What Will Happen on the Sea of Glass?

Greetings, brethren! Welcome to Sabbath services!

We know that the resurrection is going to take place on Pentecost, and we're going to be taken in the air up to a Sea of Glass. What will happen on the Sea of Glass?

Let's understand something very important that we need to realize: Most people look upon what we do as a 'religion,' but it is really a way of life!

The way of life that God wants us to live at this present time, and it is a tremendous thing that God is going to do. We need to understand that for all of us who are going to be in the first resurrection, it is going to be a fantastic and marvelous transformation.

God's plan reaches back in time from us and reaches forward in time from us and on to eternity!Brethren, we will be integral parts of God's plan!

We have covered Galatians recently, and let's understand what God is doing, and how far back that He had this plan: before the ages of time!We can go with Gal. 3:26 backward in time and forward in time, and we're going to see what it will be like, and what we will do on the Sea of Glass.

Galatians 3:26: "Because you are all sons of God…" That does not exclude women, because it says that God calls us sons and daughters of God (2-Cor. 6 & 7). The Greek word here in Gal. 3 could actually be offspring.

Verse 27: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ."

That's the whole transformation of the heart and mind as we have covered through the Passover and Unleavened Bread.

Verse 28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither bond nor free; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Whatever our station in life is, whether we're male of female, as far as God's plan is concerned, that will transist into something greater, so that will not carry through at the resurrection.

Verse 29: "And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed… [we will see what Abraham did] …and heirs according to the promise." Remember that the promises of God are sure! God does not lie!

Gal. 4 talks about Christ's coming, and we've already covered that with Unleavened Bread and the life of Christ, His death and resurrection.

Galatians 4:4: "But when the time for the fulfillment came… [God's plan is run on time] …God sent forth His own Son, born of a woman, born under law… [meaning that he would be subject to sin if he broke a law] …in order that He might redeem those who are under law, so that we might receive the gift of sonship from God" (vs 4-5). I want you to understand that!

Verse 6: "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, 'Abba, Father.'"

That's what we need to realize and understand. God has called us to something so great that we're going to see.

Verse 7: "So then, you are no longer a servant, but a son. And if a son, you are also an heir of God through Christ." Paul wrote of the same thing in Rom. 8, the sonship of God!

Romans 8:14: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God…" That's the key to living today:

• to walk in His way
• to walk in His Truth
• to believe Him
• to know His Word
• to look forward to the first resurrection with all the saints

"…these are the sons of God" (v 14)—no one else! Remember that Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no onecomes to the Father except through Me! It has to be God's way, and it's amazing what God is doing!

Verse 15: "Now, you have not received a spirit of bondage again unto fear, but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby we call out, 'Abba, Father.'"

It is a complete change of existence beginning with conversion in our mind and love and obedience to God now! And at the resurrection, eternal life!

Let's look Abraham and how God dealt with him, and we will see that there's a little glimmer here, a little glimmer there, and there's a bit of understanding in different places about what God is going to do.

Remember, there's always the physical first, then the spiritual. There's the duality and tripleality of Scripture, so that it applies in many, many different ways. When we read these things, look at how much of this that you went through exactly the same thing. When God called you—before you were baptized—you had to choose that it was God's way and God's way alone! That's exactly what Abraham had to do.

Genesis 12:1: "And the LORD said to Abram, 'Get out of your country, and from your kindred, and from your father's house into a land that I will show you.'"

God will show it to Abraham, but he didn't inherit it. Just like with us: God is showing us what it's going to be like eventually when we first enter the Kingdom of God.

Verse 2: "And I will make of you a great nation…." What will be the greatest nation ever? The fulfillment of the Kingdom of God!

We need to think beyond what we would normally think!

"…And I will bless you and make your name great. And you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who curses you. And in you shall all families of the earth be blessed" (vs 2-3).

That goes back to the time before Abraham. It doesn't say 'all families from this time forward.' It's all families of the earth! Then Abraham obeyed God, he left!

We know the situation concerning Isaac, and eventually he was born and we come to another part of the promise, which is quite a thing that God has done in showing… God did not tell Abraham everything all at once, and we will see a little later that God did tell him enough about the Kingdom of God that he understood a lot of it.

God told Abraham that he was to have a son in old age of his own loins and that 'he shall be your heir.' So, we have the physical promise of physical seed, and then God took Abraham outside at night and shows him the heavens. This was a glimpse of God's plan.

Genesis 15:5: "And He brought him outside and said, 'Look now toward the heavens and number the stars—if you are able to count them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your seed be.'"

Remember that from Galatians, that's all inclusive, all who come through Christ! So, it's more than just physical seed. We will see later on that this has to do with our future existence.

Verse 6: "And he believed in the LORD…." Then after Isaac was born, Abraham was tested with the greatest of tests. Abraham had his son when he was 100-years-old! Then when Isaac was about 15-years-old, God said, 'I want you to take your son Isaac, your beloved son—your only son… That's interesting because there was Ishmael, but he was not part of the promise of God at that particular time.

God said Abraham, 'I want you take your son to one of the mountains of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering.' That was probably and three or four day journey from where he was. He took the wood for the offering and he had a firepot with coals in it so that he could have the fire. When they got there, he told the servants who were with them to stay back and he and Isaac went forward.

They went up on the mountain and as they were going up, Isaac said, 'Father, I see the wood and the fire, but where is the offering? Where is the lamb?' Abraham said, 'My son, the Lord will provide.' So, he built the altar, laid Isaac on it, after he had bound him up, and then he was ready to take the knife to sacrifice him.

Why would he do this? Because He believed God! It isn't until clear into Heb. 11 that we understand that he did it because he counted God able to resurrect Isaac from the dead. Think on that!

Just as Abraham was ready to take the knife and cut Isaac's throat; Genesis 22:11: "And the angel of the LORD called to him from the heavens and said, 'Abraham! Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' And He said, 'Do not lay your hand upon the lad, nor do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God…" (vs 11-12).

Think about that for a minute! This was 40 years after God called him! Think about that in relationship to us. Think about that in your life in relationship to you and what you've gone through and how your life has been with the ups and downs, the trials and difficulties, the joys and sorrows, because that's all part of it. That's all part of life.

Remember the Scripture that says the one who endures to the end shall be saved! So, we have to be faithful to the end of our lives and then we're put in the grave and await the resurrection.

"'…for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.' And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram was entangled in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son" (vs 12-13).

Notice what follows after this, because from this time forward is absolutely sure! That's why we have it as an integral part of the New Testament, as well.

Verse 14: "And Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide; so that it is said until this day, 'In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.' And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said…" (vs 14-16).

Here's the message from God. I want you to think about these words, and I want you to comprehend how sure that this promise is. It reaches clear through to all the rest of what God is going to do until the completion of His time, and reaching back before that time so that the fullness of the plan of God will be complete!

"…'By Myself have I sworn,' says the LORD…" (v 16). Since God lives forever:

• His Word is true
• He cannot lie
• it's going to happen
• it's going to go forward the way that God has said

As long as He exists His Word is absolutely true! Since He cannot die, He cannot lie!

"…'because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son; that in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens…" (vs 16-17) Tie in Gen. 16 where God took Abraham outside to look at that stars and number them, 'that's how your seed will be.'

Brethren, that is so awesome to grasp! Go over the DVD True Fellowship with God again, because that will help you and inspire you to the Truth of what God is doing even more. It's important that these things become so integral in part of our thoughts, mind, heart in everything that we do.

"…I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens, and as the sand, which is upon the seashore…." (v 17)—that's the physical seed!

Verse 18: "And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

Then God told the same thing to Isaac. After Abraham died, then the promise went on to Isaac, and he was really blessed tremendously.

God told Isaac to stay where he was, Genesis 26:3: "Stay in this land, and I will be with you and bless you…"

Is God with us today? Yes! More so! He's given us His Spirit and the Spirit of the Father and Christ are in us, not only with us, but in us! Yes, we have trials and difficulties, that's true, but all of those things turn out for good because it's going to be the blessing of God that He's going to give with eternal life!

"…for to you and to your seed, I will give all these lands; and I will establish the oath, which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens… [in Gal. 4 we're likened to Isaac] …and will give to your seed all these lands. And in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because… [think on this, because this is one of the key verses in the Bible] …Abraham obeyed My voice…" (vs 3-5).

If you've never done a study on obey My voice or you have not obeyed My voice why don't you do, because that's the first thing. Remember that God has given His Word, and has it written down. The Bible and New Testament are the most published, in the most languages and the most studied of any books of the world. Why? Because these are the words of God! His voice written down so that we know what He said.

That's a tremendous thing, brethren. I tell you, the more you study the Word of God over and over, Jesus said, 'The flesh profits nothing, but the Spirit is life and the words that I speak to you are Spirit and Life!' There are so many things jammed packed into the meaning of the Word of God that it's incredible. We keep learning and learning all the time.

Verse 5: "Bcause Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge… [What was the final charge? Go offer Isaac!] …My commandments, My statutes, and My laws" (v 5).

For all the Protestants out there who believe that the Law is done away, how can you be a son or daughter of Abraham in the New Testament and not do what Abraham did? Think about that the next time you go to Church on Sunday and you hear the preacher say that the Law is done away!

Let's see what happened when God gave the Ten Commandments. We know the whole story of that, we covered that through the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. How that God had fulfilled His promise in bringing the children of Israel out of slavery from the land of Egypt. All the plagues, all the mighty works of God, everything that He did, they left Egypt, they crossed the Red Sea, they came all the way to Mt. Sinai and God, when they got there, told them in a summary of what it would be IF they would be like Abraham and obey His voice!

Exo. 19 is the only account of this many human beings hearing the voice of God personally. This was really a momentous event!

Exodus 19:3: "And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you unto Myself"'" (vs 3-4).

God wants them to remember everything that He did for them. How He destroyed their gods, destroyed the whole nation of Egypt to extract them from their slavery.

Verse 5: "'Now, therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed… [no limitation, not obey 50%, 75% or 90% of it; NO! all of it] …and keep My covenant… [He hadn't revealed everything about the covenant, yet, but it was coming] …then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a Holy nation.'…." (vs 5-6).

They were to take the Word of God to the rest of the world. As we know, that didn't happen! Then God said to set bounds around Mt. Sinai and everyone clean up because on the third day 'I'm coming to present Myself to you. Don't let anybody go up on Mt. Sinai, nor any animal go up there.' Everyone was ready!

Exo. 20—here is something that applies to all human beings on earth, and these are the words of God. These are the words from God, Who cannot lie! These words have never been changed or altered. In fact, they were written in stone twice! You can't erase something written in stone. But the object of God is that you have these written in your heart!

Then He spoke all the Ten Commandments. We won't go through them because you know them. But remember what happened, a great glorious thing: thunder and lightening! The power and force of God, and the earthquake, the wind blowing and the trumpet sounding loud and clear.

Exodus 20:1: "And God spoke all these words, saying, 'I am the LORD your God, Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me'" (vs 1-3). Everything else came from there!

The children of Israel stood back, frightful of the power, the noise, the sound and the great voice of God. They were so petrified they came to Moses and said, 'Moses, you speak to God and we will hear and listen, but don't let us hear the voice of God anymore, lest we die.' Quite a thing! They had God right there!

After God gave the Ten Commandments He had Moses come up on the mountain. God had him write down the statutes and judgments that He wanted the children of Israel to live by.

Exodus 24:1[transcriber's correction]: "And He said to Moses, 'Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off.'"

They would come part way up the mountain. God wanted the witnesses of what they had pledged to do.

Verse 2: "'And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near. Neither shall the people go up with him.' And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, 'All the words which the LORD has said, we will do.' And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar at the base of the mountain and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel who offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of bullocks to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the Book of the Covenant, and read in the ears of the people. And they said, 'All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient'" (vs 2-7).

You need to understand that God takes us up on our word. If we say that, He requires that we do it.

Verse 8: "And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.'"

Think about the blood of the covenant, the New Covenant, which is the blood of Jesus Christ. That is far superior to this.

Verse 9: "And Moses went up, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel."

Remember that the Ten Commandments were given on Pentecost. This had to be on Pentecost. How far after Pentecost we don't know, we're not told. We have there, including Moses, 74 witnesses.

Verse 10: "And they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone…"—a Sea of Glass!

That's not the Sea of Glass from God's Throne, so this was one that God created right there for the very purpose of demonstrating to these 74 witnesses—beginning with Moses, Aaron and his sons and the 70 elders of Israel—that God was the One Who spoke these words and brought this to them.

Not only is it sapphire stone, "…and as it were the heavens in clearness" (v 10). What a thing that was!

If you had an experience like that, would you set your heart and mind to love God, obey Him and keep His commandments? Well, the children of Israel didn't do that! That's a shame!

Let's see another instance now, and we will go forward quite a bit, because we want to see that there were several occasions where a prophet of God saw God in His form; not in His glorified form, but in a form.

Isaiah was one of the major prophets of God; Isaiah 6:1: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I then saw the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple…. [this is looking up at the temple up in heaven] …Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another, and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory'" (vs 1-3). That's very similar to what we will see in a little bit in Rev. 4!

Verse 5: "Then I [Isaiah] said, 'Woe is me! For I am undone; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.'" Quite an experience!

Verse 6: "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he laid it upon my mouth and said, 'Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin atoned for'" (vs 6-7).

Then Isaiah was to go and tell the people, whether they would listen or not; whether they would obey or not. We know that they didn't!Just as the prophecy was, they would harden their heart and close their eyes!

In Ezekiel we see what are called cherubim. The cherubim are a spirit vehicle that God uses to travel. It looks like it has some powerful engines, much like what we would say would be a jet or rocket engine. We're not going to go through the whole description of it, but let's see a little bit about it, because he was able to see something in heaven that no one else was given a privilege to see.

Ezekiel 1:19: "And when the living creatures moved the wheels moved with them; and when the living creatures were lifted from the earth, the wheels were lifted up with them. Wherever the spirit was to go, there they went; for there the spirit was to go. And the wheels were lifted up along with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels…. [the spirit or power] …In their going, these also went; and in their standing still, these also stood still. And in their lifting up from the earth, the wheels were also lifted up along with them. For the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels" (vs 19-21).

Verse 22: "And there was a likeness over the heads of the living creatures—an expanse, like the color of awesome crystal stretched out over their heads from above." A great and awesome thing to look at! Imagine that! What a fantastic thing that was!

The life in heaven as spirit beings—be they angels, cherubim or seraphim, God the Father and Jesus Christ—is entirely different than on the earth. Every once in a while we need some of this to understand what God has called us to, and what we're going to do. We'll find out by the time we get done.

Verse 23: "And under the expanse their wings were straight, the one toward the other. Each one had two wings covering on this side, and each had two wings covering on that side of their bodies. And I heard the sound of their wings, like the sound of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty…" (vs 23-24). Great power!

We can get a glimpse of that by understanding some of these rockets that they use to send satellites and men into space. We just had something with SpaceX going up the International Space Station. It's quite a fantastic thing that they're doing.

"…as they went their sound was like the sound of tumult, as the sound of an army. In their standing still, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the expanse, which was over their heads, when they stood still, and they let down their wings. And from above the expanse that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, like sapphire stone. And on the likeness of the throne was a likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw Him appearing as the color of polished bronze, looking like fire within it all around. From the likeness of His loins even upward, and from the likeness of His loins even downward, I saw Him, looking like fire, and there was brightness all around Him" (vs 24-27).

Quite a thing! This is spirit life! This is an appearance of God given to Ezekiel!

Verse 28: As the rainbow appears that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of His brightness all around. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And I saw. And I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking."

Ezekiel 2:1: "And He said to me, 'Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.' And the Spirit entered into me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet, so that I heard Him Who spoke to me. And He said to me, 'Son of man, I am sending you to the children of Israel, to a rebellious nation, who have rebelled against Me; they and their fathers have transgressed against Me, even unto this very day'" (vs 1-3).

You can read the rest of the book of Ezekiel and powerful prophecies. We need to understand that when we some to God fulfilling His power and His prophecies, they are absolutely something! Astonishing! In the Old Testament there were several occasions where God in His glory was seen. We will see that in the New Testament it wasn't quite like that, but when we get to the book of Revelation then things open up!

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Now let's come to the New Testament and see some important Scriptures that will tell us what it will be like when we're resurrected: what we will look like and how shall we be, and then we'll find out what we're going to do on the Sea of Glass.

As we saw, some of the prophets of God, as well as Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and 70 of the elders of Israel saw the form of God up through the Sea of Glass. For Jesus to show the apostles that He was the Lord God of the Old Testament, he had what is called the transfiguration on the Mt. of Transfiguration. This tells us what Jesus looks like as a spirit being. Also, that there will be a resurrection.

Matthew 17:1: "And after six days, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and his brother John, and brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shined as the sun…" (vs 1-2). Think about that for a minute, because that's going to happen to us as well.

"…and His garments became white as the light. Then behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah talking with Him. And Peter answered and said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here. If You desire, let us make three tabernacles here: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was speaking, a bright cloud suddenly overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, 'This is My Son, the Beloved, in Whom I delight. Listen to Him!' And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces in extreme terror…. [I guess!] …But Jesus came and touched them, and said, 'Arise, and do not be terrified.' And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus alone. Now, as they were descending from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, 'Tell the vision to no one until the Son of man has risen from the dead'" (vs 2-9).

So, they saw what God, as a spirit being, looks like. This is expanded a little bit more in Rev. 1. This is what God revealed to John, the apostle. This shows Christ in His full glorified form. Spirit beings can appear in many different ways. They can even appear as a man. They can appear in brightness, in their glory.

Revelation 1:10: "I was in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord; and I heard a loud voice like a trumpet behind me, 1: saying, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, and what you see, write in a book, and send it to the churches that are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea'" (vs 10-11).

Verse 12: "And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands… [we will see what these are, but Christ is in the middle of them] …and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of man… [it was like a circle with 7 points for the 7 churches] …clothed in a garment reaching to the feet, and girded about the chest with a golden breastplate. And His head and hair were like white wool, white as snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire; and His feet were like fine brass, as if they glowed in a furnace; and His voice was like the sound of many waters. And in His right hand He had seven stars, and a sharp two-edged sword went out of His mouth, and His countenance was as the sun shining in its full power" (vs 12-16).

That's quite a thing! Spirit life! Inherent spirit life is completely different from our physical life. That's quite a thing. Let's look and see what John saw with the Throne of God in Rev. 4. Being a descendant of a priest, John was the only one to ever see—in vision—God the Father on His Throne.

We have said, 7 churches, 7 weeks to the harvest, Pentecost the 50th day, so this is like the 50th day, the day of the resurrection when we will be taken up into the air to meet Christ and all the saints, etc.

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.'

That's quite interesting. At the time of the end nothing is going to happen except that it is disclosed and carried out from heaven!

Verse 2: "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 2-3). All of these beautiful colors and precious stones that are referred to here!

So, even the spiritual composition of things that spirit beings use—like God the Father, Jesus Christ and the angels—are composed of spirit in their glory.

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).

Notice what we're going to read next, it's very similar to what Ezekiel saw in Ezek. 1 & 2.

Verse 6: "And before the throne was a Sea of Glass, like crystal…."

Can there be more than one Sea of Glass? Yes! The Sea of Glass that was on Mt. Sinai is obviously not where God's Throne was. But that came up because the 70 elders of the children of Israel, Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu saw the Lord. After all that was done and everything was finished with what they were doing at Mt. Sinai, it was gone.

Then whatever it was that Ezekiel saw, after the vision and he was take to the place where he was going to witness to the children of Israel, that was gone.

There is a permanent place where God's Throne is, which we're reading of here in Revelation, which is the Sea of Glass that is like sapphire. Then we will see in Rev. 15 another Sea of Glass to accommodate the resurrection.

 "…And around the throne and over the throne were four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind; and the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature was like a bull, and the third living creature had the face of a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle…. [we saw those in Ezekiel] …And each of the four living creatures had six wings respectively; and around and within they were full of eyes; and day and night they cease not saying, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, and Who is, and Who is to come'" (vs 6-8). That's God the Father and Jesus Christ included in that worship there!

Let's see a promise that was given by God, and it talks about the end-time and the resurrection: the resurrection to life and the resurrection to condemnation or the Lake of Fire! Here it doesn't give us any timeframe distinguishing exactly the time between them, but the resurrection of the righteous takes place first and the resurrection of the wicked takes place last (Rev. 20).

Right here in the middle, as we found out, at the end of two years, God is going to intervene and it's going to be the saving of the 144,000 from the children of Israel, and the great innumerable multitude:

Daniel 12:1: "And at that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even until that time…."

So, hold on, folks, it's going to get a whole lot tougher!

"…And at that time your people shall be delivered… [tie in Rev. 7] …everyone who shall be found written in the book" (v 1). There is a Book of Life (Heb. 12) and our names are registered there!

Verse 2: "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they who are wise…" (vs 1-3).

This goes clear back to Gen. 15 and God making the covenant with Abraham and finalizing the covenant again after the sacrifice that was Isaac, but replaced with a ram, and this is talking about the stars of heaven.

When we're resurrected we're going to see that our whole existence will be changed!

"…shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever" (v 3)—eternal life!

Let's see that Jesus verified this. Matt. 13 talks about the resurrection, how we get there: by growing and overcoming and doing the will of God! We know that Christ is returning; He said that He is coming, and He's going to be right on schedule with God's timing, with God's schedule, the resurrection is going to take place.

Matthew 13:41: "The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all the offenders and those who are practicing lawlessness; and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear" (vs 41-43).

Do you hear?

Let's see something very important concerning the resurrection. When the resurrection takes place, it's going to be at the seventh trump (Rev.11); we cover that on Pentecost The seventh trump shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible! Tie that in with 1-Cor. 15. But here's what's going to happen at the resurrection and exactly al of that is going to work out, God knows! We don't know much about it, but we know it's going to happen because God said that it will.

1 Thessalonians 4:15: "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."

In other words, those who are in the grave will be resurrected first!

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; 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 for the meeting with the Lord in the air; and so shall we always be with the Lord" (vs 16-17).

How are we going to get to where the Lord is? Let's see what we have in Matt. 24 concerning the resurrection.

Matthew 24:29: "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… [that second sun will be out there for all that time until it becomes the Sea of Glass] …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. 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" (vs 29-31).

The angels are going to take us, as we will see, to the Sea of Glass. When we're resurrected, let's see again and add to it what the things will be like when we're spirit beings. Let's look at several so that we have it all, and put it all together in such a way that we'll understand it.

1-Cor. is known as the resurrection chapter, and this is quite a chapter, indeed. It talks about the resurrection of Christ, that if there's no resurrection of Christ then there's no eternal life. Now, here's a promise. You know you're here, you're alive and you're physical, and because you are—and if you're faithful—this is a guarantee that you'll be in the resurrection.

1-Corinthians 15:48: "As is the one made of dust… [human beings] …so also are all those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly One… [Christ] …so also are all those who are heavenly…. [here is the promise]: …And as we have borne the image of the one made of dust… [physical after Adam] …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, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all fall asleep… [be in the grave forever] …but we shall all be changed" (vs 48-51).

This is going to be an instantaneous transformation; v 52: "In an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 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 52-54).

Let's see what we will be like as spirit beings. We've already covered Matt. 13 that we will shine like the sun. Let's see where we're told even more about this. This is what we're going to look forward to, and we can be guaranteed, because:

• God has planned it
• God has prophesied it
• He has put it in writing so we can claim it as a promise

Philippians 3:20: "But for us, the commonwealth of God exists in the heavens… [the Kingdom of God that Christ is bringing to the earth] …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 20-21). Think about that!

Let's see what the Apostle John wrote concerning that. The Word of God is so great and these promises are so fantastic that we just need to praise God and thank Him for:

• all the glory
• all the Truth
• all the knowledge
• all the understanding

because it all comes from God! We don't have anything that we can add to what God has given or going to do. We need to:

• love God
• keep His commandments
• obey Him
• obey His voice
• live God's way

Here's what to think on; 1-John 3:1: "Behold! What glorious love the Father has given to us…"

That's all the saints; all that have been, all that exist now, and all that will be in the future.

"…that we should be called the children of God!…." (v 1).

We know that when we receive the Holy Spirit, this is the begettal, and the begettal from the Father to become a son or daughter of God, and from Jesus Christ to develop the mind of Christ, the transformation or conversion of our mind now so that at the resurrection when we receive the spirit body, we will have the character that God wants us to have, to use all of that always for good.

"…children of God…" means by begettal and birth. To birth is the resurrection from the dead.

"…For this very reason, the world does not know us because it did not know Him. Beloved, now… [because God looks at things now as they will be in the future IF we're faithful] …we are the children of God…" (vs 1-2).

When John wrote this, he didn't know what it was going to be like when we're resurrected. But he understood it after he received the vision of the book of Revelation.

"…and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that when He is manifested, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him exactly as He is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure" (vs 2-3).

When we're resurrected, the angels are going to carry us to the Sea of Glass, especially made for the resurrection.

The sign of the Son of man that appears as a second sun in heaven, when it comes time for the resurrection, that sun is going to come barreling toward the world at great speed, and then when it gets into the lower atmosphere, it's going to expand out into massive Sea of Glass.

Revelation 15:2: "And I saw a Sea of Glass mingled with fire, and those who had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, 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… [all of those who had come through the Old Testament] …and the song of the Lamb… [all in the New Testament] …'Great and awesome are Your works…'" (vs 2-3).

Think about what that's going to be to sing that hymn when we're on the Sea of Glass. All the saints are there, and Christ is there, and I believe that God the Father is going to come down and be there, because we are His children.

• Don't you think that after all this time that He wants to see all of His children? Yes, indeed!
• Don't you think that we want to see the Father? Yes, indeed!

"'…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… [starting with the Millennium] …and worship before You, for Your judgments have been revealed'" (vs 3-4).

What's going to happen when we're on the Sea of Glass? There are eight things that are going to happen!

• The saints will receive their new name

You're going to have a signature staff with your new name, whatever that will be.

Revelation 2:17: "…and I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written…"

The Father will know the names of all. After we receive our new name, and it's going to be interesting what that's going to be like.

Let's see what's going to happen next, because Christ will be there. We're born again from the dead, raised out of the grave, carried up to the Sea of Glass by the angels, and the first thing we will find is our new name. We will be all assembled together wherever God wants us to be. He's going to have all this organized, and I'm sure that all the angels are going to be there.

Let's also understand that something else has to happen. We all have to be raised from the dead with:

• A new language in our mind so we can communicate to each other

Then we have Christ. Picture the Sea of Glass with all the saints—Old Testament and New Testament—and here is Christ up in front. Here's the Throne of God coming down to the Sea of Glass, and here is what He will be saying:

Hebrews 2:13: "And again, 'I will be trusting in Him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.'" God the Father is going to be there and accept us!

• Don't you think that's going to be quite a thing?
• Don't you think that God the Father is going to do the wedding?

• We're going to be given our rewards

1-Corinthians 3:8 "…but each shall receive his own reward according to his own labor."

Revelation 11:18: "…to give reward to Your servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to all those who fear Your name…"

Revelation 22:12: "And behold, I am coming quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to each one according as his work shall be."

The reward is in addition to eternal life. Don't know what that will be, and don't know how it will fill out for all of them, but that's what it will be.

• We will receive our assignments

We have to know what we're going to do! The saints will receive their assignments as kings and priests, and whatever else we will have: administrators, those over cities, those over territories, whatever it may be.

When we come back to the earth we have to know what we're going to do, where we're going to go, how we are going to help clean up this earth. Remember that the earth is going to be utterly, utterly nearly destroyed everywhere in the world.

• The marriage of the Lamb and His Bride takes place

Revelation 19:1—parable of this in Matt. 22—this is all happening on the Sea of Glass: "And after these things I heard the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, 'Hallelujah!….'"

Think about what that's going to be like! All of the saints, all together on the Sea of Glass!

"'…The salvation and the glory and the honor and the power belong to the Lord our God. For true and righteous are His judgments; for He hasjudged the great whore, who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.' And they said a second time, 'Hallelujah!….'" (vs 1-3).

We're going to see this whole world's system completely disintegrated and torn own!

• it's Satan's world
• it is his way

We're going to bring God's way to all of the poor survivors who come through the Great Tribulation! What a thing that's going to be.

"'…And her smoke shall ascend upward into the ages of eternity.' And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, Who sits on the throne, saying, 'Amen. Hallelujah!'" (vs 3-4).

This is a great celebration we're going to have up there on the Sea of Glass conquering Satan and getting rid of this society. All of the saints resurrected together, all of us worshipping, serving and glorifying God. All of us getting ready to come down to the earth to take over and rule the world!

Verse 5: "And a voice came forth from the throne, saying, 'Praise our God, all His servants, and all who fear Him, both small and great.'…. [that's all of us] …And I heard a voice like that of a great multitude, and like the sound of many waters, and the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord God Almighty has reigned'" (vs 5-6). Think about what that's going to be like!

Verse 7: "Let us be glad and shout with joy; and let us give glory to Him; for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." So, the marriage takes place!

• The marriage supper will take place

Got to have the marriage first, then the marriage supper. I wonder what that's going to be like, to drink spirit wine, eat spirit food? I wonder what kind of music and singing that's going to accompany this marriage supper? Just think of that; that's going to be awesome, indeed! That's quite a thing!

Verse 9: "And he said to me, 'Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'"

• The saints will witness the seven last plagues poured out

That's the vengeance of God! The seventh plague will be the Battle of Armageddon. It's going to be something!

• We'll all be gathered into God's army and we will fight with Christ

We will return to the earth with Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom and Government of God on this earth!

The time-period from the first resurrection on Pentecost until we come back to the earth will be the time between Pentecost and Trumpets. We will come back to the earth on Trumpets and you are going to be surprised, because just before the Feast of Trumpets I'm going to bring a message on the first coming of Christ and then on Trumpets the second coming of Christ, and you have to ask:

Why will the world fight Christ after all that has taken place?

I hope this helps us understand the great blessing of the first resurrection and what God is doing, and how it all fits together. How great the plan of God is, and the promises of God are sure!

Brethren, with the troubles and difficulties in the world, let's focus in on these things, and keep our mind on that so that we can constantly look to the blessings and promises of God and the resurrection when Christ returns!

Scriptural References:

• Galatians 3:26-29
• Galatians 4:1-7
• Romans 8:14-15
• Genesis 12:1-3
• Genesis 15:5-6
• Genesis 22:11-18
• Genesis 26:3-5
• Exodus 19:3-6
• Exodus 20:1-3
• Exodus 24:1-10
• Isaiah 6:1-3, 5-7
• Ezekiel 1:19-28
• Ezekiel 2:1-3
• Matthew 17:1-9
• Revelation 1:10-16
• Revelation 4:1-8
• Daniel 12:1-3
• Matthew 13:41-43
• 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
• Matthew 24:29-31
• 1 Corinthians 15:49-54
• Philippians 3:20-21
• 1 John 3:1-3
• Revelation 15:2-4
• Revelation 2:17
• Hebrews 2:13
• 1 Corinthians 3:8
• Revelation 11:18
• Revelation 22:12
• Revelation 19:1-7, 9

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• 2 Corinthians 6; 7
• Hebrews 11
• Genesis 16
• Ezekiel 1; 2
• Revelation 20; 7
• Hebrews 12
• Matthew 22

Also referenced: DVD: True Fellowship with God!

FRC:bo
Transcribed: 6/9/20

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