out there and call for the cows… You know when I grew up, we lived on a farm and used to go out there and say, 'Come boss, come boss, come boss' and all the cows would come in to get milked. Well, lo and behold here come the bears lumbering in with them. It's going to be an entirely different situation.

I say it every year, but this is going to be hard for me to imagine because I cannot stand snakes; so I guess as a spirit being I'll finally understand this and make it into the Kingdom of God.

Verse 8: "And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the viper's den." That is such a fantastic change in the balance of nature and the ecosystem. This is a marvelous thing to contemplate, but here's what it is going to be like:

Verse 9: "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My Holy mountain…" Because as we go down through the time in the Millennium and are teaching God's way and His Truth, righteousness and judgment, this is what's going to happen.

"…for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea" (v 9).

Brethren, I've just read to you and covered, much of it is your coming job description and what you're going to do in the Kingdom of God. Let that inspire you, encourage you, and let that give you the inspiration to change, to grow, to overcome, to draw close to God, and know that you are going to be dwelling with Christ and God the Father and dwelling with all the saints and helping to make this world a wonderful, productive, peaceful, and righteous place for a thousand years!

All Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• Deuteronomy 16:16-17
• Leviticus 23:33-37, 39-44
• Luke 16:10-13
• Luke 13:22-29
• Luke 21:24-27
• 2 Thessalonians 1:3-12
• Revelation 20:4, 6-7
• Daniel 7:21-27
• Isaiah 24:1, 3-6, 23
• Zechariah 14:4-5, 9, 16-19
• Isaiah 4:2-6
• Micah 4:1-3
• Zechariah 8:20-23
• Ezekiel 38:1-3, 7-12, 14-16, 18-19, 21-23
• Ezekiel 39:6-7
• Ezekiel 36:23-28, 31
• Isaiah 26:6-8
• Isaiah 61:6-11, 4
• Psalm 105:1-10
• Psalm 96:1-13
• Psalm 99:1
• Psalm 97:1
• Psalm 98:2
• Isaiah 60:16-18
• Isaiah 11:1
• Isaiah 9:6-7
• Isaiah 11:2-9

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Matthew 7
• Revelation 20; 21

Also referenced:

• Book: A Harmony of the Gospels by Fred R. Coulter
• Sermon Series: Daniel and Revelation
• Sermon: The Beast Who Was and Is Not, Yet, Is

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 7-23-17