The Last Great Day 2009—Live

The Second Resurrection & The Second Death

Fred R. Coulter—October 10, 2009

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As you know, yesterday officially ended the Feast of Tabernacles, and it's necessary to have this day and the meaning of this day, because it answers all the questions that people have wondered about life and about God.

People look in the Bible and try and understand it without the knowledge of God's Word, the way that He opens our understanding to it, and they try and understand it without using it the way that God says—line upon line, here a little, there little and without God's Spirit—because God's Spirit reveals things to us that people in the world cannot understand.

When we come to Lev. 23 we find something very unusual about this day. As a matter of fact, we are going to see that this day if you will just read the Bible and which days you would keep, what would you find? That this day, on the surface, is probably the least significant of them all!

Moses was told by God, Leviticus 23:34: "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. You shall do no servile work therein. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD….'" (vs 34-36). These are all the official offerings listed in Num. 29.

"…On the eighth day shall be a Holy convocation to you…." (v 36). That's about all the Old Testament tells us about the Last Great Day!

When you look at the Bible when God wants to emphasize something it's repeated over and over again; look at the Sabbath. How many times is that talked about? But the truth is, in order to understand the eighth day you must first begin with the Sabbath!

"…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 to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, everything on its day; besides the Sabbaths of the LORD, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD" (vs 36-38).

This tells us an awful lot of what we are to do in responding to God and giving offerings and things like this. As you know we try and make every dollar go as far as we can with the offerings that we do collect and every year we send you out an annual report as to where the money went.

(pause for offering)

Now let's look at this a little more concerning the Last Great Day. We will see that there are certain keys to take place in understanding,
which also have to do with some kind of very remote Scriptures not repeated

• it has to do with the spirit of man
• it has to do with how can God—Who is a God of love—allow all the war, destruction and everything to go on?
• if He's a God of love why did He kill everyone with a flood?

People can't understand that, because they misunderstand love, and they misunderstand God because God is also Judge.

Since He created and gave the laws then there are blessings for obedience, and there are cursing for disobedience, which apply to everyone in the world because God is no respecter of persons. We have seen that many times God reaches down and chooses the least.

• Who is the most noted king of Israel? David!
• Remember when Samuel was sent down to Jesse's house?
• How many sons passed before him twice? Seven!

God kept saying to Samuel, 'No, not him.' Then the next one to come along and Samuel said, 'This really looks like one.' God said no!

After the second time of going around the seven sons, He said, 'Jesse do you have another son?' Oh yeah, I've got a little young son out there tending the sheep in the field. He said, 'Go get him, he's going to be king.' So, God selected the least!

Now let's look at how God follows through with this principle, and let's see how God likens the Kingdom of Heaven. When you look at all the people of God combined we are perhaps the smallest group of people in the entire world. We have all of our problems, difficulties, shortcomings, weaknesses and things like this that we all have. Yet:

• God has called us
• God uses us
• God has given us His Spirit

and that Spirit is for eternal life

• God has given us understanding through His Spirit
• God has also set certain limits

He doesn't give His Holy Spirit to everyone. What are the limits? You have to repent, be baptized, obey Him and love Him! That's why with what we're going to cover today:

• without the knowledge of how to study the Bible
• without the Spirit of God to reveal it to us

you'd never know what is the eighth day!

Someone thinking about this would say, 'Isn't that day they circumcise male boys?' Yes, but this has nothing to do with that! Doesn't the eighth day have to do with being cleansed after you had some sickness or something? Yes, it has to do with that!

But what does this eighth day have to do with anything? Because as far as the Feasts of God are concerned it looks just kind of like a second thought added on, saying, 'With the Feast of Tabernacle seven days, we really need one more day; let's make one additional day about it. That's not how it came about. So, let's first of all look at the least. Christ gave this parable so we can understand it.

Matthew 13:31: "Another parable He presented to them, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a tiny mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; which indeed is very small among all the seeds; but after it is grown, it is greater than all the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and roost in its branches'" (vs 31-32).

Quite an interesting way to liken the Kingdom of God. The least! Let's see how else Jesus compares it; how He looks at the least. Here's a lesson for the disciples:

Luke 9:46: "Then an argument arose among them which was this: who would be the greatest among them."

This tells you they understood something about the Kingdom of God and why God called them and so they're all jockeying for position, who's going to be the greatest?

Well, James and John's mother thought that her sons should be the greatest on the right-hand and left-hand of Christ. He said, 'That's not Mine to give; you don't know what you're asking for.' So, they still had an argument.

Verse 47: "And when Jesus perceived the thoughts of their hearts, He took hold of a little child and set it by Him, and said to them, 'Whoever shall receive this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever shall receive Me receives Him Who sent Me. For the one who is least among you all shall be great'" (vs 47-48). God doesn't want us to get all uplifted in:

• who is the greatest
• who is in charge
• who is the mucky-muck
• who is the under muck
• who is the higher mucks

and have a hierarchy and a structure!

Well, likewise with the Last Great Day. It's only mentioned as the eighth day, and we find a little insight into it (John 7). This was a special ceremony that occurred right as the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles was ending and it was called the ceremony of water where they would pour the water out around the altar. This one doesn't tell us much about it either. But here we get an inkling of it.

John 7:37: "Now, in the last day, the great day of the Feast… [that's where we get the Last Great Day] …Jesus stood and called out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'" (vs 37-38).

They still didn't understand what that was. How can rivers of living water flow out of your belly? That's kind of hard to take in.

Verse 39: "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, which those who believed in Him would soon receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified."

Even this doesn't tell us very much; but it tells us that what he's saying here, v 38: "The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said…"

• How are you going to reconcile that with other Scriptures where we have read that God has blinded them?
• If God blinds them, is He deliberately denying them salvation?
• Why would He blind them?

There would be a lot of people who would believe in Jesus had they had the opportunity.

• How are you going to count everybody from creation down to the ministry of Jesus Christ?
• Who never heard the name?
• Who never understood what God was going to do?

Then you go forward from there and Jesus says that 'many are called but few are chosen,' and few are chosen because few repent.

• What happens to all of those who die?
• Are they lost?

Some people would say. 'Yeah, they're lost.'

• If they're lost and God only chooses a few how could this verse be true?
• How could it be true that 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whomsoever believes in Him may not perish and may receive eternal life'?
• How are you going to reconcile whomever with just a few?

It's all tied in this day!

Rev. 20 is another insignificant Scripture when you read it you can read it and pass over it. But remember that all Scripture is God breathed and that means each and every one is inspired of God. Here's a parenthetical statement; just one statement, which really is the key that helps unlock the meaning of the Last Great Day.

We have the symbolism of the Holy Days that the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the Millennium. We can add all kinds of Scripture to that, which we have over and over again down through the years, showing that that's exactly what's going to happen. We think oh good we're going to be there, we're going to rule and reign with Christ and that's going to be fine.

Revelation 20:5: "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed…."

That one parenthetical statement is the key. Who are the rest of the dead? Who are the dead that it's talking about here before that are raised in the first resurrection, and we know they belong to Christ.

Let's see how we have another sentence that you can read along read over it and you can miss the meaning of it. Because after all a lot of people read through the Bible to understand the important things and maybe the important things don't come from everything that's repeated over and over again. Maybe some of the most important things come from what people consider the least.

We would have to conclude very clearly that when you look at the Churches of God today we're the very least of anything anywhere!

1-Corinthians 15:20: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead; He has become the Firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by a Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die… [all inclusive] …so also in Christ shall all be made alive" (vs 20-22).

• How is that going to happen?
• How can God do such a thing?

Verse 23: "But each in his own order: Christ the Firstfruit; then those who are Christ's at His coming."

Even the Apostle Paul did not know about Rev. 20:5 because he died some 30 years before John wrote it. So, he couldn't know about it.

Revelation 20:5: "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed." We now have two categories of people:

• those in what is called the first resurrection that is coming
• the rest of the dead will live again but they come in a certain order

We're also going to find out that this applies to the incorrigible wicked, because all means each and every one. God has a plan of doing that.

• How can He do that?
• How are you going to resurrect all those people who died in the Flood?

I mean surely that was the greatest shark feast ever!

How God uses different animals even way down deep in the depths of the ocean to keep the ocean floor clean, they're long gone. Others have been buried, and they've become dust of the earth. Dust you are and unto dust you shall return!

How is God going to do it? You look at some of these bones, you look at some of the some of the mummies of the Egyptians, you look at all of those who died with the great Emperor of China, the 3,000 soldiers that were killed with him. They had all the images of all of them there. What about them? How is God going to do that?

Let's see something else about what God says that He wants to do with people. What God really desires. If God really desires this:

• Why does He cut them off short?
• Why are there infant deaths?
• How is God going to handle the problem of abortion?

We're not the first generation that devised abortion!

• How about those who are stillborn?
• How about those who die right after they're born?
• How about those who die before they even reach age five?

In most civilizations child death was the highest number of those who died!

• What is God going to do with them?

Since He talks about the least as a little child:

• What is He going to do about all the children that have died?

Then you can think about all the wars in all the goriness of it and all of the killings and things like that.

• How does that square with this verse?

1-Timothy 2:1: "I exhort, therefore, first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men."

In other places we're told not to pray for the world because they won't hear you. Here he says pray for the world and there is a specific reason for it.

Verse 2: "For kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all Godliness and respectability." We need that today to do the things that God wants us to do in addition to it!

Verse 3: For this is good and acceptable before God our Savior… [this is God's desire in originally creating man] …Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth" (vs 3-4).

• How can that be?
• How can you come to the knowledge of the Truth if you never had the Bible, which is the Truth of God?
• How can you come to the knowledge of the Truth if you were from a nation that never knew anything about God?

But that's God's desire! These look like almost contradictory things that you find in the Bible.

• How is God going to accomplish this?
• By what means will He do it?

It's very self-evident when we read these things and just look at the way that life is that surely they're not going to come back with the same body.

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." This presents another problem:

• How can you come to repentance without the knowledge of the Truth?
• How can you come to repentance without the knowledge of God?
• How can you come to repentance unto salvation when God has to give it?

Romans 2:4: "Or do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the graciousness of God leads you to repentance?"

These are all the questions that we're going to see that are answered in this Last Great Day. Think of it this way: We know that it says that Satan the devil has blinded the eyes of those who don't believe so that they wouldn't understand the Gospel (2-Cor. 4). If God wants all of this to happen why does He blind them?

Even the Apostle Paul could not understand this. He understood that God cut the Jews off from being able to understand and was grafting in the Gentiles, and he explains it this way:

Romans 11:17: "But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and you became a fellow partaker of the root and of the fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches; but if you are boasting against them, remember that you do not bear the root; rather, the root bears you" (vs 17-18).

That's exactly what happened with Roman Catholicism. They left off everything from the Old Testament.

Verse 19: "Will you then say, 'The branches were broken off in order that I might be grafted in'? That is true! Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He not spare you either. Therefore, behold the graciousness and the severity of God: upon those who fell, severity; and upon you, graciousness, if you continue in His graciousness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, shall be grafted in because God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from an olive tree which by nature is wild, and contrary to nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more shall those who according to nature were from the good olive tree be grafted back into their own olive tree?" (vs 19-24).

He makes a very interesting statement here. All of this is given in this way to explain something that he didn't have the complete answer for.

Verse 25: "For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this mystery, brethren, 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… [that's going to happen; this day helps to answer it] …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.' On the one hand, concerning the Gospel, they are enemies for your sakes; but on the other hand, concerning the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes" (vs 25-28).

They're still descendents of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. This shows Paul really trying to explain something but he's fishing for an answer. Let's see what his answer really is.

Verse 29: "Because the gifts and the calling of God are never revoked." In other words the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are still the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! God's purpose is never revoked He carries it out and as we know according to the plan of God and His Holy Days and so forth.

Verse 30: "For just as you once 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…" (vs 30-31). This is talking about another time, implying another time in the future!

"…in order that through the mercy shown to you, they also may have mercy shown to them…. [When?] …For God has given them all over to unbelief in order that He might show mercy to all…. [How?] …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!" (vs 31-33).

He saying, 'I know it's going to happen but I don't know how it's going to happen.'

Verse 34: "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 34-36)

That's as far as Paul got; John added more to it. Let's talk about the spirit of man. The spirit of man, the record of God, and the knowledge of the life of every human being is bound up in the spirit of man. What did Jesus tell the disciples? 'Fear not, you're greater than all the birds and even all the hairs on your head are numbered!'

I think that has more to do with just a specific number of counting. Because there would be some of us who would feel deprived. What is contained in every cell of your body? Your genetic code! They can identify you from a piece of hair, a piece skin, some saliva, blood, any part of the body. They can analyze it and they can know and determine with a variable of one in tens of billions that it's absolutely correct.

• Why did God make us that way?
• For what purpose?
  • so He can identify us
  • so He will never lose one

James 2:26: "For as the body without the spirit is dead…" If the spirit of man leaves you, the body is dead! What is the spirit of man? The spirit of man obviously gives life!

It's just like a lot of things we know with electricity today. You can have many different apparatuses now we we've got some right up here in front: we've got a projector for the DVDs, a player for the CDs and the music, and you would never know except that you understood the technology when you look at a CD, that it has recordings on it. It's there! Just like with your genes and chromosomes. Everything that you are as we pointed out yesterday make a pinpoint with your pen and that's how you started out.

But everything about you is contained in that little point. It's the spirit that gives life! They know that the instant life is conceived in the egg of the mother, penetrated by the sperm, there is 480,000 volts of electricity instantly. The egg is sealed and you are conceived. That's how we all began. What is it that does that? It has to be the Spirit! It says that there is a spirit in man (1-Cor. 2), and without the spirit you're dead! This is the key on how God keeps track of all human beings.

Ecclesiastes 3:11: "He has made everything beautiful in its time; He has also set eternity in their heart…"—because man with the spirit of man is able to think beyond his own body! Beyond his own time!

He's able to comprehend things going into the future and comprehend things going into the past. Yet, isn't it unique to show you how eternity is put in us from this point of view? Though there was a time when we didn't exist we can never think of that time.

There is coming a time when we will cease to exist physically. We know it's coming and we can contemplated it, but we cannot really understand it. That's because of the spirit of man. That's why men, even cut off from God, are 'religious.' That's why they think about a pre-life and afterlife and you know all of these sorts of things with their various religions and that's the heart and core of the religions.

Then you intermix that with the deception of Satan the devil and the demons and you got the spiritual stew that makes up the world's religions.

Verse 14 shows that Solomon understood certain things but he's going to give us some clues about the spirit of man. Because every human being has to have the spirit of man.

When conversion comes, the Holy Spirit from God unites with the spirit of man in our mind. So, this is how we become the beginning of a new creation. That's why repentance and baptism is important. It has to be!

Verse 14: "I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it… [by a man] …and God does it so that men should fear before Him. That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires an account of that which is past" (vs 14-15).

Then he looked around and he saw things take place and we look at it and see it we even wonder today.

Verse 16: "And again I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there… [we're getting a lot of that today] …and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there."

Men always get things confused and mixed up. Men always, under the inspiration of Satan the devil, turn things around and evil becomes good and good becomes evil. That's why all societies fall.

Verse 17: "I said in my heart, 'God shall judge the righteous and the wicked…'" There's a judgment in this life, and we also know there's another judgment later.

"'…for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.'…. [same way with God; same way with our lives] …I said in my heart, 'Concerning the matter of the sons of men, may God reveal to them, that they might see, that they themselves are but beasts'" (vs 17-18). That's what the nations of the world are pictured as!

Then he goes on and he makes the statement, which is which is really very revealing when we put it together with the other Scriptures.

Verse 19: "For that which happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts—even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so dies the other; yea, they all have one breath…" We all have to breathe oxygen and everything like that; that is on the physical level.

"…so that a man has no advantage over a beast; for all is vanity. All go to one place… [the grave] …all are of the dust, and all return to dust again" (vs 19-20).

Then Solomon asked the question, because this was just an observation that he was seeing, and he couldn't understand what happens next.

Verse 21: "Who knows the spirit of man whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goes downward to the earth?"

He is saying what happens to a man when he dies. How can that be any different than what happens to a beast that dies? He couldn't answer the question but he was just asking.

Verse 22: "Therefore, I perceive that there is nothing better that a man should do than to rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who can bring him to see what shall be after him?" He just left it hang right there!

Ecclesiastes 11:5: "As you do not know what is the way of the spirit, or how the bones grow in the pregnant woman's womb; even so you do not know the works of God Who makes all."

Just a statement he's indicating he knows there's something beyond. but he can't tell you.

(go to the next track)

Let's find out a little bit more about the Spirit of God, and then we will look at something that's very interesting and see how all of this fits together and how God is going to solve the problem.

Talking about the disintegration of the body when you die; Ecclesiastes 12:7: "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it."

We know that the spirit of man goes back to God! The spirit of man originally had to come from God. Is a not true? Let's find out about this. Just as the CD cannot play unless it's in the body of the player with electricity, neither can the spirit of man have any consciousness without a mind and body. Same thing!

This is David's Psalm about how he was awesomely and wonderfully made, Psalm 139:13: "For You have possessed my reins; You have knit me together in my mother's womb."

It says that 'the Spirit of God made me' (Job). God gives the spirit and it goes back to God.

Verse 14: "I will praise You, for I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well. My substance was not hidden from You when I was made in secret and intricately formed in the lowest parts of the earth…. [symbolic language for the womb] …Your eyes did see my substance, yet, being unformed; and in Your book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet, there were none of them" (vs 14-16).

Now that's quite a statement! What is one of the most important scientific projects that men have been trying to do concerning human beings? Not cloning; they want to have the genome book or the DNA/RNA numbering system of your whole being!. But they're way behind because God already has one. It's probably a whole lot smaller than what men would try and do. But nevertheless, here is a book that contains everything about you.

Since God gives life He must have a record, spiritually speaking, of every human life that has been conceived. Whether fully developed to birth or not it's still all there. The instant you were conceived, that is you. The only difference between conception and other human beings is development, birth and growth. So, everything from conception to your death is a matter of growth and it's just like a flower:

• it grows
• it blossoms
• it's beautiful
• it gets old
• it turns into seed
• it's gone

In a way, that's the way our lives are. As Isaiah said about the prophecy of John the Baptist all flesh is grass. That is true! Everything we eat comes from plants. Even if we eat meat, what do the animals do? They grass, leaves, herbs; everything. So, all flesh is grass! Since the plan of God is so important He has a book on everyone.

There's also another book isn't there? It's called The Book of Life. Remember when Moses was pleading with God to spare the children of Israel after they had sinned so greatly? Moses said, 'Blot my name out Your book!' God said, 'No, that's My business, I'll take care of that; nevertheless, I'll be merciful.'

This tells us the God Himself must have a personal record concerning every human being that has been conceived. We know one category don't we, for sure. We know there's a book for sure, and we know there's a category, which is called The Book of Life! Your name is there.

Now let's see how Heb. 12 verifies what we have been talking about. First of all, we will deal with the first resurrection. We know that when we die the body returns to dust and the spirit returns to God. If the person was called converted, faithful unto the end and died in the faith, when they die the spirit goes back to God that has been perfected, and that is going to be for eternal life!

The spirit has no thought or consciousness of its own but that is the record. In order for there to be life, God has to put it—in case of the first resurrection—into a spirit body and spirit mind, using everything about you that you that you were. Being converted, all the sinful things now have been deleted. So, now we have a corrected spiritual RNA and DNA to make you a spirit being—(speculation).

Hebrews 12:18: "For you have not come to the mount that could be touched… [Is there a Mount Zion in heaven? Yes!]…and that burned with fire, nor to gloominess, and fearful darkness, and the whirlwind." This is talking about might about Mount Sinai when God gave the Ten Commandments!

Verse 19: "And to the sound of the trumpet, and to the voice of the words, which those who heard, begged that the word not be spoken directly to them. (For they could not endure what was being commanded: 'And if even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned, or shot through with an arrow'; and so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, 'I am greatly afraid and trembling'). But you have come to Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem…" (vs 19-22)—which is going to come down from heaven as we will see by the time we finish!

"…and to an innumerable company of angels… [this is when we come to God to pray] …to the joyous festival gathering…" (vs 22-23). That's why Feast of Pentecost has to be the first resurrection.

"…and to the Church of the Firstborn, registered in the Book of Life in heaven…" (v 23)—that's what it is in Greek, but I added the words in italics "…in the Book of Life…" because other places in the Bible talks about The Book of Life, so it's perfectly legitimate to add that here. The italics is to let everyone know that that is a clarifying statement.

"…and to God, the Judge of all; and to the spirits of the just who have been perfected" (v 23).

Now we have it all together. When we are conceived we received the spirit of man. It is the Spirit of God and the pattern that God put in the unfolding of the genes and chromosomes to create you:

• you're born
• you breathe
• you have the spirit of man
• you grow up

however it may work out

• God deals with your life
• you repent
• you're baptized
• you receive the Spirit of God
• the Spirit of God unites with your spirit
• you grow in
  • grace
  • knowledge
  • faith
  • love
  • understanding
    • you come to the end of your life—whether it's long whether it short—and you die

The flesh goes back to the earth, 'dust you are and to dust you shall return, as in Adam we all die.' The perfected spirit goes back to God!

When we're resurrected: don't ask me how that operation is going to take place to be spirit beings, but we know were going to be spirit beings. We don't know exactly how it's going to be, but we know it's going to be.

It's in the same way you plant the seed, you put water on that seed and it grows. You don't know how it grows. Nobody to this day knows how a plant grows, but it does. So likewise, it's going to be in the resurrection. We know God is going to do it, but we don't know exactly how God is going to do it.

Let's carry this little bit further. We've got the book of human life, individually for every human being, and that has to be recorded on the spirit of man. Those who are converted receive the Holy Spirit with the spirit of man; that spirit goes back to God. It has no consciousness or thought, but it is the spirit record of what we will be at the resurrection to become spirit beings.

What about others? Every human being has got to have the book of who they are, everything numbered, and it goes back to God at death. What can we deduce from this if we're reasoning correctly?

Romans 2:14: "For when the Gentiles, which do not have the Law… [God never gave them the Law like He did to Israel] …practice by nature the things contained in the Law, these who do not have the Law are a law unto themselves."

In other words, God being no respecter of persons; anyone who follows any the commandments of God, whether they have all of them are not, God honors it to the degree that they do.

Verse 15: "Who show the work of the Law written in their own hearts…"

Here's another thing: everything that you do in your life is recorded on the spirit of man. Everything that you do spiritually is recorded on the Spirit of God and the spirit of man. There is something that can happen to us with repentance and forgiveness; we can have that erased so the sin is not there! Here we have it: "Who show the work of the Law written in their own hearts…"

God understands that. Does He not know that? When they die and the spirit goes back to God, because God is in control of all, and God says He wants all to come to repentance, yet, He hasn't called them. But whenever anyone dies the spirit goes back to God. Since there is The Book of Life unto eternal life, there is also the second resurrection, because we read 'the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years are finished,' does there not have to be a section wherever God keeps the spirit of man for those in this category?

Could we call that the book for the second resurrection? We will see it's a second life in the flesh. Since God has all this recorded He's got to have it recorded someplace and if there's a Book of Life for our names are written then surely there has to be a Book of Life for the second resurrection for those who will be in that.

We can take that one step further. If there is The Book of Life unto eternal life, if there is The Book of Life unto the second resurrection, there is also got to be the opposite, which is the Book of Death. In other words, by the same process that God records what we do that is right in God's sight, what people in the world do in their good sincere efforts, they are going to be in The Book of Life for the second resurrection, there has got to be a Book of Death for those who commit the unpardonable sin.

Why? Because all the incorrigible wicked have to die the second death! Let's see how that bears out.

Jesus is talking about the resurrection and let's see how this comes about; John 5:19: "Therefore, Jesus answered and said to them, 'Truly, truly I say to you, the Son has no power to do anything of Himself, but only what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, these things the Son also does in the same manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him everything that He Himself is doing. And He will show Him greater works than these, so that you may be filled with wonder. For even as the Father raises the dead and gives life, in the same way also, the Son gives life to whom He will. For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son so that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him. Truly, truly I say to you, the one who hears My Word, and believes Him Who sent Me, has everlasting life and does not come into judgment; for he has passed from death into life'" (vs 19-24).

That's the process of calling, forgiveness, mercy, baptism, and receiving the Holy Spirit—just summarized. You've passed from the category of death unto life.

Verse 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." Remember that 'the rest of the dead live not again till the thousand years are finished.'

Verse 26: "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"—all!

Notice how many times we have come to the word all. Desires all to repent, desires all to come to salvation, all who are in the grave shall hear the voice. What does that mean? All end up in the grave sometime or other! That means that everyone who has lived and died.

Verse 29: "And shall come forth: those who have practiced good unto a resurrection of life, and those who have practiced evil unto a resurrection of judgment." We saw there were two portions to the resurrection of life:

• to the resurrection of eternal life
• to the resurrection of physical life (Ezek. 37)

"…those who have practiced evil unto a resurrection of judgment" (v 29). For what? What is their judgment because her judgment is already been predetermined by their works? The second death! That's how we put all of these things together.

God is the One Who judges; He's given all judgment to Christ, and there is a judgment concerning your life that you are now living—concerning the lives that all are living—because all who are in the grave are going to hear His voice and come out.

There is a judgment that has come upon us. How does God reckon this judgment? That judgment has to be between the sins that are unpardonable and the sins that are pardonable. In 1-John 5 we have a definition of this. Then we'll see how Jesus talks about it.

1-John 5:16: "If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that is not unto death…" Obviously, John talking about eternal death, because 'the wages of sin is death' unless repented of!

What a sin that someone can do that is not unto death? It is a sin that they can repent of! This is why we come back to the very first basic thing concerning prayer. Every day we pray 'forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.' And these are forgivable sins; it's not unto death.

"…he shall ask, and He will give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death…" (v 16)—that's the unpardonable sin. This death is talking about the second death undoubtedly.

"…concerning that sin, I do not say that he should make any supplication to God. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not unto death" (vs 16-17). That's what we go through all the time! We'll see how Jesus defines this even more.

Verse 18: "We know that anyone who is begotten by God does not practice sin…"

It doesn't say you don't sin. You don't practice sin! Why? You cannot live in sin because the Spirit of God and your conscience will prick your conscience even though you may ignore it for a length of time! As long as there is life there is hope! So, as long as you are alive and you haven't sinned the sin unto death you can repent.

If you've sinned the sin unto death you don't even desire to repent, you have no consciousness that's it's wrong, and you reject God and you reject Christ in the most absolute terms. That's the sin unto death! So, if you sin a sin not unto death you can't practice sin, because the Spirit of God and your conscience is going to bring you to repentance.

"…for the one who has been begotten by God keeps himself by the power of God, and the wicked one does not touch him" (v 18).

Let's see how Jesus defines this even more. He talks about the unpardonable sin. We also have that in the sermon series: The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews (#s 17 & 29).

Let's see what Jesus explains to those Jews who wanted to know some things; Matthew 12:30: "The one who is not with Me is against Me…" There are some 'tweeners' who are not against Him, but on His behalf and Jesus said they are for us. You would have to say that a lot of Protestants fit into that category. They are not against Christ but they mix so many things in there that they don't understand the Truth.

"…and the one who does not gather with Me scatters. 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" (vs 30-31).

What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? By rejecting the Spirit of God once you have received it! That is the sin unto death. All the others can be forgiven upon repentance.

We have here the category of the Gentiles, which means anyone not called of God, live a life that's fairly decent. They keep some of the commandments of God; it's written in their heart. When they die God takes note of how they live their life. Did they committed sin unto death? No! If they didn't, then they will be in the second resurrection. Because 'the rest of the dead live not again till the thousand years are over.' We'll see that's two categories.

Verse 32: "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."

Which tells you that there are people who have not been forgiven yet, because they haven't been led to the point of repentance. When will it be forgiven? In the coming age! What is that coming age? The rest of the dead live not again till the thousand years are finished!

Jesus explained this, v 39: "And He answered and said to them, 'A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, in like manner the Son of man shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it…'" (vs 39-41). Two judgments:

• judgment unto a physical life for the opportunity for salvation
• judgment unto eternal death in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20)

"…because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here" (v 41).

It shows a judgment is going to be at the same time because it says they're going to stand up with, though these two incidences happen in different historical time settings.

Verse 42: "The queen of the south shall rise up…"—from the grave. And what is rise up from the grave? A resurrection! Didn't Jesus say the Son of man shall be raised the third day? Resurrection! Same word.

"…in the judgment with this generation 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" (v 42).

Where do we find this fulfilled? Ezek. 37! Here's something very interesting because without the book of Revelation and 1-Cor. 15 you cannot understand Ezek.37.

Here is quite a chapter. As we will see this is obviously not talking about a resurrection to a life as a spirit being. How is God going to convey to Ezekiel what is going to happen? This is definitely not a resurrection to spirit life! He does it by showing that these people had lived once. Let's see how He does it. Let's get the whole message here.

Sidebar: The Jews view Ezek. 37, excluding the New Testament, as the restoration in 1948 when the state of Israel was brought into being and all the Jews who escape the Holocaust they were there they considered that they were literally raised from the dead. Likewise when you read in various parts of the book of 2-Chron. when different ones from different tribes a few would come to Judah and be integrated with them that would be the same as bringing back the children of Israel from the dead because they considered living in the Holy Land life.

That's not quite what it says. Let's see what it says. Remember that Paul said, 'All Israel shall be saved.' That has to be a spiritual salvation, not just a physical rejuvenation in the land. Ezek. 37 tied in with Rom. 11 and Rev. 20 answers about this.

Let's examine Ezek. 37. This becomes quite exciting and every year that I preached on the Last Great Day I go to Ezek. 37 because Paul said, 'Preach the Word in season'—this is in season—'and out of season'; that's all the rest of the year around. I wonder what Ezekiel thought when he went through this vision.

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."

That's the only way God could show to Ezekiel that these people had lived once. These people living once had to be in what category that we understand today? The category of not having sinned a sin unto death! Even though some of their rebellion was really heinous.

Look at Manasseh who was king 55 years. You read all the evil that he did, even putting an idol in the house of God. When he was carried off into captivity he repented so much so that God gave him grace and favor in the eyes of the king of Assyria who was living in Babylon. He sent Manasseh back to Jerusalem to be vassal king. The first thing he did when he got back there to show his repentance was to destroy the idol he had built and all the other idols.

He dealt with familiar spirits in witchcraft and all of this sort of thing. All of those are repentable sins. So, this has to be the category of those people who had not sinned a sin unto eternal death. They died; 'as in Adam all die. God has got to show Ezekiel what's going to happen.

Verse 2: "And He made me walk among them all around…." Walk among the bones! What would you think? You look at these skulls and you see these eye sockets, you see these teeth and the arms, hands and legs; you look at all of that you wonder what happened to these people?

"…And behold, very many were in the open valley. And lo, they were very dry…. [they died long ago] …And He said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'…." (vs 2-3).

You look at that you think that's an impossible question, God! What do You want me to answer You?

"…And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, You know.'…. [You know all things only You can answer that question] …Again He said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, "O dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD"'" (vs 3-4).

How can bones hear the Word of the Lord? God has control over everything! The bones weren't there with ears all over them either.

Verse 5: "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live.'"

Notice that this is a second physical life for conversion, v 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. And you shall know that I am the LORD." This is the answer to Paul how all Israel is going to be saved.

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). They're all a bunch of corpses out here!

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" (vs 9-10).

We'll see in Rev. 20 in just a bit a very similar description.

Verse 11: "And He said to me, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, "Our bones are dried and our hope is lost; we ourselves are completely cut off."'"

That's what happened to them. They were cast out of the land went off into captivity died wherever they were all down through history. Yet, God said He wouldn't lose a single seed of the children of Israel. Now that they're alive, now that they can talk, God has a message for them.

Verse 12 "Therefore, prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD…'" He wants to know wants them to know what happened! Because the last thing they had in consciousness was whatever their experience was. Whether they died peacefully, died in battle, died in a sword fight, or it was an accident. Whatever it was, God wants them to know this is not a dream.

"…'Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves…'" (v 12).

This 'knocks into a cocked hat' into the understanding the way the Jews have it that if they emigrate from another part of the world to the Holy Land, as they call it, then that's like a resurrection. Well, they didn't come out of a grave they came from another country.

"…I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves…" (v 12). That's a resurrection!

• a resurrection to flesh
• a second life in the flesh!

For what? Because God does not desire that any perish! He desires that all come to repentance. So, all Israel shall be saved. All of those Scriptures can be fit together in this:

"…and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD…" (vs 12-13). In other words they did not know the Lord. But now they will!

"…when I have opened your graves, O My people, and have brought you up out of your graves" (v 13).

It says graves four times; that's like saying you were dead, you were dead, you were dead, you were dead.

Verse 14: "And I shall put My Spirit in you…" They have already been brought back to life! The order to come back to life, as the body without the spirit is dead (James 2); so they had to receive back the spirit of man that they had. That's the only way they could live.

Now then, what do we have? "I will put My Spirit in you…"—which is the Holy Spirit for conversion! They lived one life but God never gave them an opportunity. They lived one life but they were blinded, and God blinded them. Now God is saying, 'You're going to have a chance for salvation. You never had one when you lived in your first life. Now here's a second life, and you're going to have a chance to receive My Spirit, put it 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." (v 14). A powerful, powerful part of Scripture!

Now let's tie this in with Rev. 20. The Apostle Paul also mentioned that in the day of judgment the Gentiles who have the work of the law written in their hearts shall be resurrected.

There is the first resurrection, then the rest of the dead, which is the second resurrection.

Revelation 20:4 "And I saw thrones; and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given to them; 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. (But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.) This is the first resurrection" (vs 4-5).

Because when certain ones are resurrected the next question is: What about those that you didn't call? So, there's the parenthetical statement "…(But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.)…."

Verse 6: "Blessed and Holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these… [in the first resurrection] …the second death has no power…."

What does this also tell us? The rest of the dead who come back to a physical life the second death can have power over them if they do not repent!

This is why it's important when were studying the Word of God that we use deductive reasoning: fact, fact, fact, conclusion! We do not use inductive reasoning: What you think? How do you feel? What's the preponderance of evidence?

"…But they… [in the first resurrection] …shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (v 6).

Verse 11 "Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was sitting on it…" All judgment was given to Jesus Christ!

"…from Whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and no place was found for them" (v 11).

All of them! Can you imagine the billions of people? How many billions of people can this earth contain? When you take away all of the nonproductive areas and you make them all productive, there's no telling how many billions and billions of people it can be able to support!

What happened all during the Millennium? There was the blessing of God! The whole earth was built up. What was God preparing forthe whole thousand years? This resurrection! Now they're going to be more people than ever before. So, this is a tremendous thing. Yes, there will be plenty of places for them.

I have also thought that in that last generation of the Millennium they're going to be building houses, making clothes, all of these things, because all of these billions of people resurrected to a second physical life are going to need food, water clothing and housing immediately. So, God is going to supply it for them. Quite a thing!

Verse 12: "And I saw the dead…" Who are the dead? The rest of the dead not in the first resurrection! We're going to see in just a bit there are two categories to the second resurrection.

• one to physical life unto salvation
• one to physical life unto judgment and second death

Verse 12: "And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened…" Is this the Bible, the understanding of it? Probably so! How to live!

"…and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life…." (v 12). Meaning they have an opportunity for salvation!

"…And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works" (v 12).

This has to be the works that they have after the resurrected to a second physical life. The first one they had sinned, but not a sin unto death. If they were judged on that alone they would have to die. So, this has to be 'wipe the slate clean.' start anew. Now your judgment begins with whether you will repent or not.

Then they have works. That's why we covered yesterday the 100-year period that applies to the Millennium and also the Great White Throne Judgment. Now they have to show by their works, by their conversion, and everything for the period of time of probably 100 years that they will be faithful. If they are faithful, they will enter into life and become spirit beings. Notice that they come from everywhere:

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. And death and the grave were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire" (vs 13-15).

What do we have? We have to have what people sometimes call the third resurrection, but it's not because it's an extended part of the second resurrection, which is that the incorrigible wicked will also be raised as shown by the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. Then they are going to see the righteous already in the Kingdom of God.

The Lake of Fire is going to be here waiting for them and all the wicked who committed the sin unto death, the incorrigible sin, rejecting God, and blasphemed the Holy Spirit. They will all stand there together and God will judge all of them, and they will go into the Lake of Fire. They will then be all burned up; their existence shall be no more. That's the judgment of it. That's the meaning of the Last Great Day!

After that takes place, the Lake of Fire consumes the whole earth (2-Peter 3); burns up everything in preparation for the new heaven and the new earth, and so much so that everything on earth is changed.

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."

Spirit beings will not need a sea. They will not need an ocean. We need it today for all physical life. How great is that Lake of Fire going to be? Evaporate all the water! What's going to happen? Well, if you want to find out you better be there so you can see it, because I can't tell you! I can imagine certain things of it but this going to be awesome!

Now then, the plan of God comes to fulfillment and completion; v 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."

Christ is not going to marry the city. Now some people think that New Jerusalem is the bride and he's going to marry the city. No! That's where the bride is going to live. But "…prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Here's the great completion of God's plan.

Verse 3: "And I heard a great voice from heaven say, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men… [that is men and women made perfect spirit beings] …and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them and be their God.'"

Notice how personal this is going to be, v 4: "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes… [and, boy, we need that done] …and there shall not be anymore death, or sorrow, or crying; neither shall there be any more pain… [all the afflictions of sin gone forever] …because the former things have passed away."

Then we enter into the beginning of the ages of eternity, v 5: "And He Who sits on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.' Then He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'"

We know it's going to happen. It's described here. Quite a process! Let's be thankful that today with the whole Bible, led by the Holy Spirit of God, rightly dividing the Word of God, we can have a greater understanding of these things than even John who wrote them, though he saw the vision himself.

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…. [always receiving of God's Spirit] …The one who overcomes shall inherit all things…" (vs 6-7).

That's our inheritance with Christ, joint heirs with Christ. I think that the more we see of the awesomeness of the universe and what God has created out there… Remember: God does nothing in vain so there's a purpose for every bit of it. Now with this new satellite telescope greater than Hubble I wonder what the magnificent pictures of the universe are going to show.

We're going to go out into the universe; we have forever. Will we be restricted by the speed of light? I doubt it! He's going to say to you there's your galaxy, there's your galaxy, and you go over here, and based on the prophecy of Isa. 9, 'of the increase of His government there shall be no end.'

What else God has in store how it's going to be is as a spirit being living forever, were going to be a New Jerusalem. All the nations that are saved will live on the earth around it and come into the city. We will be there with Christ and God the Father and actively carry out God's greater plan for all the universe. Men wonder: Why is all that out there? You have to be a spirit being to know and understand, and we'll be there.

Verse 7: "The one who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, 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" (vs 7-8).

Then the angel came and showed him all the details of the city. What a fantastic city that is going to be. Unbelievable! But here's the important thing:

Verse 22: "And I saw no temple in it; for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it."

• we're going to live with God
• we're going to see God
• we're going to see Him face-to-face

Verse 23: "And the city has no need of the sun… [doesn't say it won't be there] …or of the moon… [doesn't say it won't be there] …that they should shine in it; 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; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honor into it" (vs 23-24). There's always going to be activity going on!

Verse 25: "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. And nothing that defiles…" (vs 25-27).

This is a warning, because there won't be anything that will defile then. All will be spirit beings and obeying and loving God.

Verse 27: "And nothing that defiles shall ever enter into it…" So, don't think anyone who is a human being that it doesn't matter how you live you're going to be there anyway. This says it won't happen.

"…nor shall anyone who practices an abomination or devises a lie; but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life" (v 27). Then He showed John even more: the throne of God, the power of God coming out, and it says there that we shall see Him face-to-face.

Revelation 22:4: "They shall see His face and His name is in their foreheads…. [then He tells John]: …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…. [forever and ever] …And he said to me, 'These words are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the Holy prophets… [everything in the Old Testament] …sent His angel to show His servants the things that must shortly come to pass'" (vs 4-6).

In the scheme of God's things, that's shortly to come to pass. In the scheme of our lives—since we measure day-to-day and week-to-week and month-to-month and year-to-year—it can seem like a long time. But it's not!

Verse 7—Jesus says: "Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.'" Not only the book of Revelation but also the whole Bible!

Verse 8: "Now I, John, was the one who saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who was showing me these things. But he said to me, 'See that you do not do this! For I am a fellow servant of yours, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.' And he said to me, 'Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book because the time is near'" (vs 8-10)—and at the time of the end we would understand it!

Verse 11: "Let the one who is unrighteous be unrighteous still; and let the one who is filthy be filthy still; and let the one who is righteous be righteous still; and let the one who is Holy be Holy still. 'And behold, I am coming quickly; 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 11-13).

So, just as He opened the book of Revelation He closes the book of Revelation. And the Beginning and the Ending, the First and the Last reaches back into the book of Isaiah were God proclaims the same thing of Himself there.

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." Then He talks about those who are excluded. Then John says:

Verse 20: "He Who testifies these things says, 'Surely, I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (vs 20-21).

This Last Great Day may appear to be the least, but it is really the most full of any of the Holy Days of God!

It's fitting that the Feast of Tabernacles ends with an eighth day. Even though really ends in seven because eight is the new beginning and this is the new beginning for all eternity!

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:34-38
• Matthew 13:31-32
• Luke 9:46-48
• John 7:37-39, 38
• Revelation 20:5
• 1-Corinthians 15:20-23
• Revelation 20:5
• 1-Timothy 2:1-4
• 2-Peter 3:9
• Romans 2:4
• Romans 11:17-36
• James 2:26
• Ecclesiastes 3:11, 14-22
• Ecclesiastes 11:5
• Ecclesiastes 12:7
• Psalm 139:13-16
• Hebrews 12:18-23
• Romans 2:14-15
• John 5:19-29
• 1-John 5:16-18
• Matthew 12:30-32, 39-42
• Ezekiel 37:1-14
• Revelation 20:4-6, 11-15
• Revelation 21:1-8, 22-27
• Revelation 22:4-14, 20-21

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Numbers 29
• 2-Corinthians 4; 2
• James 2
• Isaiah 9

Also referenced: Sermon Series:
            The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews (#s 17 & 29)

FRC: po/bo
Transcribed: 10-26-17
Reformatted/Corrected: 6/2020