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An atheist looks at the Bible and says:
I can't understand how there can be a God Who claims to be a God of love; and yet, He flooded the whole world—if that is true—during the days of Noah and killed all those people.
Another man will say:
I can't worship God, because look at all of the people who have died in wars. Look at all of the innocent little children who have died because of war, famine, starvation, and because of the cruelty of adults to children.
Another one will say:
- How can there be a God, if He's a God of salvation and He is not saving everyone?
- How can there be a God Who is a God of love Who has deliberately blinded people so they will not understand the Bible?
Sure enough, those are true statements! Another one that people look at and accuse God:
1-Samuel 15:1: "And Samuel said to Saul, 'The LORD sent me to anoint you to be king over His people, over Israel. And now listen to the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts, "I will punish Amalek for that which he did to Israel, how he set against him in the way when he came up from Egypt. Now, go and strike Amalek, and completely destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey"'" (vs 1-3). Now that's a pretty severe sentence!
- What about the little infants who are innocent? They don't know anything!
- Why would God kill them?
if God kills them
- How can we say that God is a God of love?
In this, people do not understand that God has a plan!
Let's see where God deliberately blinds the minds of people. It's quite an interesting thing, because we will see that this also quoted in Matt. 13 in just a minute. But notice what God told Isaiah:
Isaiah 6:1: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I then saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another, and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory'" (vs 1-3). So, this is quite a scene, and Isaiah saw this!
Verse 5: "Then I said, 'Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth and said, 'Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin atoned for'" (vs 5-7).
Verse 8: "And I heard the voice of the LORD, saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here am I; send me!' And He said, 'Go, and tell this people, "You hear indeed, but do not understand; and you see indeed, but do not perceive." Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and return, and be healed'" (vs 8-10)—converted!
If God is trying to save people:
- Why would He do all of these things? It's evident that He does it! There's no saying that God didn't do it!
- What is God going to do about it?
- Why did He do it in the first place?
- Why did God do this in the first place?
It all goes back to the sin of Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman. They set the pattern. God put them in the Garden of Eden. They chose by willful deliberation to go against God's way. He set before them the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
So, they could have eaten of the Tree of Life. But they chose to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil! As a result of that, they cut themselves off from God! God gave judgment to them, and in that judgment and in that sentence He said, to the woman that her sentence, would be that she would have sorrow and trouble in childbirth, and that her husband would rule over her!
He said to Adam: 'You're going to work by the sweat of your brow, and you are going to labor and toil until you die, for dust you are and unto dust you shall return.'
That's pretty heavy sentence! Why? Because they worshipped Satan the devil and listened to him instead of God!
As a result of that, we find in the book of Romans that God also, as part of His judgment against them, gave them a nature of sin and death!
Then the human condition changed so God let man go his own way. Because of sin, God had to destroy the world that was then in the days of Noah with a flood. Every time you look at all of the things in the Bible, you see that these disasters and these things, and wars, all take place because of sin!
So, God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh, came to this earth and taught human beings face-to-face as a man. From that time forward God was selective in whom He called!
Now let's look at Matt. 13 and read where Jesus quoted those very verses that we read in Isa. 6. If God is not interested in saving all people now, or let's put this way: IF, because of the choice of mankind that God accepts—because He's not intervening to make people obey Him—THEN God is not saving those people at this time.
Matthew 13:10—this is quite an explanation: "And His disciples came to Him and asked, 'Why do You speak to them… [the multitudes] …in parables?' And He answered and said to them… [the multitudes] …'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given'" (vs 10-11).
There is a change that takes place. Those whom God the Father and Jesus Christ call and they repent and receive the Holy Spirit, through the Word of God and the Spirit of God, are given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven!
Part of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven is to understand God's Plan! God's Plan, as we have seen, is laid out in a step-by-step manner beginning with the Passover to the Last Great Day, which is this day. We will see that this is truly the greatest day, because of what God is going to do and how He is going to do it.
Let's finish reading this section, because this is very profound and it has an awful lot to do with our salvation; and then we will see later on, with the salvation of the rest of the people who, down through history, have not been given that opportunity.
Verse 12: "For whoever has understanding, to him more shall be given, and he shall have an abundance, but whoever does not have understanding, even what he has shall be taken away from him."
When we make choices the wrong way, then God even removes what we have from us. We've seen that happen, too, down through the years.
Verse 13: "For this reason I speak to them in parables... [here He quotes Isaiah] ...because seeing, they see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, 'In hearing you shall hear, and in no way understand; and in seeing you shall see, and in no way perceive; for the heart of this people has grown fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed…'" (vs 13-15).
Remember when the children of Israel were gathered at the foot of Mount Sinai. God spoke to them the Ten Commandments. What was their response?
Oh! Moses! Don't let God speak to us! You speak to God, and you tell us. Then we'll do what God says.
So, right in the presence of God, what did they do? They stopped their ears and they closed their eyes!
"...lest they should see with their eyes, and should hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (v 15).
A lot of people are under the false and mistaken conclusion that God wants to save everybody now. We're going to look at some Scriptures that show that God wants to save everyone that's possible to save. When and how is He going to do this?
I want you to think about this in relationship to what you know from the Word of God, in relationship to God's Spirit being within you, and understanding the Word of God, and understanding the Plan of God, and knowing the things that you know.
Verse 16: "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see, and have not seen; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard" (vs 16-17). So that is an amazing thing!
Let's look at some Scriptures that seem to contradict what we have said. John 3:16 is the one that the whole Protestant world relies upon:
John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life."
Therefore, if you just believe in the name of Jesus you are saved. But then there are false Christ's, false apostles and false teachings. This kind of looks like that God wants everybody saved.
2-Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not delaying the promise of His coming, as some in their own minds reckon delay; rather, He is longsuffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
There are two key things here. God is not willing that they perish, but come to repentance! That's a key thing to understand, because repentance is something that has to come from God! Repentance is a two-way thing.
- we have to come to ourselves to recognize that we are sinners
- God has to grant us repentance
Since God hasn't offered this to all people at the present time, when is it going to happen? Because He doesn't want all to perish! He wants them all to come to the knowledge of the Truth.
How is God going to do this? We also have to say that God gives choice, so man's choice is there. When man chooses that becomes his responsibility. IF man chooses to follow God, that's one proposition. IF man chooses to go his own way and reject God, that's another proposition. Either way, it doesn't change God's desire! But that's how important choice is.
1-Timothy 2:4: "Who [God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth." That's a very important verse!
- How are they going to come to the knowledge of the Truth, when they didn't have the knowledge of the Truth given to them?
- Whose fault is that? That's God's fault!
- What is God going to do about it?
- Is God going to be unfair?
Let's see another statement that's very important. IF God calls some and not others, and IF God gives eternal life to some and not others, is not God a respecter of persons? IF God is a respecter of persons, then does that not contradict the Scriptures that say that God is not a respecter of persons?
Romans 2:11: "Because there is no respect of persons with God."
It would seem that God was a respecter of persons if we put together the Scriptures that we have covered? There's another thing that takes place besides man's choice. We'll come back this, because we will see that God is not a respecter of persons. But let's look at some other things.
There's another factor out there, because when Adam and Eve chose to follow Satan the devil, it literally loosed Satan the devil upon this world! He is 'the prince of the power of the air,' and he is also 'the god of this world,' as we saw on the Day of Atonement. Those who have their eyes blinded and their minds blinded have been blinded by Satan the devil! Who let him be there? God did!
2-Corinthians 3:14: "But their minds were blinded..."
That is talking about the children of Israel while they were there in the wilderness with Moses. Their minds were blinded.
"...for to the present hour the same veil has not been removed, but remains at the reading of the Old Covenant; which veil is removed in Christ" (v 14).
2-Corinthians 4:4: "In whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, lest the Light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
- How is God going to solve this problem?
- How is God going to clear up this dilemma? Because it is a dilemma!
It's one that people look out there and see, and rightly see, that it is a difficulty!
Let's see how Paul talks about it here concerning Israel. Israel, the twelve tribes of Israel that God has chosen; and let's see what happened to them. In Rom. 11 we begin to understand how God is going to do it. God closed the minds of the children of Israel.
- He cut off the rest of the world
- He blinded their eyes
- He blinded their understanding
- He didn't call them
- What is God going to do?
- How is God going to do it?
Romans 11:7: "What then? What Israel was seeking through works, this it did not obtain. But the election..."
Those whom God called, meaning selected. So, you have in this world the selected, or election, and the un-elected, or the un-selected.
"…But the election obtained it through grace, and the rest were hardened, (according as it is written, 'God gave them a spirit of slumber, eyes that are not able to see, and ears that are not able to hear,') unto this day. David also says, 'Let their table be for a snare and for a trap, and for a stumbling block, and for a recompense to them; let their eyes be darkened so that they are not able to see, and bow down their backs continually'" (vs 7-10).
That's a pretty harsh quote! What Paul is writing here about Israel; this is something!
Verse 11: "Therefore I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? MAY IT NEVER BE! But by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles for the purpose of provoking them to jealousy. Now, if their transgression be the riches of the world, and their failure be the wealth of the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be?" (vs 11-12).
Paul begins to clarify it. He begins to see that God has in His Plan a way to resolve it. We will find through the Scriptures that there is a way to resolve all of these things.
Verse 25: "For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this mystery, brethren..."
That's why I say it is the answer, the mystery of the ages, because this is the mystery of God.
"...in order that you may not be wise in your own conceits: that a partial hardening of the heart has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved..." (vs 25-26). The question is:
- When?
- How?
- Under what circumstances?
If they've already lived their lives and died, not having had an opportunity for salvation because God has cut them off, and God has given them blindness:
- How is He going to solve this?
- How is He going to fulfill it?
Verse 26: "And so all Israel shall be saved, according as it is written: 'Out of Sion shall come the Deliverer, and He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. for this is My covenant, which I will make with them when I have taken away their sins'" (vs 26-27).
I tell you, it's really something what God is going to do. That's why this Last Great Day is the great day. It is the great day of God, because God is going to undo all of these things.
Verse 30: "For just as you once… [he's talking to the Gentiles] …did not believe God, but have now been shown mercy through their unbelief, in the same way also, they have not believed at this time in order that through the mercy shown to you, they also may have mercy shown to them. For God has given them all over to unbelief... [Why?] ...in order that He might show mercy to all" (vs 30-32).
When? Paul knew that it was going to come. but he didn't know when! So he says:
Verse 33: "O the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unfathomable are His judgments and unsearchable are His ways! For who did know the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who first gave to Him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? For from Him, and through Him, and unto Him are all things; to Him be the glory into the ages of eternity. Amen" (vs. 30-36). So Paul is literally saying here:
It's in God's hands, but He's going to do it. He has promised. I know the Old Testament well enough to understand that God is going to do it.
Now we're going to see how God is going to do it, when He's going to do it. That is the great treasure of the Last Great Day.
Let's understand why God gave the creation over to these things, like we just described. Of what advantage is it to God to do so? It is for their salvation in the end run! But since God gave free moral agency and free choice, we are to choose, every human being has to choose. If they choose not to go God's way they are blinded, and they remain cut off from God.
- Why did God do this?
- How is he going to solve the problem?
Romans 8:20: "Because the creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him who subjected it in hope,"
- What is their hope if they are dead and gone?
- What chance is there for salvation for them?
Verse 21: "In order that the creation itself might be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." t's going to be a future thing!
We have seen down through the Millennium how God is going to do it. We've seen that there are going to be literally billions come into the Kingdom of God through the operation of salvation all during the Millennium.
Now is the time to begin to understand. Let's see something very important. We will look at all, all of the things that God has had for us so that we can understand. We know about the first resurrection. We know that when Christ returns (1 Cor. 15), all those who are Christ's will be resurrected as firstfruits. That we know from Pentecost, and from the Scriptures. Here is a very important verse:
Revelation 20:5: "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed…."
Who are "…the rest of the dead…"? The rest of the dead has to include all of those who are not in the first resurrection! Because he clearly says here, this is the first resurrection. As we've read:
Verse 6: "Blessed and Holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; 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."
What else does this tell us?
Verse 5: "…the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were completed…."
That means a resurrection! If you're dead and you live again you've been resurrected back to life. When will this take place?
Verse 11: "Then I saw a great white Throne and the One Who was sitting on it, from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and no place was found for them."
In other words, there were so many who are resurrected: "…the rest of the dead…"
How many can that be? Billions and billions down through the history of all of mankind! So this must have been quite a sight!
Verse 12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God…" That's quite a thing!
This occurs right after the Millennium comes to an end. This is called the Great White Throne Judgment because it's a period of judgment, and there is the Great White Throne.
Now then, let's understand what Jesus said about this time. We will see as we go along how this is going to be accomplished.
Matthew 12:31—Jesus says: "Because of this, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men except the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit; that shall not be forgiven to men."
This shows that there is a very narrow category of unforgivable sins: blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. As we have seen in the series of Hebrews, it is a deliberate, premeditated, willful rejection of
- God and Christ
- His Word
- His Sabbath
- everything to do with God
It is that which is of such a nature that there is:
- no remorse
- no desire for forgiveness
- no desire for repentance
It is a willful, deliberate choice! Now there will be some who will choose that. That is the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!
Verse 32—here Christ shows the difference: "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age nor in the coming age."
What do you mean, "…coming age"? That is the age that we're talking about right now, the age of the Great White Throne Judgment! That is the age that is coming, which takes place after the Millennium.
Verse 36: "But I say to you, for every idle word that men may speak... [this is a broad general statement] ...they shall be held accountable in the Day of Judgment"—because there is a day of judgment!
We're going to see that they're—and we've already covered what the unpardonable sin is—going to be resurrected to live a second time, to die a second time! God has ordained that all of the incorrigible wicked die twice. Their judgment comes all at once. What about this:
Verse 37: "For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned."
The Jews wanted a sign, and Jesus said He wouldn't give them a sign except the sign of Jonah[transcriber's correction].
Verse 41: "The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation..."
This gives us some understanding as to when this will be, because there's a difference of about 900-1,000 years between the time of Jonah and Nineveh, and the time of Christ and the men of that generation. But it says they:
"...shall stand up… [be resurrected] …in the judgment with… [along side] …this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation… [showing, at the same time] …and shall condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here" (vs 41-42). They're going to be resurrected!
We know of the resurrection to eternal life! We've seen the resurrection, which is going to be in the Great White Throne Judgment, and these people are raised back to life. We saw that the incorrigible wicked are going to die twice. Now then, let's see what Jesus said:
John 5:25: "Truly, truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. For even as the Father has life in Himself, so also has He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and has also given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of man. Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves shall hear His voice" (vs 25-28).
It's says all! Now we've seen the two categories already:
- those who are Christ's at His coming
- those at the end of the thousand years
That's all! It's a matter of timing, and it's a matter of God's Plan.
Verse 29: "And shall come forth: those who have practiced good unto a resurrection of life... [be it spirit life or physical life] ...and those who have practiced evil unto a resurrection of judgment"—or damnation!
Now that's really quite a very profound thing for us to understand, and for us to realize here.
Rom. 2 is a verse that is misunderstood. Some people say that it doesn't matter who you are, or where you are, if you try and live a good life, you'll receive eternal life, even the Gentiles who never had the Word of God.
Romans 2:14: "For when the Gentiles, which do not have the Law, practice by nature the things contained in the Law, these who do not have the Law are a law unto themselves."
These are the, what you might call 'good, sincere, upright people' in the world who are trying to live by the rule of law. Now they have the law of sin and death in them, in their nature, and they are trying to do what is right in their own eyes. They don't understand God's Word, but they realize there needs to be morality to live. That's what Paul is talking about here.
Verse 15: "Who show the work of the Law written in their own hearts, their consciences bearing witness, and their reasonings also as they accuse or defend one another); in a day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my Gospel" (vs 15-16).
- Does this mean they're going to receive the eternal life?
- having not known the Law?
- having not known the Gospel?
- Is God double-standard? No, He isn't!
There's one standard! There's one way! That's through Christ! But what does this mean? Just as we read in Matt. 12, that they will be raised back to a physical life!
- What for?
- Why back to physical life?
- Why be raised back to a physical life?
- What is the purpose in that?
In John 11:23 we have the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead, who was dead for four days. This was before Jesus was ascended; this was before His crucifixion. What do we have? This shows the resurrection back to physical life for an opportunity for salvation!
I won't go through the whole thing here, but let's pick it up when Jesus comes to Martha, she comes out to Jesus.
John 11:23: "Jesus said to her, 'Your brother shall rise again.' Martha said to Him, 'I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day'" (vs 23-24). {transcriber's note: since the giving of this message we now know that this means Pentecost, not the LGD}
Verse 25: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he die, shall live again; and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall not die forever. Do you believe this?' She said to Him, 'Yes, Lord; I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, Who was to come into the world'" (vs 25-27).
So the rest of the account here was that Lazarus was brought back to life, though he were dead for four days. He was able to live, be there at Pentecost on 30A.D. and received the Holy Spirit so he can be in the first resurrection. If Jesus had not raised him, then he would not have had that opportunity.
So, the very purpose that Jesus did in raising Lazarus from the dead was to set the precedent and to show that when a person has not committed the unpardonable, incorrigible sin, that he or she will be resurrected back to life so that they may receive an opportunity for salvation.
Now then, this helps answer the question as to when Israel is going to be saved, and as to when the rest of the dead live again, and in what condition they are going to be when they are raised. If that be so, what is going to happen to them?
Always on the Feast of the Last Great Day we come back to Ezek. 37. Let's understand that this is talking about a resurrection. This is not talking about the Jews coming back to the Holy Land, though the Jews interpret it that way. It has nothing to do with that. This has to do with the literal resurrection to a second physical life, and as we will see, for an opportunity for salvation.
Ezek. 37 is talking about the whole house of Israel, meaning, all the twelve tribes of Israel! We also know that Jesus said in Matt. 12 that the men of Nineveh, the queen of the south, who were typical of the Gentiles, that they will be raised in judgment with that generation. Ezek. 37 is the key that unlocks the mystery of how God is going to do it! Revelation tells us when He is going to do it, Ezekiel 37 tells us how He is going to do it, and what He is going to do.
We will see that God will be able to fulfill the Scripture that He desires all to come to repentance; that is, whoever chooses. He desires none should die, except for those wicked who choose to die.
Ezekiel 37:1: "The hand of the LORD was on me, and brought me by the Spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of a valley, and it was full of bones. And He made me walk among them all around. And behold, very many were in the open valley. And lo, they were very dry. And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'" (vs 1-3).
- If people die and are cremated, can they live again? Yes!
- What if people die in the ocean and they are eaten by sharks? Can they live? Yes!
- How is that possible? Because when a person dies, the spirit goes back to God!
The spirit must have a mind and must have a body in order to function, because God designed it that way. The spirit that is in man is not a spirit being. But it is as it says in John 1, that Light which enlightens all men. This gives us:
- intellect
- mind power
- a connection with God
So that when we receive the Holy Spirit we're able to have that unite with the spirit of our minds, and we become the begotten children of God! When we die the spirit goes back to God.
- Where is it? It's with God!
- What does He do with it? He doesn't tell us!
But we know that if our names are written in the Book of Life, then He's got to have someplace where He keeps all that information. On that spirit of every person is everything about that person, including all of the DNA and the RNA of what made this individual a person. So, at the resurrection, God puts that back into new earth, and behold, the same person is recreated.
Verse 3: "And He [the LORD God] said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.' Again He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD. Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live…" (vs 3-5).
Now if you breathe, this means that it is a second physical life, because they were dead. You don't have bones without having lived one time.
Verse 6: "And I will lay sinews on you, and will bring up flesh on you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live.... [a second physical life] ...And you shall know that I am the LORD."
Of course, that was the problem with the children of Israel! Though God:
- gave them His Laws
- gave them His Word
- sent the Prophets to them
They never knew God because they didn't obey God! Some few, always a remnant, did, but not very many!
Verse 7: "So, I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise. And behold, a shaking! And the bones came together, a bone to its bone. And as I watched, behold the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above. But there was no breath in them" (vs 7-8). Just a whole bunch of reconstructed human beings, in the flesh, that weren't yet living!
Verse 9: "And He said to me, 'Prophesy to the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, "Thus says the Lord GOD, 'Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain that they may live.'"' So, I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army…. [what an awesome thing this must have been] …And He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.…'" (vs. 9-11).
A second physical life! Because in the first physical life they were blinded. God blinded them! Since God blinded them, then it's God's responsibility to raise them back to life and give them an opportunity for salvation, or He could not fulfill the Scripture that He desired that all Israel shall be saved!
Notice, they recognize who they are. They recognize what they have done:
"...Behold, they say..." (v 11).
So now they have conscious thought again; they remembered that they had died, and now, lo and behold, they are alive.
"…'Our bones are dried and our hope is lost; we ourselves are completely cut off'" (v 11).
In other words, they said, 'We missed out on salvation.' No, they haven't! They missed out on salvation in their first life. But now here they have a second physical life and the opportunity for salvation.
Verse 12: "Therefore, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, O My people, I will open your [#1]graves... [you're dead in the grave] ...and cause you to come up out of your [#2]graves… [a resurrection] …and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD when I have opened your [#3]graves, O My people, and have brought you up out of your [#4]graves." (vs 12-13).
He mentions graves four times. This shows a resurrection back to a physical life. This is the rest of the dead who lived not again until the thousand years are finished! This is all Israel who had been blinded, who shall be saved, and we know it's going to happen to all the Gentile nations as well (Matt 12).
Verse 14—at this point they become converted: "'…And I shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. And you shall know that I the LORD have spoken it and have done it,' says the LORD."
That's quite a thing! This is the mystery of God that the world does not understand, nor can they understand it because they are all thinking they're going to heaven. So this is a phenomenal thing what God is going to do!
Rev. 20 let's see something here; put on our spiritual thinking caps. What does the Scripture say the wages of sin is? Death! These people have died once. They even said, 'For our part,' so they were living in sin! But they were cut off from God. They had not committed the unpardonable sin. So all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But those who have not committed the unpardonable sin, which is a sin unto death, as John says in 1-John 5, will be resurrected back to life for an opportunity for salvation!
Revelation 20:12, "And I saw the dead... [the rest of the dead who lived after the Millennium]...small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.... [they now have an opportunity for salvation] ...And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works."
When they died their first death that blotted out the sins they had in their first life. Now they have:
- a new start
- a new body
- a new mind
- a new time to live in which to be judged
- whether they will receive the salvation of God
- whether they will draw close to God
- whether they will repent
Because even though those sins were taken away by their death, they still have consciousness of it, because as it said there in Ezek. 37, 'We are cut off for our part.' They understood that they were living in sin, so there has to be some repentance involved, too.
Just like us, in the Church today, when is judgment upon us? Peter says that judgment is now on the House of God! So, we are being judged for eternal life now! They didn't have the opportunity for eternal life in their first life. So now they are going to be judged in their second physical life for an opportunity for salvation. You can't write in the judgment book, or the Book of Life, what they did in their first life, because that was not worthy of salvation. This means they have to live a period of time in order to:
- keep the commandments of God
- love God
- show that they desire the salvation of God
so they can come into the Kingdom of God!
Verse 13: "And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead that were in them; and they were judged individually, according to their works."
Isa. 65—here we're going to find in this section of Scripture that they're going to live for approximately 100 years. Now that ought to be plenty of time for them to know:
- whether they want salvation or not
- whether they're going to live God's way or not
- whether they can be taught of God's way or not
At this time God is going to undo all evil and all sin! He's going to resurrect all of those little children who have been killed and murdered, all those who have died in wars, all of those who died in the Flood. All the things that I started out this sermon with, God is going to resurrect these people and give them an opportunity for salvation! Now that's quite a thing! That is absolutely phenomenal! For them, it's going to be a wonderful time.
Isaiah 65:17: "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the former things will not be remembered, nor come to mind…. [there's going to be no comparison with that] …But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I will joy in My people; and the voice of weeping will no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There will not be an infant who lives but a few days... [they've got to stop childbirth somewhere, so there isn't going to be any more childbirth] ...nor an old man that has not filled his days, for the child will die a hundred years old... [come to the end of the life; they will either go into the Kingdom of God or go into the Lake of the Fire] ...but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed" (vs 17-20)—cut off from God, cast into the Lake of Fire!
Then it shows the rest of it here, that they're going to build houses and inhabit them, they're going to have a normal human life again. So that's going to be quite a thing. So they will live about 100 years.
Now then, let's look at the other category of people:
- those who are the wicked
- those who have committed the unpardonable sin in this life
- or those in the second resurrection when they are raised for an opportunity for salvation, and they turn it down
Luke 13 talks about weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Luke 13:24—Jesus said: "'Strive with your whole being to enter in through the narrow gate..."
That's going to be for them, too, at that time: 'Here's the way, walk in it.' The same rules and everything will apply to them in the Great White Throne Judgment when they live 100 years that applied to everybody during the Millennium. Walk in God's way!
"...for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, but shall not be able. 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'" (vs 24-25).
There will come a time when salvation will be shut. It's too late to knock on the door. When it comes for the time of the end of the 100-year period, then those who reject the salvation of God at that time will await the second death. Those who have committed the unpardonable sin and are in the graves now will be resurrected to stand right alongside all of the other incorrigible wicked, so that they will all receive the judgment of God at once at the same time.
Verse 26: "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 26-27).
Everyone who continues to desire to live in sin will be thrown into the Lake of Fire as Jesus says!
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. 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. And behold, there are the last who shall be first, and the first who shall be last" (vs 28-30)—That's how God works out the judgment!
Now remember we saw, to end the Millennium, Satan and his demons were cast into the Lake of Fire. Now we are going to see that the wicked are cast into the Lake of Fire, the same Lake of Fire that was prepared for Satan and the demons. Read all of Matt. 25, because each one of them tells us the conditions that rejects us from being in the Kingdom of God. In each case, when they commit the unpardonable sin.
Matt. 25:30—here is someone who rejected an opportunity for salvation in this life, and when they are resurrected in the second phase of the second resurrection at the end of the 100-year period, here's what's going to happen.
Matthew 25:30: "And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Verse 41: "Then shall He also say to those on the left, 'Depart from Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'" So they're going to be cast into the Lake of Fire!
Now let's see where that is literally fulfilled. Then:
- we will see what will happen to this Lake of Fire
- we will see what it will do to the wicked
- we will see what it will do to the earth
- we will see what God will do after that
Revelation 20:14: "And death and the grave were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death."
In order to die twice, you have to live twice. So God has determined that all of those who are the incorrigible wicked will die the second death! Now come over here and let's see the category of those.
Revelation 21:8: "But the cowardly... [not those who fear God, but they are afraid to love God, afraid to obey Him] ...and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers... [everyone who does not repent of murder] …and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."
This is going to be quite a conflagration, if we could put it that way. Not only is God going to burn up all the wicked and they become ashes, and their remembrance will be no more; they're not going to suffer in hell, tormented forever and ever, they're just going to be burned up and that's it. Because flesh cannot be tormented by fire day and night forever! If they're thrown in the Lake of Fire, they're going to burn up. Now let's see what that Lake of Fire is going to be.
2-Peter 3:10: "However, the Day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night in which the heaven itself shall disappear with a mighty roar, and the elements shall pass away, burning with intense heat, and the earth and the works in it shall be burned up."
So, this Lake of Fire is going to cover the whole earth. Exactly how God is going to do that, we'll just have to wait and see, we'll be able to see that.
All those who receive salvation will become spirit beings. All of us as spirit beings will not be affected by the Lake of Fire. But what God is going to do is prepare the earth and the heavens around the earth for the coming New Jerusalem, and a place for all the spirit sons and daughters of God to live with Him forever and ever.
Isn't that going to be something? And after everything is burned up and the fire is out, no one's going to put it out, it's an unquenchable fire. You can't put it out. It will burn of itself, burn out. Then God is going to do something greater.
Now then, we have a greater fulfillment of the Last Great Day, which is, a new heaven and a new earth. A whole spirit society for the Family of God to live together on this earth. What a tremendous thing this is going to be, brethren. God the Father and Jesus Christ are going to be here on this earth. And New Jerusalem will be here on this earth.
Revelation 21:1: "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea."
Totally evaporated. All burned up. And as spirit beings we won't need the sea to modify the temperature to make it livable for us. Because we'll be spirit. Temperature will not affect us.
Verse 2: "And I, John, saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from heaven say, 'Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men…" (vs 2-3)—men/women now made perfect, who are spirit beings; this includes men and women!
"...and He shall dwell with them..." (v 3).
That's what God started out to do clear back in Genesis, to live with His creation! The whole story of the Bible is God's Plan to make that a reality in the final analysis at the end, and here we see it fulfilled. God will dwell with them!
"...and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall not be anymore death... [because we're spirit beings, and will live forever] ...or sorrow, or crying; neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away" (vs 3-4).
That which is flesh is gone. We won't even remember these things:.
- all the trials and difficulties
- all the pain, agony and suffering
- all the wars
- all the death
- all the murder
- all the storms
Everything that you could imagine that human beings have gone through will be all solved and cured! We won't remember them anymore.
Verse 5: "And He Who sits on the Throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'.… [we have to have a new city, a new place to live; a new everything about it] …Then He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'"
So this Plan of God is going to happen. This Plan of God is going to be fulfilled as pictured by this Last Great Day.
Verse 6: "And He said to me, 'It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the one who thirsts, I will give freely of the fountain of the Water of Life.'"
That's something! All of us, brethren, we're going to be filled with the Spirit of God, live by the Spirit of God; those of us who are in the first resurrection we will live in New Jerusalem with Jesus Christ and God the Father forever and ever.
That's a tremendous thing for us to understand. That's why all the things that we go through, and all the things that we suffer are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us. That's why we go through the things that we do. Because we know the Plan of God, we understand what God is going to do; we realize how fantastic and marvelous and great, and what a mystery that God has revealed to us that the rest of the world doesn't even know. God has included us in it. Now then, He has included all of mankind; all of those who accept salvation.
Now let's see something about New Jerusalem. It's coming down out of heaven. It's going to be a city, four square, 12,000 furlongs on each side That's 1,500 miles square and high. Just how that will fit on the earth, we'll have to see. If you want to know how it's going to work, the only thing I can tell you is make sure of your salvation that you'll be there! Then you'll know.
Instead of reading of it here, you'll actually see it, you'll behold it, you'll live in it. Jesus said, 'In My Father's house—which is New Jerusalem—are many abodes'—dwelling places; I go and prepare a place for you, so that where I am you may also be' That is New Jerusalem!
You're going to have a place there that is all your own. You're going to have a new name written which is going to designate who you are and where you are going to live in New Jerusalem. I'll tell you what, you're just going to have to trust God in faith that He is going to have such a great and marvelous plan, as He unfolds the rest of His plan for all eternity for us.
We are going to, as spirit beings, have the greatest, most wonderful, fulfilling, kind of work and task and life that we cannot even think of or imagine. That's why Paul said, 'We look through a glass darkly, but then face-to-face' That's exactly what it's going to be. It's going to be so absolutely fantastic! It says that the streets of the city are pure gold, as it were transparent glass. Now I don't know how you can get pure gold as transparent glass. It lists all the jewels and everything that God has built into New Jerusalem and it comes down from God. That means God the Father and Jesus Christ have overseen the construction of New Jerusalem. Jesus is preparing that place for you!
After we've gone through the whole thing concerning the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle of God, the Temple of God, and all of these temporary things, now we come down to the final spiritual reality and being with God the Father and Jesus Christ, and there is no temple, there is no temple!
Verse 22: "And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it."
Isn't that something? God is going to fulfill the desire of His heart, that He is going to dwell with His people! He will fulfill the desire of your heart so that you can dwell with Him.
Verse 23: "And the city has no need of the sun... [though there will be the sun] ...or of the moon that they should shine in it..."—but there will be the moon to shine on it. Didn't have the need of it! Not like it was at the creation in the beginning.
"...because the glory of God enlightens it, and the Light of it is the Lamb. And the nations that are saved shall walk in its Light…" (vs 23-24).
How God is going to do that, and the plan that He has for all of those who are saved to live forever through all eternity:
- in joy
- in happiness
- in peace
- in love
- in understanding
- in work and accomplishment.
IF you don't think it's going to be awesome, THEN you just look at some of these pictures of the universe and the galaxies and stars and the things that are out there. Absolutely marvelous!
"...and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it…. [God is going to be productive here] …And its gates shall never be shut by day; for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it" (vs 24-26).
Generally meaning the wealth that they produce; and God is wealthy. God has given us an inheritance and He is going to share that with us, and that is absolutely marvelous.
Verse 27: "And nothing that defiles shall ever enter into it, nor shall anyone who practices an abomination or devises a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life."
Revelation 22:1: "Then he showed me a pure river of the Water of Life clear as crystal, flowing out from the Throne of God and of the Lamb."
We're constantly going to be living and existing because of the power of God's Holy Spirit. That's coming out of the Throne of God and the Lamb.
Verse 2: "And in the middle of the street... [this is all symbolic showing that we are going to be living spiritually] ...and on this side and that side of the river, was the Tree of Life..."
- no Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
- no Satan the devil
- no demons
Only God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Tree of Life!
"...producing twelve manner of fruits, each month yielding its fruit; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.... [the maintenance of the nations; and that is, the nations that were saved] …And there shall be no more curse; and the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face..." (vs 2-4)—see God face-to-face!
Brethren, that ought to be such a burning thing in our lives, of hope, imagination and understanding, to see God face-to-face and say, 'Father, I love you,' and to hear back from Him that He loves us. What a tremendous thing, brethren.
"...and His name is in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; for they have no need of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God enlightens them; and they shall reign into the ages of eternity. And he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true..." [they're going to happen, brethren, because God says so] ...and the Lord God of the Holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things that must shortly come to pass" (vs 4-6).
Verse 12—Jesus says: "'And behold, I am coming quickly... [time is shorter than it ever was] ...and My reward is with Me, to render to each one according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" (vs 12-13).
There we are. Right with Christ. Now notice this blessing.
- Is it worth it, keeping the commandments of God?
- Is it worth it, doing the things that God commands?
- Is it worth it, to keeping the Feasts of God?
- Is it worth it to keep His Sabbath, His Holy Days, and live God's ways?
Verse 14. "Blessed are those who keep His commandments, that they may have the right to eat of the Tree of Life, and may enter by the gates into the city." We need to do is keep our minds focused on that!
Let's finish by going through Eph. 3, because God has such a tremendous thing for us. Remember what it says there in 1 Cor. 2: 'The eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love Him.'
- Do you love God?
- Are you grounded in His love?
Let's take this next year, between this Last Great Day and the next Last Great Day, to be inspired, to be determined to:
- walk in God's way
- walk in His love
- be faithful
- be loving
- be kind
- be zealous
- be studious
- really understand and drink in of the Word and Spirit of God
The Apostle Paul had this special revelation given to him. He says that this was given:
Ephesians 3:9: "And that I might enlighten all as to what is the fellowship of the mystery..."
Yes, and we have just understood this mystery! Our ultimate fellowship will be truly with God, personally, face-to-face.
"...that has been hidden from the ages in God, Who created all things by Jesus Christ; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the Church to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places... [God has revealed it to His Church so that even they may understand] …according to His eternal purpose, which He has wrought in Christ Jesus our Lord" (vs 9-11).
God is going to fill it! We just saw what that eternal purpose is, and the hope, and the end of that eternal purpose.
Verse 14: "For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... [we should also, continually] ...of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named" (vs. 14-15).
We saw in Rev. 22 how that all the Family of God in heaven and earth are going to come together in New Jerusalem. This is our parting thought for the Feast. As you leave the Feast:
- I want you to grasp this
- I want you to think on this
- I want you to pray about this
- I want you to use this as a continuous guide in your Christian growth
Verse 16: "That He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man... [to have that strength in you by the love of God] … that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith... [that you have the mind of Christ and understanding of Christ] ...and that being rooted and grounded in love..." (vs 16-18).
Never forget, brethren, that it is the love of God to you and your love back to Him that is the cement that holds all of this together, the spiritual glue which makes it a reality.
"…you may be fully able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height" (v 18).
That is, of God's Plan, which we have just covered in a magnificent way, going through all the Holy Days this year.
Verse 19: "And to know the love of Christ..." That you really:
- know it
- understand it
- live with it
- believe it
that it is part of you by the very Spirit of God!.
"…which surpasses human knowledge... [all human knowledge cannot be compared] ...so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (v 19).
Let that statement sink in: being filled with the fullness of God:
- to be as God is
- to be His son or daughter
Verse 20: "Now, to Him Who is able… [has the power] …to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, to Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all generations, even into the ages of eternity. Amen" (vs 20-21).
Brethren, when Rev. 21 & 22 are fulfilled, then God will say, 'Step out into eternity for the rest of your spiritual life'!
Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version
Scriptural References:
- 1 Samuel 15:1-3
- Isaiah 6:1-3, 5-10
- Matthew 13:10-17
- John 3:16
- 2 Peter 3:9
- 1 Timothy 2:4
- Romans 2:11
- 2 Corinthians 3:14
- 1 Corinthians 4:4
- Romans 11:7-12, 25-27, 30-36
- Romans 8:20-21
- Revelation 20:5-6, 5, 11-12
- Matthew 12:31-32, 36-37, 41-42
- John 5:25-28
- Romans 2:14-16
- John 11:23-27
- Ezekiel 37:1-14
- Revelation 20:12-13
- Isaiah 65:17-20
- Luke 13:24-30
- Matthew 25:30, 41
- Revelation 20:14
- Revelation 21:8
- 2 Peter 3:10
- Revelation 21:1-6, 22-27
- Revelation 22:1-5, 12-14
- Ephesians 3:9-21
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- 1 Corinthians 15
- John 1
- 1 John 5
- 1 Corinthians 2
FRC:
(original transcriber unknown)
Reformatted: bo—6/2023
