Why Pentecost Pictures the First Resurrection

This is the Feast of Pentecost Time just seems to keep rolling along, and there's a whole lot that we have to learn and know from God's Word and we're going to see that this is one of the most important Feast days for the Church. It finalizes a segment of things that begin with the Passover and then Unleavened Bread.

When you analyze all the problems and difficulties concerning the doctrines of the Feast days that we keep, you'll understand that the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost—those three—are the ones that have been tinkered with the most. Satan has tried to change and manipulate and make these days different from what God has commanded. The reason he has done that is to come after Christians. It's interesting that all of the Feast days in the fall:

• Trumpets
• Atonement
• Tabernacles
• Last Great Day

No one has tried to do anything to change those! But changing the date of the spring festivals, Satan is always after to do so that he can take away the blessing that God gives to us.

It's very important that we understand about this day. It's very important that we realize that God has commanded us to keep it, and to keep it forever.

In Exo. 34 we will see that God wants us to keep the Feast of Weeks or the Feast of Firstfruits, and that we are to bring an offering.

Exodus 34:18: "You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. You shall eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded you, in the time of the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. All that opens the womb is Mine; all firstlings of male livestock, of oxen or sheep. But the firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you do not redeem it, then you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty" (vs 18-20).

Verse 22: "And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering… [the Feast of Tabernacles] …at the year's end."

We'll see what God commands concerning an offering. We always take up an offering on all of the Holy days, as God commands us.

Deut. 16—here we find that the three main festival seasons of the year that we are commanded to appear before God.

Deuteronomy 16:16: "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks…"—Feast of Pentecost, because as we will see we count seven complete weeks.

"…and in the Feast of Tabernacles. And they shall not appear before the LORD empty, every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you" (vs 16-17).

In taking up the offering you are to consider the blessings that God has given you!

• the spiritual blessings
• the physical blessings
• the Holy Spirit of God being with you

Put all of those things together!

Now we know that in the New Testament it says that 'he that sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he that sows bountifully will reap bountifully.' That applies with almost everything that you set your hand to do.

(pause for the offering)

Let's come back to v 9 and let's see how God commands us to count the Feast of Pentecost, which is also called the Feast of Weeks, because we are to count seven complete weeks. When we come to Lev. 23 we will see that the Feast of Pentecost is to be on the morrow after the seventh Sabbath.

Deuteronomy 16:9: "You shall count seven weeks to yourselves. Begin to count the seven weeks from the time you first began to put the sickle to the grain. And you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God according to the sufficiency of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give according as the LORD your God has blessed you. And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male servant, and your female servant, and the Levite inside your gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, those among you, in the place which the LORD your God has chosen to place His name there" (vs 9-11).

First of all, with this count we are not told when the day is that you begin, and we are not told about the 50th day. Therefore, this part of counting unto the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost is only partial. So, we need to go to Lev. 23 to get the full beginning and the ending of it where it gives us the complete understanding of the counting.

Leviticus 23:9: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, "When you have come into the land, which I give to you, and shall reap the harvest of it, then you shall bring the premier sheaf of the firstfruits…"'" (vs 9-10)—which is the first of the firstfruits!

That's an important thing to God concerning everything of the firstfruits harvest!. The firstfruits in counting toward Pentecost is the firstfruits of the grain harvest. There may be other things that ripen in between the time of the beginning of the grain harvest and all the way down through summer and into fall and the final harvest, and all of those firstfruits are also to be brought to God. But the grain harvest is a special one because this depicts in the New Testament, as we saw yesterday, that the plan of God is like a harvest.

"…the premier sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest" (v 10)—and he is to do something with it!

Verse 11: "And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath… [the first day of the week during the Days of Unleavened Bread] …the priest shall wave it."

Later we will see that pictures the acceptance of Jesus Christ as the First of the firstfruits. Let's see that God says that we are to be diligent in bringing the first of the firstfruits because that is special to God. That is the same importance to God as it is with the firstborn, because that is the very first of the creation that God has given.

Exodus 22:29: "You shall not delay to offer the first of your ripe fruits and of your vintage. You shall give the firstborn of your sons to Me. Likewise you shall do with your oxen and with your sheep; it shall be with its dam seven days. On the eighth day you shall give it to Me" (vs 29-30).

This is where, I think, that from the last Passover of Jesus Christ that they had a lamb eight-days-old, which was a firstborn male, so that the Passover could be accomplished very quickly because of the events that had to take place that night. Let's see how this day was conducted how we are to count it:

Leviticus 23:14: "And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears until the same day, until you have brought an offering to your God. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. And you shall count to you beginning with the next day after the Sabbath, beginning with the day that you brought the sheaf of the Wave Offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete" (vs 14-15).

This gives us a continuation from Passover, seven days of Unleavened Bread with the Wave Sheaf Offering being the first day of the week during Unleavened Bread. It connects them all by counting. None of the other Feasts of God are connected in the same way. This is going to be important when we understand some of the fulfillments in the New Testament. This means that these are all together and there is a finality that occurs on the 50th day.

Verse 16: "Even unto the day after the seventh Sabbath you shall number fifty days. And you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD."

It is going to be new, and this is going to be different. We will see why it is different and the significance of it when we get to the New Testament. The meal offering is made out of the grain.

Verse 17: "You shall bring out of your homes two wave loaves of two tenth parts. They shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven..."

The only other offerings that there was leaven allowed was in the peace offering. But this is special. Notice what it says concerning these loaves. These are the firstfruits unto the Lord. Tie that in with v 10 where the first of the firstfruits was waved on the morrow after the Sabbath, or the 1st day of the week during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Then you count forward 50 days. That's why 7 weeks is not enough. You have to come to the day after the Sabbath.

Let's understand something very clearly: It begins on the 1st day of the week and it ends on the 1st day of the week. Monday is not the day after the Sabbath. It's the 2nd day after the Sabbath. The whole problem concerning a Monday Pentecost could have been solved clear back in 1952, but unfortunately we had to live with that error.

So, the error caused us a lack of understanding! A lack of realizing that the Day of Pentecost really in fact is the Feast day which pictures the first resurrection.

• the Passover pictures the death of Christ
• the 1st day of Unleavened Bread pictures Christ being put into the tomb
• His death applies to our lives to forgive our sins.

At the end of the Sabbath He is resurrected, then:

• He ascends on the 1st day of the week

From there being the First of the firstfruits all the rest is connected down to Pentecost!

We have this unusual offering of the two loaves, and they are leavened. They are the firstfruits unto the Lord. Now we'll come back to that in just a little bit, especially when we get to the New Testament and we'll understand why.

But suffice to say that these two loaves—and I think that we've always been correct in understanding this—represent those who will be in the first resurrection from the Old Testament and those who will be in the first resurrection from the New Testament. The form of these loaves is different.

Let's understand something concerning leaven. Leaven only represents sin during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. These leavened loaves represent something very special to God, because they are called the firstfruits unto the Lord. Then He goes ahead and continues and gives all the offerings that they were to offer that day.

Verse 20. "And the priest shall wave them…"

They shall be accepted of God. Now in the same way that the first of the firstfruits was waved and accepted, now we come to the two loaf breads made with leaven:

Verse 20: "And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits, a Wave Offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be Holy to the LORD for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day… [the 50th day] …that it may be a Holy convocation to you. You shall do no servile work therein. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations" (vs 20-21).

There is the counting of the Feast of Pentecost and that's what Pentecost means: 50th. So, the 50th day is important for us to understand.

Let's see how God applied this to Israel. Let's see that Israel was called firstfruits unto God! Then we will see also how, when we come to the New Testament, it applies to the New Testament Church.

Jeremiah 2:3: "'Israel was Holiness to the LORD, and the firstfruits of His increase… [apply this spiritually; the Church is spiritual Israel] …All that devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come on them,' says the LORD…. [Jeremiah says]: …Hear the Word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the LORD, 'What injustice have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me and have walked after vanity, and have become vain?'" (vs 3-5).

Then God goes to show and expound upon why it was that they left God. After all they were the firstfruits, and they were to have the blessing of the firstfruits and also the firstborn.

In another place, God calls Ephraim His firstborn, showing that Ephraim would have a prominent position through the plan of God in working out the things on earth and fulfilling the promises given to Abraham. Ephraim had a very definite powerful part in that.

Now let's look at the example of Jesus Christ, and understand that God always uses His Holy Days for a profound purpose. Let's remind ourselves once again, as I covered yesterday, that the Ten Commandments were given on the Day of Pentecost. In Luke 4 we find where Pentecost is named as the day of the weeks, which is a very peculiar and interesting thing in the way that it has been written.

Luke 4:16: "And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and according to His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day and stood up to read."

This was a special Sabbath Day. This Sabbath Day was actually the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Pentecost. There is a special message that was brought. Just like the Ten Commandments were given on Pentecost, now with Jesus' first Pentecost in His ministry He had some very profound things to bring out. Notice what He did:

Verse 17:" And there was given Him the book of the prophet Isaiah; and when He had unrolled the scroll, He found the place where it was written, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…'" (vs 17-18).

Let's stop here and just rehearse a couple of things that are important. When the Ten Commandments were given, God was on Mt. Sinai and there was the trumpet blowing, and the wind, and the earthquake, and the terrible darkness. Very profound and important thing happened. That is reflective of the Spirit of God. But God did it in such a way that He wanted to impress the children of Israel that He was God and that there was none other.

Now when we come to the New Testament and this part of the ministry of Christ with His very first Pentecost that He keeps, let's see the message that is given. It has to do with the Spirit of the Lord, which is also a prophecy of what was going to happen on the Day of Pentecost when the Church began, as we'll see a little later in Acts 2.

Verse 18: The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me; for this reason, He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel…"

That's precisely what the apostles did on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given. Let's look at the parallels here. It's very interesting.

"…preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal those who are brokenhearted, to proclaim pardon to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth in deliverance those who have been crushed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (vs 18-19).

Now it's a very interesting thing that He did at this point, because it says:

Verse 20: "And after rolling up the scroll and delivering it to the attendant, He sat down…"

Let's read it where He read that part from the book of Isaiah. He stopped at a very profound place. There was a reason for it, because it goes from the Feast of Weeks immediately into the time that is designated leading up to the Feast of Trumpets.

Isaiah 61:1: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me because the LORD has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."

You can liken this also to those who are demon possessed who have been bound by Satan the devil, and so forth.

Verse 2: "To preach the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn." Jesus stopped right in the middle of a sentence:

Luke 4:19: "To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord"—then He closed up the book and He sat down!

Isaiah 61:2: "…and the day of vengeance of our God…"

This is expressed in the seven last plagues, and that takes place after the Feast of Pentecost! The Feast of Pentecost has to occur first before the "…day of vengeance…" takes place.

"…to comfort all who mourn; to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, giving to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified" (vs 2-3).

This is also then leading in and depicting a type of the resurrection, because to give beauty to ashes. You are beautified with:

• the glory of God
• the oil of joy for mourning
• the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness

So, you can liken that how you will feel when you are resurrected!

Remember, this Sabbath Day in the Greek is called the day of the weeks, and that can only mean the Feast of Pentecost.

Luke 4:20: "And after rolling up the scroll and delivering it to the attendant, He sat down; and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He began to say to them, 'Today, this Scripture is being fulfilled in your ears'" (vs 20-21).

That's why He stopped and left off "…the day of the vengeance of God…" because it was not time yet to reveal the vengeance of God. That's for a later day, and that's for our time.

Let's see the Wave Sheaf Offering Day, beginning the count down to Pentecost. This is when Jesus was accepted of God the Father. He ascended to heaven and came back that very day. His sacrifice was accepted as the first of the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead, and so forth. But here is the key to show us what occurred on that day:

John 20:16: "Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' Turning around, she said to Him, 'Rabboni'; that is to say, 'Teacher.' Jesus said to her, 'Do not touch Me, because I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brethren and tell them that I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God'" (vs 16-17).

This is also a prophecy of the closeness that we are going to be in the Family of God and to God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Verse 18: "Mary Magdalene came to the disciples, bringing word that she had seen the Lord, and that He had said these things to her. Afterwards, as evening was drawing near that day, the first day of the weeks… [very late in the day] …and the doors were shut where the disciples had assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, 'Peace be to you.' And after saying this, He showed them His hands and His side" (vs 18-20). Then they knew that it was Christ!

That shows all of the events that took place on the 1st day of the count going toward Pentecost. Well the disciples then were able to see Jesus for 40 days, and the different miracles that He performed in the 40 days, then He ascended on the 40th day. Let's see where Jesus is called the firstfruits of them that sleep.

1-Corinthians 15:20: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead; He has become the Firstfruit of those who have fallen asleep."

He's the First of the firstfruits. We are called firstfruits, which becomes a very important thing for us to realize and understand, as well.

I know we've covered this before, but it's very interesting for us to put it all together and realize that the word of God, when it's put together in a proper way, tells us

• he whole story
• what God is doing
• how He is doing it

James 1:18: "According to His own will, He begat us by the Word of Truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all His created beings."

We will see that Jesus is also called the Firstborn. And that has the same status as the First of the firstfruits; Firstborn from among the dead! That is so that we are also going to be in the Family of God as we will see. Someone has to be first, and Christ was.

Colossians 1:12: "Giving thanks to the Father, Who has made us qualified for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the Light."

God the Father is the One Who qualifies us. Salvation is a gift of God through His grace, which is a gift of God. Salvation cannot be earned, however no one will receive salvation if they don't obey God.

• you are not saved in your sins, you are saved from your sins
• you are not justified to sin, you are justified from your sins
• you cannot earn salvation

But if you don't obey God you won't receive it!

Let's continue on to show you why. What does salvation did when it started out in God calling us.

Verse 13: "Who has personally rescued us from the power of darkness and has transferred us unto the Kingdom of the Son of His love; in Whom we have redemption through His own blood, even the remission of sins; Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation" (vs 13-15).

A lot of people stop right there and say, 'See, Jesus was created. That's why He was the Firstborn.' NO! He was the firstborn of Mary, and He was also the Firstborn from among the dead, "…of all creation" doesn't refer to everything that God has created. This means of those who were created by the process of being resurrected from the dead! Being created in the character of Christ living our lives now, and at the resurrection then the final product is finished.

Verse 16: "Because by Him were all things created…"

If He's the Firstborn of every creation then He created Himself according to the next statement IF that were true. But that's not correct!

Verse 16: "Because by Him were all things created, the things in heaven and the things on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether they be thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all, and by Him all things subsist" (vs 16-17).

This means He existed before all things were created and all things are upheld and He keeps them going.

Verse 18: "And He is the Head of the Body, the Church; Who is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead…"

That's the 'every creature' that it's talking about, referring to those who will also be born from the dead at the resurrection!

"…so that in all things He Himself might hold the pre-eminence" (v 18).

That's why Christ was resurrected at the end of the Sabbath during the Days of Unleavened Bread. That's why He was accepted of God the Father on the first day in the count to Pentecost. Because none of the rest of the creation of those that God is working in, all that He calls and gives His Spirit, will be complete until the resurrection. That will take place on Pentecost!

Let's look at some of the other verses here and see the things that we need to understand concerning this. We will see that we have the firstfruits of the Spirit. Let's come back and see that everything in this world today is waiting for that final Pentecost. Whether they know it or not, whether they realize it or not, it is waiting for that. God's plan is being completed. God's plan continues to go. Right now we have those who are faithful, who are dying in the faith. Please understand this:

To die in the faith is an absolutely marvelous thing, because you have endured unto the end and nothing but good things wait for you!

There will be quite a few, I am sure, who will die in the faith. This year all together since about this time last year—2000-2001—we've had 10 brethren die in the faith. As we're going to see a little bit later on, Paul says he doesn't want us to weep and mourn, as those in the world who have no hope, because they died in the faith.

The next moment, the next waking moment that they have they will be changed, they will be resurrected!

They won't have to go through what the rest of us may have to go through, as we read some of the scriptures a little later, the events that are going to come on the earth. They are going to rest in their graves and wait for the call and they will come out of the grave and answer the call and be taken, as we will see, to meet Christ in the air and then be on the Sea of Glass.

Romans 8:17: "Now, if we are children, we are also heirs—truly, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer together with Him, so that we may also be glorified together with Him."

It's going to happen all at once. Christ the firstfruits, as we read, and then it says after that, 'those that are Christ's at His coming!' God is going to make it happen that it will be all together.

Verse 18: "For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us."

Whenever you get discouraged and down, read that verse. Nothing to be compared to what that is going to be, because God is going to give to us, and add to us things that we cannot even think of, that we cannot even imagine. So, don't get focused down here on just a little anthill of the difficulties and problems in your own life. Look up to God, look to Christ! Read these Scriptures and see that even as the Apostle Paul said that this is just a life moment, because:

• you have a goal
• you have a purpose
• God has a plan for you
• God has use for you

Verse 19: "For the earnest expectation of the creation itself is awaiting the manifestation of the sons of God." The world doesn't know it, and many Christians don't know it. The world is waiting for you. Waiting for Christ, and so are we. Waiting for you, all the sons of God.

Verse 20: "Because the creation was subjected to vanity, not willingly…" Didn't run up to God and say:'O God, make me vain.'

That just happens because we're human beings; we're weak. God made us incomplete. That's why we need the Spirit of God to be completed in our minds and hearts, and we need the resurrection to be completed in our existence.

"…not willingly, but by reason of Him who subjected it in hope, 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" (vs 20-21).

Now, at the resurrection, after we come back to the earth with Christ, we are going to start the glorious reign of Jesus Christ. It's going to be the liberty of the children of God. We are going to teach everyone

• God's way
• God's plan
• God's Holy days
• God's Sabbath
• God's way of life

As we will see when we come to the Day of Atonement, Satan is going to be put away! I'll guarantee you one thing, you can never ever, ever, everget rid of sin until Satan is put away.

Verse 22: "For we know that all the creation is groaning together and travailing together until now."

I just wonder what it would be like if you had some sort of special microphone that you could suspend in space someplace and it could just in one day go around and pick up all the screams, crying, groaning and moaning, and just all the sounds of death that take place because of the vanity of human beings. Play that all at once; it would be a little overwhelming. That will give you an idea of what the creation is going through.

Verse 23: "And not only that, but even we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit…"

We have it through the begettal, through the laying on of hands after baptism. That is the firstfruits of the Spirit.

 "…also groan within ourselves, awaiting the sonship—the redemption of our bodies" (v 23). In other words, the final thing that we're going to receive!

We will see that what we have is the earnest, the down payment, the beginning! God promises, and we will see that we have two immutable things that are a promise from God that we will be in the resurrection. First one is the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:12:  "that we might be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in the Christ; in Whom you also trusted after hearing the Word of the Truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in Whom also, after believing… [not before, but after] …you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance…" (vs 12-14).

That means it's the down payment. God has given us that as the down payment toward the final purchased possession.

"…until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory" (v 14).

Let's our focus in on what God is doing, so that we can realize how this Day of Pentecost is going to be so important. It finishes 50 days. It brings to a conclusion the first part of God's plan that He has been working out since the creation of the world. Think about that.

• you have part in that
• you have God's Holy Spirit
• you have that to look forward to.

This Day of Pentecost is a great and a marvelous thing for us!

Romans 8:24: "For by hope we were saved… [the hope of the resurrection] …but hope that is seen is not hope; for why would anyone still be hoping for what he sees?"

If you are now a spirit being with glory and honor such as Christ is, why are you waiting to be clothed with that spiritual body? It would be nonsense, wouldn't it? But:

• that's our hope
• that's what we're waiting for

Verse 25: "But if we hope for what we do not see, we ourselves wait for it with patience. Now, in the same way also, the Spirit is conjointly helping our weaknesses…" (vs 25-26).

That's what infirmity means, weaknesses, not just our sicknesses. We look at infirmities as a sickness, but our weaknesses are not sickness, that is a health problem.

"…because we do not fully understand what we should pray for, according as it is necessary…: (v 26)—because we're weak! That's why our hearts need to be right in prayer before God!

"…but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning that cannot be expressed by us" (v 26).

In other words, God is so great with the Spirit that He's given us that when we pray and we pour our hearts out to God the Holy Spirit in us is making intercession to God the Father, bringing the true intent of our heart, true intent of our prayers! All the silly little things that bother us mentally when we're praying are all filtered out.

You might liken it unto, those of you who are used to electronics, when you have sound you have a filter, which filters out all the extraneous noise. Now you might not have all the filter on the noise here because there's a little construction work going on behind us, and so because of that in our open air studio you can hear the highway behind us. So if you hear some cars roaring behind us, just know that that's not the groaning of the Spirit, it's just the groaning of cars as they go by.

Verse 27[transcriber's correction]: "And the One Who searches the hearts comprehends what the strivings of the Spirit…"

In other words, the Spirit of God is going to communicate back to God what is in your heart, and what is in your mind.

"…are because it makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know…" (vs 27-28).

Keep this in mind. We've gone over this verse how many times? But let's see the importance of it in the context as we come down to what it's going to be with Christ Who is the Firstborn.

Verse 28: "And we know…"—this is something you have to always keep in mind!

In the short term it's difficult. In the long term when you've gone through it and you look back, then you have 100% hindsight, 20/20 vision, and then you know. But what you have to do is realize it even in the middle of the difficulty, even when it looks like it's getting darker instead of lighter.

Verse 28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

IF you love God, you've been "…called according to His purpose." He's going to work that purpose out in your life and everyone of the saints that He has called. He's been doing that since the time of the Day of Pentecost right on down.

Verse 29: "Because those whom He did foreknow He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His own Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren." That's all going to be remembered!

On the first of counting to Pentecost Jesus told Mary Magdalene to go to 'My brethren and say unto them, I go to My God and your God, and My Father and your Father.' "…Firstborn among many brethren…" and there we have it.

Here's a guarantee, v 30: "Now, whom He predestinated …"

Once God calls you, you receive the Holy Spirit of God, you are predestined to be in the Kingdom of God if you are faithful unto the end.

"…these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (v 30). That's the end result of our inheritance!

Now let's look at the other guarantee. The first guarantee is the Spirit of God. You have to know that you have the Spirit of God. The second guarantee is so obvious that we don't even realize it.

1-Cor.15 is a very long chapter, but it's only about three sentences the way that Paul writes. I mean Paul would have flunked English. But nevertheless:

1-Corinthians 15:42: "So also is the resurrection of the dead…. [this is what we're talking about] …It is sown in corruption… [we all get old and weak and die] …it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (vs 42-44).

Those who have been born again have a spiritual body. So no one in the flesh has been born again. Born again means raised from the dead and to receive a spiritual body!

Verse 45: "Accordingly, it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul; the last Adam became an ever-living Spirit.' However, the spiritual was not first, but the natural—then the spiritual. The first man is of the earth—made of dust. The second Man is the Lord from heaven. As is the one made of dust, so also are all those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly One, so also are all those who are heavenly" (vs 45-48).

Here's the guarantee; remember that the first guarantee is you have the Spirit of God. Second guarantee is right here:

Verse 49: "And as we have borne the image of the one made of dust…" Just give yourself a hug; that's your image of the earthy!

• Do you have it? Yes! That's a guarantee you will be in the resurrection if you're faithful unto the end!
• How about that? You're constantly walking around with a guarantee that you're going to be in the resurrection!

If you never thought of it that way before, that's the way it is!

Verse 49: "And as we have borne the image of the one made of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly One. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God…" (vs 49-50).

For people to say that we're in the Kingdom of God now is ridiculous. I don't say use the hatpin trick; I say use the wall trick. Walk through the wall like Jesus did, then we'll know you're spiritual. Otherwise you're still physical and you're bearing the image of the earthy, which you are.

"…nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all fall asleep… [that means be dead in the grave] …but we shall all be changed" (vs 50-51).

Let's stop and think about this. We shall be changed. Let's understand that that has to do with the two wave loaves that were made with leaven. We've already covered it in Lev. 23, so let's go to Matt. 13 and see that there is a good use of leaven, because remember only during the Days of Unleavened Bread is leaven a type of sin.

Matthew 13:33—here it shows a good use of leaven: "Another parable He spoke to them: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to leaven…"

In this case leaven cannot be sin because the Kingdom of God is not likened unto sin. It's the exact opposite; it's righteousness. Let's look at what happens here.

"…which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour… [she took the leaven and hid it in there] …until all was leavened."

This is exactly like the operation of the Spirit of God where then we become wholly changed. What happens when you make bread and you put leaven in it, compared to unleavened bread?

• when you put the leaven in it, it rises
• when you bake it, it is changed

That's why on Pentecost those two loaves are waved. One signifying those who enter into the Kingdom of God from the time of the patriarchs down through the Old Covenant. The other one symbolizing those who enter the Kingdom of God by the resurrection; we shall be changed, permanently! Just like a loaf of bread when it is leavened and baked is permanently leavened. That is, until you eat it. Of course, all parables break down in their actual fulfillment.

What's going to happen? Christ is going to make it occur! That's the whole hope of this day, the Day of Pentecost.

1-Corinthians 15:53: "For this corruptible must put on incorruptibility, and this mortal must put on immortality. Now, when this corruptible shall have put on incorruptibility, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory'" (vs 53-54).

At the resurrection that is going to be a victory! Look at it this way. If you die in the faith, which you should, you are an overcomer. You have been victorious and waiting now for the resurrection.

We will see what Paul said concerning this. Very profound. Very, very absolutely important for us to understand. This needs to be the way we look at things. Our attitude, our view, you see. Please understand that all the difficulties of the past you cannot change. If you haven't learned the lessons from them, then indeed they were in vain. God does not want us to dwell on the past, except for the lessons that we have learned. He wants us to have the same attitude as the apostle Paul had right here:

Philippians 3:7: "Yet, the things that were gain to me… [it doesn't matter what it was in the world, whatever the gain was] …these things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. But then truly, I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as dung…" (vs 7-8).

That's 'skubalon'; just a pile of manure out there. Paul understood the glory that was going to come. Even the greatest thing that you can have on this earth is not even worthy to be compared to anything that God is going to give you at the resurrection.

"…that I may gain Christ and may be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is derived from law, but that righteousness, which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God that is based on faith" (vs 8-9).

• that is a spiritual righteousness
• the imputed righteousness
• the righteousness with God's Laws written in your heart and mind

Verse 10: "That I may know Him… [truly know Him face-to-face] …and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."

Paul persecuted the Church so wickedly and caused people to be put to death, that he said 'if my life can be made conformable to His death.'

Verse 11: "If by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead."

That is our attitude! That's what we need to do. We are looking for the resurrection of the dead, and nothing else counts. Now that's the way we have to look at it

Verse 12: "Not as though I have already received, or have already been perfected…"

• we're all weak
• we all have faults
• we all have difficulties

We haven't been perfected, yet! That perfection does not come until the resurrection.

"…but I am striving, so that I may also lay hold on that for which I also was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself as having attained; but this one thing I do—forgetting the things that are behind… [that's what you need to do] …and reaching forth to the things that are ahead" (vs 12-13).

That's what we need to do. What was yesterday is already done. You can't change yesterday. Don't destroy tomorrow by bringing in the problems of yesterday and today. Every day is a new day. Every day has a new set of problems, but we keep going forward and:

"…forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth to the things that are ahead, I press… [he works at it] …toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (vs 13-14).

Brethren, what God has given us is a high calling. The greatest calling that human beings could have: To be in the first resurrection and be part of the harvest of the firstfruits! That is an amazing thing to understand. Now you know why Satan wants to destroy these days, especially the Passover and Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost.

Here's the key. You may not be perfect in the flesh but with the Spirit of God within you here he shows you how to have a perfect attitude.

Verse 15: "So then, let as many as be perfect be of this mind. And if in anything you are otherwise minded, God will reveal even this to you."

So you can repent! God is the One Who'll lead you to repentance. That's a tremendous promise.

Verse 16: "Nevertheless, in regard to that which we have attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Brethren, be imitators together of me, and bear in mind those who walk in this way, as you have us for an example. For many walk contrary… [it happened in Paul's day, and it's happened in our day] …I have often told you of them, and I tell you now with weeping, they are the enemies of the cross of Christ" (vs 16-18).

Unfortunately, there are many today who have done the same thing. We hope and pray that somewhere down the road, because as long as there is life there is hope that they may change, that they may repent. But the further and further away they go the more entrenched into these things they become and the more difficult it is going to be for them.

Verse 19: "Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame; for they mind earthly things. But for us, the commonwealth of God exists in the heavens, from where also we are waiting for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will transform our vile bodies, that they may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the inner working of His own power, whereby He is able to subdue all things to Himself" (vs. 19-21). That's what we are looking forward to with the resurrection!

Now let's look and see how these things are accomplished. 1-Thess. 4 is talking about the resurrection. Then we will see how this applies to Pentecost and why it has to be on Pentecost. Let's understand something. The Feast of Trumpets is not a harvest Feast. The Feast of Trumpets is a war Feast. Only Pentecost is a harvest Feast. Everything we have read refers to it as a harvest. We saw how that the trumpet is blown on Pentecost.

1-Thessalonians 4:13: "But I do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that you be not grieved, even as others, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in exactly the same way also, those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall in no wise precede those who have fallen asleep" (vs 13-15)—buried in the grave!

So, the first ones that are resurrected are those who are in the grave!

Verse 16: "Because the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God… [not trumpets, but the trump of God] …and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds …" (vs 16-17).

Now the clouds are right close to the earth! Clouds do not go much higher than say, 40-50,000-feet tops. But most of them are below 20,000-feet. This is right in the atmosphere of the earth. When I talk about going to the Sea of Glass, we will see the Bible is not talking about you going to heaven. It's talking about you're going to be resurrected. The angels are going to carry you there!

• Where are you going to go?
• What are you going to do?

"…be caught up together with them in the clouds for the meeting with the Lord in the air ; and so shall we always be with the Lord" (v 17).

• Rev. 19—we come back to the earth
• Zech. 14—we come back to the earth

We'll kind of cross over a little bit what I covered on Day 49, but this is important for us to realize how it's going to happen, how it's going to come. We're living in those days and this society is getting prepared for it in their own way, and they don't even know it.

Matthew 24:23: "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or, 'He is there,' do not believe it."

There have been many false Christ's down through time. At the end time there are going to be many more.

Verse 24: "For there shall arise false Christs…" So there's going to be a Who's Christ? competition.

"…and false prophets, and they shall present great signs and wonders…" (v 24).

• IF they don't keep the commandments of God
• IF the Word of Truth is not in them

God didn't send them!

It doesn't matter if they call fire down from heaven; Rev. 13 shows that the false prophet is going to be able to do:

"…in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect" (v 24).

Let's understand something very important. Satan is out there to try and deceive the very elect every day. But there will be an intensity of it in the end-time that will be unmatched of anything that we have ever seen in the history of the Church.

Verse 25: "Behold, I have foretold it to you. Therefore, if they say to you, 'Come and see! He is in the wilderness'; do not go forth. 'Come and see! He is in the secret chambers'; do not believe it" (vs 25-26).

I think it is the Jehovah Witnesses say that Christ is in a secret office building somewhere in New York. I don't believe it, because none of them came this way. This is why we are not to believe it. When Christ returns it is going to be an awesome thing indeed.

Verse 27: "For as the light of day, which comes forth from the east…"

It's probably going to be an explosion of light, which will then look like it will condense down into what looks like another sun, or a meteorite coming toward the earth. Because it says:

"…which comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west…" (v 27).

The only way that could happen is if it's far enough out in space, and the earth is turning, that means you can see it coming. Now a couple of weeks ago I was watching on Discovery channel how they're preparing for meteorites that may hit the earth. So. they're going to think that this is a meteorite at first. Then they are going to think that this is an invasion from outer space, which it will be. That will be a true assessment. That there will be aliens, which will be true: us! But they are the aliens.

Verse 27: "For as the light of day, which comes forth from the east and shines as far as the west, so also shall the coming of the Son of man be." So, that's how it's going to appear! When will it appear?

Verse 29: "But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (vs. 29-30). That's going to be something when that takes place!

It's going to be an awesome event, brethren. Maybe we'll even live to see this. But if we do it's going to be such a shaking of the earth and the heavens that it's just going to be mind-boggling. Rev. 6, it's talking about the sixth seal. That's when the heavens are going to roll back like a scroll. That's when it's going to be the big explosion of the light. Then it's going to look like a meteorite coming toward the earth.

Revelation 6:12: "And when He opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as the hair of sackcloth, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its untimely figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the heaven departed like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place" (vs 12-14).

This refers to what it is back in Haggai 2 where it says, 'Once more the Lord is going to shake the heavens and the earth, and the dry land, and the seas.' This is what it's going to be!

Verse 15: "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the powerful men, and every bondman, and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, because the great day of His wrath has come, and who has the power to stand?'" (vs 15-17).

Then as we come along in sequence we go through Rev. 7-10. Now let's come up to when the seventh trump sounds. Notice there are a lot of things that take place in there. I've explained this in the past, but this year I'm going to jump ahead of that.

Rev. 11—here is the trumpet; not trumpets. This is the seventh trump, which is the singular trumpet.

Revelation 11:15: "Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign into the ages of eternity.'" This is when the resurrection takes place!

Verse 16: "And the twenty-four elders, who sit before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, 'We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come; for You have taken to Yourself Your great power, and have reigned. For the nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the time for the dead to be judged, and to give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to all those who fear Your name, the small and the great; and to destroy those who destroy the earth.' And the Temple of God in heaven was opened, and the Ark of His Covenant was seen in His temple; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and an earthquake and great hail" (vs 16-19). This is when this takes place:

Matthew 24:31: "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet… [the 7th trump] …and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

He's going to gather them from the earth and bring them up and they will come, and we will see, to the Sea of Glass.

Revelation 14:14: "And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and one like the Son of man sitting on the cloud…"

He's going to come in the clouds. That light is going to come down closer and closer to the earth. And then finally it's going to come to an area just above Jerusalem, and that's where the Sea of Glass will be. There He is in the clouds.

"…having a golden crown on His head; and in His hand was a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him Who was sitting on the cloud, 'Thrust in your sickle and reap, because the time has come for You to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.'…. [the harvest of the firstfruits is finished] …And He Who was sitting on the cloud thrust forth His sickle upon the earth, and the earth was reaped" (vs 14-16).

Notice the second harvest, because after the first harvest there's going to be a second harvest.

• verses 14-16 ties together with Rev. 15:1-4.
• verses 17-20 tie in with Rev. 15:5 all the way through to the end of Rev. 16.

Now let's read about the other harvest:

Verse 17: "Then another angel, who also had a sharp sickle, came out of the Temple that is in heaven"

The first one is the Son of man. He's going to do that resurrection. The second one is an angel.

Verse 18: "And out from the altar came another angel, who had authority over fire; and he called with a loud cry to the one who had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Thrust in your sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the earth, because her grapes are fully ripe.'"

These are the wild grapes. Now, they were never in Christ. These are the vines that are for destruction.

Verse 19: "And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast its fruit into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood spewed out from the winepress as high as the horses' bridles, to the distance of a thousand six hundred furlongs" (vs 19-20).

That's going to be mighty deep with blood. It's really quite a thing that's going to take place. Let's see about the Sea of Glass:

Revelation 15:1: "Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and awesome: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is filled up. And I saw a Sea of Glass mingled with fire…" (vs 1-2).

Now let's look at the Sea of Glass in two places. Let's come back here all the way to Exo. 24, and let's see that when God came down on the mountain and He told Moses to come up and eat with Him, we'll see what they saw. This was after the marriage covenant took place, which was a day or two after Pentecost when the Law was given. Likewise with the marriage of the Lamb and the Bride. It will take place after the resurrection, which will be after Pentecost.

Exodus 24:9: "And Moses went up, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. And they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the heavens in clearness…. [another way of describing the Sea of Glass] …And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay his hands. Also they saw God, and ate and drank" (vs 9-11).

In Rev. 4 we will see the Sea of Glass again. This Sea of Glass is going to be in the clouds; no doubt about it, because that's where Christ is coming. But let's see also in this case there is the Throne of God, and understand something concerning seeing God. When we're resurrected and spirit beings:

• Can we see God? Yes! The Apostle John said that we shall see Him as He is!
• Will we be able to see the Father? There would be no reason why we shouldn't see the Father!
• Are we not His children?
• Does He not want to come and meet His children? Yes!

Let's look at the Sea of Glass in Rev. 4. Again, John in vision saw this:

Revelation 4:1: "After these things I looked, and behold, a door opened in heaven; and the first voice that I heard was as if a trumpet were speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you the things that must take place after these things.' And immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a Throne was set in heaven, and One was sitting on the Throne. And He Who was sitting was in appearance like a jasper stone and a sardius stone; and a rainbow was around the Throne, like an emerald in its appearance" (vs 1-3).

Quite an amazing description, isn't it? I imagine it's round like an emerald, but it's like a rainbow in color.

Verse 4: "And around the Throne were twenty-four thrones and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting clothed in white garments, and they had on their heads golden crowns. And proceeding from the Thronewere lightnings and thunders and voices; and seven lamps of fire, which are the seven Spirits of God, were burning before the Throne." (vs 4-5)

So here, he was given the vision of seeing the Throne of God the Father.

Verse 6: "And before the Throne was a sea of glass, like crystal.…"

God's Throne is set there on the Sea of Glass. Who's on this Sea of Glass?

• the 24 elders
• the four living creatures
• the Throne of God
• the 10,000 times 10,000 of angels are somewhere right there, and thousands upon thousands

So this is really quite a magnificent thing that he saw. Why would we assume that the Sea of Glass here and the one in Rev. 15 are not the same? They would be the same! This is quite a thing that's going to take place.

In Scripture, how many times must a Scripture be repeated before it's really true? It doesn't have to be! Once is sufficient. If we find here the Sea of Glass:

Revelation 15:2: "And I saw a Sea of Glass mingled with fire… [that's just what we read in Rev. 4] …and those who had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark…"

• How long has the beast been here? Since the Garden of Eden!
• Have not all the saints have to have had gotten victory over the beast? Yes!

• "…over his image…"—the image of the beast has been here a long time. As we've seen, that's the female goddess.
• "…and over his mark…"—the mark is yet to come; the real mark of not being able to buy and sell.

They're perfecting it; it's going to come! It's going to be implemented, and that's going to be our first great, great trial. So far we've had it relatively easy, but when the mark of the beast comes it's going to be the great trial. That's why we have to be strong in the Lord now.

"…and over the number of his name, standing on the Sea of Glass, having the lyres of God. And they were singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, 'Great and awesome are Your works, Lord God Almighty; righteous and true are Your ways, King of the saints. Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You only are Holy; and all the nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been revealed'" (vs 2-4).

Now then, remember where Jesus stopped on that Day of Pentecost when He read out of the book of Isaiah? He stopped right at the sentence which says, '…and of the vengeance of God…' That continues on right here in Rev. 15 & 16 where we see the vengeance of God. That's the first thing we're going to see. God has promised that all the saints would see the vengeance of God. God says, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.' Well God wants to see that you see that repayment and the vengeance of God, which in this case is the wrath of God.

Revelation 15:5: "And after these things I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. And the seven angels who had the seven last plagues came out of the temple; they were clothed in linen, pure and bright, and girded about the chest with golden breastplates. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, Who lives into the ages of eternity. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from His power; and no one was able to enter inside the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled" (vs 5-8).

Then they went out and poured out their seven plagues (Rev. 16).

Now then, what else has to happen on the Sea of Glass?

• we have to receive our new names
• we have to be given our spiritual garments
• the marriage of the Lamb has to take place

There's going to be a combination of those who will be the firstfruits composing the Bride, and who will be the firstfruits who are the guests.

• the wedding has to take place

After the wedding between Christ and the Bride

• we have to understand what our assignments are going to be

God is going to tell us what we are going to do.

• we're all going to be given white angelic horses on which to sit
• Christ is going to lead the charge of the battle

This leads us up to the next Holy Day, which will be the Feast of Trumpets!

Revelation 19:11—heaven is going to open: "And I saw heaven open; and behold, a white horse; and He Who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. And His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written that no one knows except Him. And He was clothed with a garment dipped in blood; and His name is The Word of God. And the armies in heaven were following Him on white horses; and they were clothed in fine linen, white and pure" (vs 12-14). That's all the saints perfected!

Remember, what did Jesus say? If My Kingdom were of this world then would My servants fight! Here's when we're going to fight; there's going to be a great winning battle.

Verse 15: "And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He might smite the nations; and He shall shepherd them with an iron rod; and He treads the winepress of the fury and the wrath of the Almighty God. And on His garment and on His thigh He has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords" (vs 15-16).

Then we come to the battle of the Day of Trumpets. So, we'll save that for the Feast of Trumpets.

But the Feast of Pentecost has great meaning for us. There is no doubt that it has to do, and pictures the meaning of the first resurrection and the final harvest of the firstfruits. So, I hope you have a good Feast, and we'll pick up the rest of the story when we come to the Feast of Trumpets.

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

Scriptural References:

• Exodus 34:18-20, 22
• Deuteronomy 16:16-17

• Deuteronomy 16:9-11
• Leviticus 23:9-11
• Exodus 22:29-30
• Leviticus 23:14-17, 20-21
• Jeremiah 2:3-5
• Luke 4:16-19
• Isaiah 61:1-3
• Luke 4:20-21
• John 20:16-20
• 1 Corinthians 15:20
• James 1:8
• Colossians 1:12-18
• Romans 8:17-23
• Ephesians 1:12-14
• Romans 8:27-30
• 1 Corinthians 15:42-51
• Matthew 13:23
• 1 Corinthians 15:53-54
• Philippians 3:7-21
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
• Matthew 24:23-27, 29-30
• Revelation 6:12-17
• Revelation 11:15-19
• Matthew 24:31
• Revelation 14:14
• Exodus 24:9-11
• Revelation 4:1-6
• Revelation 15:2-8
• Revelation 19:11-16

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Zechariah 14
• Revelation 13
• Haggai 2
• Revelation 7-10; 14:15-20; 16

FRC:
original transcription date unknown
Reformatted: bo—1/17/22