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A summary for those new to the Church of God!
Fred R. Coulter—September 4, 2021
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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services! This is the Sabbath before the Feast of Trumpets, and the Feast of Trumpets is going to be a humdinger!
Today, what I want to cover is just a couple of things to verify how God works, and a short summary of the Holy Days since we'll be right into those starting on Tuesday with Trumpets.
There are two aspects to preaching the Gospel; we find that in Acts 20. Paul was giving his farewell speech to all the elders in Ephesus. They had to make a special trip down south to meet him at a town called Miletus.
What you will see with this is the proper attitude that needs to be with every teacher, with everyone who is going to serve God in the capacity of serving people.
Acts 20:19—Paul says : "I served the Lord with all humility and with many tears and temptations, which came upon me through the plots of the Jews."
Read what happened to Paul in 2-Cor. Remember that when God called him, He said that 'he will suffer for Me,' because he persecuted the Church.
Verse 20: "And how I did not keep back anything that was profitable, but preached to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house."
The Jehovah Witnesses use this Scripture as 'going from house to house.' But Paul went to a house and taught; went to another house and taught; went to another house and taught. Not knocking on doors to give away a pamphlet.
Verse 21: "Earnestly testifying, both to the Jews and the Greeks, repentance toward God…"—that's the first thing!
Those of you who are beginning to keep the Sabbath, and you want to know God, you've got to come to the point of repentance! Repentance means turning from your way of sin that is contrary to the laws and commandments and instructions of Christ and toward God! And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ! You believe in Him and His sacrifice!
Sidebar: Always remember this: no man can make any edicts or decrees contrary to the Bible, and God must accept it!
That's what's wrong in the world today. They all have:
- their traditions
- their denominations
- their understanding of it
- Bibles that have not been properly translated
That's why we gave you The Holy Bible in It's Original Order, a Faithful Version! Michael Heiss translated the Old Testament; I translated the New Testament. He knows the Hebrew and I know the Greek. If you have a King James or a new modern translation, you're going to be surprised what men have done to it.
Verse 22: "And now behold, I am bound in the spirit, and am going to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall happen to me there; except that the Holy Spirit fully testifies in every city, saying that bonds and tribulations await me. But I myself do not take any of these things into account…" (vs 22-24).
That's what we have to do! It doesn't matter what other people do or say that's contrary to the Bible. What God says is the important thing!
"…nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to fully testify the Gospel of the Grace of God" (v 24).
That's the first part of the Gospel: the Gospel of Grace based upon loving God with all your heart, mind, soul repenting, being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit. All of those this will come in time as your progress. The Grace of God puts you in direct contact with God the Father and Jesus Christ:
- through prayer
- through the Holy Spirit that you receive at baptism
And all of your past sins are forgiven and you have the atonement of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins that you do as you go along, because you will not be perfect. You need to understand that that is the grace of God!
- by the grace of God we have the Bible
- by the power of God down through history He has preserved it in spite of men
There have always been faithful men, faithful scholars, those who know the Truth who have preserved it.
Verse 25: "And now behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the Kingdom of God…" There's the second part!
- First part: Grace of God, personal salvation, personal relationship
- Second part: Kingdom of God, return of Jesus Christ and setting up the Kingdom of God on earth. This is the Gospel that is preached in the whole world before Christ returns.
As we will see on Tuesday—Feast of Trumpets—the return of Christ is going to be so awesome, so fantastic, so powerful that it's going to be breathtaking.
That's why the book of Revelation shows that the world is going to fight Christ. Remember that Jesus said, 'The world hates the Father and Me'!
Every fake Christianity that is out there—and I know that some people may not like me saying that it's fake—if it is true, then let them keep the Sabbath, the Holy Days and understand the Bible. But if not, and there are misinterpretations because of bad translations that locks them into a fake Christianity. So, there are the two parts of the Gospel!
Now let's take a quick look at about what's going to happen to a lot of these preachers. Three re a lot out there claiming that they're from God.
If they don't keep the Sabbath, and if they keep Sunday and the holidays of this world, they are not from God! They can read a lot of portions of the Bible, they may understand a few things of the Bible, but to understand the full Grace of God with the Spirit of God—and everyone who has the Spirit of God, being in contact with God the Father and Jesus Christ all the time.
That's what the Grace of God is. It's not just to forgive your sins so you can keep going on sinning. That won't work! But that kind of lawless grace that they preach, you can hear it every Sunday. Go on television and hear it every day of the week if you want. But it is isn't true!
Let's see what Jesus says, and remember this: the next time you watch television and watch the preachers that are there, remember these verses:
Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to Me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven…"—the same as the Kingdom of God, because the Kingdom of God comes from heaven.
Notice right here, it want you to understand this very clearly, because this becomes really important:
"…but the one who is doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven" (v 21).
- What is the will of the Father Who is in heaven?
- Isn't that what Jesus said that He did?
- I don't do it of My own self; I do the will of the Father!
- I do what I see Him do!
- I say what He told Me to say!
- I do nothing of Myself
That's what it is!
So, for all of you who are new, remember that IF they don't speak according to this Word, the Truth of God—not a perverted truth by mistranslations of men, but the Truth of God as it should be,which you will find in The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version—THEN it's not from God!
Stop and think about this for just a minute! Did not God create everything that there is? The heavens? The Earth? The vastness of it? He knows all the stars by name, has them all numbered! He says, 'Who is the one to instruct ME?'
- Is there any man to instruct God?
- Shall the created say to the Creator: I know better than You!?
Won't work, will it? Not at all!
"…but the one who is doing the will of My Father, Who is in heaven."
Stop and think!
- Is it God's will that you live in sin?
- Is it God's will that you follow men who falsely teach?
- NO!
The will of God is stated in the Word of God! But notice what's going to happen to them, and this is going to be the day of mass surprise when they're resurrected.
By the way, no one goes to heaven except Jesus! You're going to find that almost 90% of what you've been taught in Protestantism is not the true pure Truth of the Bible.
Verse 22: "Many will say to Me in that day…"—the day of the resurrection!
- Doesn't the Bible say that we're all going to give account of ourselves to God?
- Doesn't God say that He judges the secrets of men and women?
That's why there can't be anything hidden! Here's what they will say:
"…'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name?….'" (v 22).
Yes, they do that, and they have public prayers. TBN, Day Star and every Sunday-keeping church.
Sidebar: One thing the pandemic has done, it has shutdown the churches more than you would suppose. But in a way that's a good thing, because people who are sincere and looking for truth will be able to do it without having to worry about a church.
"…And did we not cast out demons through Your name?…." (v 22).
Casting out demons doesn't prove you're from God. James and John saw a man out there casting out demons in Jesus' name who wasn't following them. They came to Jesus and said, 'Lord, should we stop him?' Jesus said, 'No, those who are not against us are on our part.' That means on that one thing God allowed it. But it doesn't mean that they had the power.
"…And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?" (v 22). The question is:
- "…'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy…"
- "…And did we not cast out demons through Your name?…."
- "…And did we not perform many works of power through Your name?" (v 22).
Jesus is not going to say, 'Oh, that's so wonderful; I'm glad you did it.'
- What is the standard that God is going to use for every human being?
- Whether you're converted or not converted?
- What is the standard that God is going to use?
The Ten Commandments as written with no modifications by a man! Any modifications by a man are null and void right at the onset. Look at all the idols and Sunday. We'll talk about some of the holidays of this world, too, because they're coming up in just a short while.
- What is the first holiday that is coming? Halloween, a celebration of death!
- Have you ever watched a special on the Mayans in Central Latin America? They worship the devil, worship death, and they're greatest holiday is Halloween!
Then the Catholics have added to it, All Saints Day! 'So, we don't leave out anyone.' Isn't that interesting, Satan's first day of the year in his celebrations is death! What does Satan bring? Death! Look at this world and what's going on!
Now here's what Christ is going to tell them; He's not going to praise them, He's going say:
Verse 23: "And then I will confess to them, 'I never knew you.….'"
That means that they never had the Spirit of God! Think of that! If they don't have the Spirit of God, whose spirit do they have? Satan the devil's, who appears as an angel of light! That's what the Bible says!
"…Depart from Me, you who work lawlessness" (v 23).
What is lawlessness? Against the Laws of God! That's why being new you start with the Ten Commandments. This is amplified by Jesus in Matt. 22. This tells us our relationship with God. God is the One Who created the heavens and the earth, all the universe, and everything that there is from the smallest to the greatest of what there is that you can see and not see.
But here's what God wants, and you will hear me quote this a lot, because this is how it has to be. What you will find is that this is going to be a fulltime thing in your life. It's not just something so that you can have a little better life, and you can stay away from some of the troubles in the world. Or that your children will be a little bit better than the neighbor children, because they don't do the things that the neighbor children do. Most of you home school, and that's the most important thing for them.
Matthew 22:36: "'Master, which commandment is the great commandment in the Law?' And Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul… [that means your whole being] …and with all your mind'" (vs 36-37). That's something!
- What goes on in your mind?
- What are the things?
- What are the words?
- What are the thoughts?
- What are the pictures?
- What are the imaginations that go on in your mind?
- Are they toward God?
or
- Are they toward people?
- Are they toward lust?
- Are they toward sin?
- What is it?
Verse 38: "This is the first and greatest commandment; and the second one is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (vs 38-40).
Now let's look at what God does with conversion, and what God does with His laws and commandments with conversion, and His Spirit in us! Conversion is a transformation of the mind! In order to have a transformation of the mind, you must have all the newness of God's way inscribed in your heart and mind in order to overcome all the sin and defilement that a life that you have led has put in there. Some to more extreme than others.
Heb. 10 talks about the need of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin. This is important. A lot of the Protestants say that if you try and keep the commandments you're trying to 'earn' salvation! Not true! God requires it! It's not an option, but you have choose to do it. Here's why, and here's the benefit with God's Spirit. This leads to eternal life at the resurrection when Jesus returns.
Hebrews 10:7: "Then said I, 'Lo, I come (as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book) to do Your will, O God.'"
That's a quote of a prophecy of Jesus! He didn't come to do His will. He didn't come to do the will of the scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees. As a matter of fact, they hated Him because He didn't join them politically. They still do, most of them, to this day!
Verse 8: "In the saying above, He said, 'Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin (which are offered according to the priestly law) You did not desire nor delight in.'"
Why? Those were temporary! Those are the things that God replaced with a greater sacrifice. That greater sacrifice is Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.
Verse 9: "Then He said, 'Lo, I come to do Your will, O God.' He takes away the first covenant in order that He may establish the second covenant; by Whose will…" (vs 9-10).
I want you to understand that when you come to repentance, when you are baptized and when you receive the Holy Spirit of God, it is the will of God! I want you to think on that.
The very will of God the Father, being activated in your life, and that's what God wants. I want you to think about that, because our love toward God is expressed in keeping His commandments and doing His will!
- it's not doing the traditions of men
- it's not in animal sacrifices
- it's not in any activity of man that is devoid of the will of God
This is John testifying of Christ; John 1:11: "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him, but as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become the children of God…" (vs 11-12).
- that's the whole purpose of the resurrection
- that's the whole purpose of having your mind re-written with the Laws of God
"…even to those who believe in His name; who were not begotten…" (vs 12-13).
That's what happens when you receive the Holy Spirit. You are begotten, and now you start out a whole new way of living.
"…by bloodlines, nor by the will of the flesh, nor by the will of man, but by the will of God" (v 13).
I want you to think deeply on that. God the Father Himself is doing that in your life. Those of you who gather together now, and you home school your children, and you want to know about God; that's the whole key right there that you need to do.
The will of God! Think about that! I want you to dwell on that thought! The will of God is for you to become His son or daughter. Can there be anything greater? At the resurrection will be raised from the dead, or transformed instantaneously and live forever!
Hebrews 10:10: "By Whose will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
To forgive everyone's sins! Now, remember that Jesus Christ is the Creator! He created all mankind. He lived a perfect life, and when He died His life was worth every human being past, present and future, because He made them! He made all of us! We're the result of our fathers and mothers on down through every generation as it goes.
"By Whose will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
His sacrifice upon repentance to God the Father and Jesus Christ, when you get on your knees to pray to Him and confess your sins… If you've been a Catholic, did you ever tell the priest in the confessional booth all your secret sins? Of course not!
But I like the one where the man went into the confessional booth and they have a little window that the priest sits behind a closed window and he opens it up and says: 'My son/daughter, are you ready to confess your sins?' This man said, 'Yes, let's start with yours!'
Verse 14: "For by one offering He has obtained eternal perfection for those who are sanctified."
Sanctified means that you have received the Holy Spirit and you have been set aside by God for His purpose!
Verse 15: "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after He had previously said, '"This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days," says the Lord "I will give My Laws"'" (vs 15-16).
- here's what's to happen
- here's how your mind is transformed
- here is how your thoughts become the thoughts of God
- here is how you overcome getting sin out of your heart and mind
Here it is right here!
"I will give…" (v 16). It comes from God! How do we get that?
- with God's Spirit
- by studying the Word of God
- by praying to God
- living by His commandments
"…My Laws…" (v 16).
Think about this! How many of the Protestants say that the Law has been done away? Nearly all of them! But Jesus said,
'Do not think…' What does that mean? Don't let it enter into your mind! '…that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to do that. But to fulfill!' That means to make them full to the brim, 100%!
That doesn't make them inactive; that makes them active 100%! Then He went on to say,
The one who breaks the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of God. But the one who teaches them and does them—that is the Laws and commandments of God—is led by the Spirit of God!
This is an amazing thing that God is doing! I want you to understand that what God is doing is not like any 'religion' in the world. It's not a religion; it's a personal relationship between you and God the Father and Jesus Christ! It's a way of living by the laws and commandments and love of God. That's totally different than what you will hear in any church.
"…I will give My Laws into their hearts, and I will inscribe them in their minds" (v 16). They know that's how your brain works! It's written:
- everything that you think
- everything that you do
- every experience that your go through
Is stored somewhere in your own mind! Conversion is to wipe that away by replacing it:
- with God's Word
- with His Truth
- with His love
- with His commandments
That's what it's all about! There's no political action you can take to make it work in the world. There's nothing else you can do as a substitute for this, because there is no substitute!
Notice what God will do; v 17: "And their sins and lawlessness I will not remember ever again."
That's what the grace of God means. Now let's look at a couple of other Scriptures here, which are very important for us to understand. The truth of it is that you can understand the Bible
- IF you rightly divide it
- IF you believe it
- IF you keep the commandments of God
- IF you ask for God understanding
If not, you'll never understand it, and someone will come in with a substitute that will sound satisfactory to you, and it's just another wave of deception!
Ephesians 2:1: "Now, you were dead in trespasses and sins."
That's what it is before you were baptized. That's why baptism is by full emersion in water. You are pronouncing your future death IF you do not complete what God wants you to complete. But you're burying the old self in the water because that is a watery grave.
When you come up out of the water and have hands laid on you to receive the Holy Spirit, now you start walking in newness of life. Here's what Paul writes:
Verse 1: "Now, you were dead in trespasses and sins. In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world…" (vs 1-2).
- you live just like the world
- thought like the world
- did things just like the world
"…according to the prince of the power of the air…" (v 2). Who's that? None other than Satan the devil!
Do you want to know who is the most demonic Satan-filled producer of videos, games and things for children? Walt Disney! Satan like to introduce sin with humor. Then comes witchcraft, then comes apparitions, then comes great demon monsters and so forth. Remember Puff the Magic Dragon; that was all about receiving heroine. Puff the magic dragon is none other than Satan the devil!
'Oh, but it was so funny! It was so good, he was savior of the children.' That's how Satan palms himself off.
"…the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience… [they're breaking the laws and commandments of God] …among whom also we all…(vs 2-3).
Paul included himself; he was one of the worst, because in the name of God, under the rabbinics, he was persecuting the Church and killing Christians.
"…once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world" (vs 3-4).
Just stop and think about the way that the world is going today. It is such a mess! Who is going to straighten it out? Well, they might be able to make a few adjustments, but you have to wait for the return of Christ to straighten it out. That's what the Feast of Trumpets will be on Tuesday, and how that's going to happen.
Verse 4: "But God, Who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us."
Remember the famous verse, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have everlasting life." That shows there are conditions!
Ephesians 2:5: "Even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. (For you have been saved by grace.)" God mercy and graciousness to us!
Verse 6: "And He has raised us up together and has caused us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
That's a prophecy in the future when we're in the Kingdom of God, as it explains:
Verse 7: "So that in the ages that are coming He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."
It's going to be a phenomenal thing, brethren! Absolutely amazing!
Verse 8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith…" When you are baptized you are saved:
- from your sins
- from the penalty of the sins that have occurred
You will receive the Holy Spirit of God!
"…and this especially is not of your own selves… [not of any work that you do that's different from what God requires] …it is the gift of God, not of works… [that you do] …so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship…" (vs 8-10).
This is what God is doing in us! He's working, fashioning and molding our heart and mind in love and Truth.
"…being created in Christ Jesus unto the good works that God ordained beforehand in order that we might walk in them" (v 10).
What are the good works of God? All the laws, commandments, statutes, everything of God! Those are the good works. All the works of religion of this world are not good works! Those are dead works, because they're based on a false belief and false premises, which then is a lie and doesn't come from God.
Those are the two main elements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
(break@40:53)
We're going to cover just a brief review of the Holy Days. Appendix S: God's Annual Feasts and Holy Days (The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version {https://afaithfulversion.org/appendices-s}
I want to go through this from this point of view. Then we'll go back to Lev. 23. First of all, the way that God calculates time and His calendar is different than the calendar that we have on the wall. That is a Roman civil calendar, which is based on solar; that means the sun alone.
It takes 365-1/4 days for the Earth to make one orbit around the sun. Now, we're right in the middle when we start Tabernacles, that will be the first day of fall.
However, God has a better system. It's more complicated, so that's why He gave that to the Jews to preserve: the calendar and the Old Testament. The calendar is based upon the sun, the moon and the stars. It is figure entirely differently. We won't get into the intricacies of it, but it is calculated.
Appendix S is a brief review of all the Holy Days. You know about the Sabbath. We will see that the Sabbath sanctifies all these Holy Days. There are seven annual Holy Days that God has ordained to be observed as special commanded convocations. It's a command, as we will see!
Appendix S: God's Annual Feasts and Holy Days
The Scriptures teach that there are seven annual feasts and holy days, which were ordained by God to be observed as special commanded convocations. These feasts and holy days portray God's plan of salvation for mankind….
Now we have a brand new book on that—a nice big thick one—that covers everything to do with the Sabbath, the Passover, and the Holy Days of God. This is important, because there's one feast day—not a Holy Day because there's so much work on it:
PASSOVER:
That one, along with the Sabbath, if it's not observed on the correct day, which is the 14th day of the 1st month of God's sacred calendar… I know that might not mean much to you who are brand new, but at least it will introduce it to you.
Old Testament: The first observance of the Passover was in Egypt and the Passover there was not for the forgiveness of sin; it was for the protection of the firstborn of Israel. That's why they stayed in their houses all night and didn't leave until sunrise.
New Testament: The arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ as the perfect sin offering for the whole world. That was done on the 14th day of the 1st month.
Sidebar: Christ was put in the grave right at sunset and was in the grave actually three whole days and three whole nights, and was resurrected at the end of the weekly Sabbath, because that Passover was on a Wednesday.
You cannot have three days and three nights when the Passover falls on a Friday, which it does on occasions. Only in the year that the Passover fell in the middle of the week.
The Passover is so important, because that is the sacrifice to forgive our sins.
UNLEAVENED BREAD:
New Testament: Then since God does want us to live in sin after that, the next Holy Day is called The Feast of Unleavened Bread! The 1st day is a Holy Day and the 7th day is a Holy Day.
This Feast pictures that after we're baptized we come out of sin and overcome sin within on a continuous basis. That the bread of Unleavened Bread pictures the pure Word of Christ and God. It's through the Word of God and the Spirit of God that we get rid of sin.
Old Testament: The children of Israel left Egypt at the beginning of the 1st day of Unleavened Bread. They passed through the Red Sea on the last day of Unleavened Bread, both days—1st & 7th day are Holy Days. This shows the power of God to deliver us.
PENTECOST:
Old Testament: With the children of Israel was the celebration of the harvest of the firstfruits of the barley and later the wheat.
During the Feast of Unleavened Bread there was a special Wave Sheaf offered on the 1st day of the week. This was symbolic and prophetic ritual of Christ being accepted by God the Father as the Firstborn from the dead and raised to eternal life to be back again with God the Father.
New Testament: Pentecost is counted 50 days, and pictures the harvest of the firstfruits. It pictures the Church, looked upon as the firstfruits of God to be resurrected from the dead to enter into the Kingdom of God when Jesus returns.
TRUMPETS:
This Feast is a War Feast. It pictures many prophecies in the book of Revelation and Isaiah, especially, concerning what's going to happen on the earth when Jesus returns.
Trumpets pictures the literal return of Christ to earth with all the saints of God to take over the government of the whole world. Talk about a big job! That's why there's first the resurrection on Pentecost.
Then we get all of the knowledge and information we need to work together with all the resurrected saints and all the resurrected patriarchs to understand what we need to do from Jesus Christ. Then on Trumpets we come down to the earth with Christ. That's going to be something!
ATONEMENT:
The fifth Holy Day and the #5 is the number of grace. The 10th day of the 7th month; Trumpets is the 1st day of the 7th month.
This pictures the most important part of getting rid of sin. The sacrifice of Christ forgives our sins, but there's something else that has to take place in order to stop sin in the world. That is the removal of Satan the devil and the demons! That's what this day pictures.
FEAST OF TABERNACLES:
This is another seven-day feast, and that begins this year on the 21st of September, actually the evening before, because God calculates all days from evening to evening.
This begins the Millennial rule of Jesus Christ and the saints to bring peace to the world. It's going to be a big job! To help restore the world; to end all wars. That's going to be something!
Sidebar: 50% of all treasure—or dollars—of mankind down through history, goes to the making of war, weapons, death and destruction.
Think about how it's going to be when that debt is removed! No more war! We will see the Scriptures that shows it.
Like they say, 'Let's solve all of our problems of all good people. If we could get together then we would solve the problems and cure the problems of the world.
- How has that worked?
- How many times have all good men gotten together?
- What happens?
They may have peace for a while; then what? You have war again! Look at what we've had in Europe that I've mentioned recently. We had Napoleon, Bismarck, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, War on Terror, Iraq War I & II, now Afghanistan .
The punishment of God against us and the stupidity of what is happening is all part of payment from God for our horrendous sins as a nation!
So, the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the 1,000 year rule of Christ and the saints.
LAST GREAT DAY:
The 7th Feast! That will be the most marvelous thing that will ever be as far as human beings are concerned. It answers the question:
- What is God going to do with all of those who die who are innocent?
- With those who are killed in battle?
- With those who never knew God?
God's going to take care of it, because they will be resurrected, every one of them, and undoubtedly all those poor aborted babies! They will be resurrected to a second physical life for the first opportunity for salvation.
Is that not a great act of love? How can the Protestants say that God is a God of love, but if you don't believe and come to this church you're going to be tormented in hell forever?
NO! That's not the kind of hell that God has in mind for the wicked. Also, at the end of this period of time of the second resurrection, all of the incorrigible wicked will be cast into a Lake of Fire and burned up! Not tormented! Eliminated!
So, that will cap all of God's days! Lev. 23—we will sort of go over it in review. This is one of the most important parts of the Bible. Here's why: It contains all the days that God wants us to observe. Think of that! And when to observe them! They're all listed on the Calculated Hebrew Calendar.
Let's see how important the weekly Sabbath is. So, for those of you just beginning to keep the Sabbath, we've got a book on how to observe the Sabbath Day.
When we get through with a few things here in Lev. 23, then we're going to go through the Gospel of John and see that the whole Gospel of John is based upon Passover/fall festival season; Passover/fall festival season; Passover. An amazing thing, right there in front of everyone's eyes.
Leviticus 23:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying…
When you read the Old Testament, please note that everything that Moses spoke and taught and wrote, was what God directed. Moses did not invent anything. So, the true definition of the Law of Moses is The Law of God given through Moses!
"…'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, "Concerning the appointed Feasts of the LORD…"'" (vs 1-2).
We just had a review of it. But what does appointed mean? That means an appointment! If you had an appointment that you had to go to, and you knew that in keeping this appointment—and other appointments like it; the rest of the Feasts—you would receive eternal life. Wouldn't you want to be there?
Let's put it in practical terms: What if you had an appointment to meet someone who was going to give you a big pile of gold worth $100-million? What would you do with $100-million? That can't be compared to eternal life because eternal life is forever!
"…appointed Feasts of the LORD…" (v 2). That means that:
- He created them!
- He set the time!
- God owns them!
which also tells us that this is very important! No man can use these days to bring about human devised doctrine.
"…which you shall proclaim to be Holy convocations…" (v 2).
Shall means you shall do it! Even in law, when there is the word shall that is a direct command to do it. Think about this for a minute: Holy convocations means a meeting where people gather together and God's Spirit is there with them! Not only are you gathered together as people, but God's Spirit is there as well.
Not in the sense of the fake Pentecostals where you jump up and down and yell, scream and parade back and forth across the stage and have all kind of things like that. NO! It is so you can learn how to live God's way. So you can learn how to become an eternal being.
"…even these are My appointed Feasts" (v 2).
That's quite a thing to understand. Is any man going to reject what God says and think that they're going to have favor with God? They do it all the time:
Lord, we know that the Sabbath is the day, but we keep Sunday.
Did God say that? No!Here's what He said:
Verse 3: "Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a Holy convocation. You shall not do any work. It is a Sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings."
Remember what Jesus said! He didn't say, 'You've heard it said in old times to remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy; but I tell you that I am the Lord of Sunday.'
- Can you find that in the Bible? NO! Not at all!
- What did Jesus say? The Sabbath was made for man,which means all mankind, and He made it on the seventh day of creation!
Furthermore, Adam and Eve were not Jews. The Patriarchs were not Jews. Abraham was not a Jew! That is Judaism's myth!
So, God made the Sabbath Day so He could be with His people and put His presence with them. Those who teach on the Sabbath Day are to teach the Word of God, on His day! Not their own ways, not their own devices. It's an appointed time!
So, the seventh-day Sabbath is the umbrella under which all the Holy Days come.
Verse 4: "These are the appointed Feasts of the LORD, Holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons." Then He lists all of them; we won't get into that.
The Gospel of John is a tremendous Gospel and contains a lot of things that people just overlook. In John 1 we find that John proclaims Jesus as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. Then He meets some of His disciples.
John 2—a wedding feast in Cana. Remember what Jesus' miracle was? At the wedding feast they ran out of wine. So His mother came and said that they've run out of wine. Jesus asked her what she wanted. She said, 'You take care of it.' He said, 'Well, My time hasn't come.'
Nevertheless, what did He do? There were six firkins, big clay jars, and He told the servants to fill them with water and give them to the master of the feast. The water turned to wine, and the amount that He made was 180 gallons.
So, Jesus was not a teetotaler. As a matter of fact, he was called 'a wine bibber' and a 'glutton' by the Pharisees. After that:
John 2:13: "Now the Passover of the Jews was near…"
Why does John write it that way? So, it would not be confused with any other pagan day that had a similarity to it!
"…and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money exchangers sitting there; and after making a scourge of cords, He drove them all out of the temple…" (vs 13-15). This tells you that Jesus was a powerful kind of man!
"…with both the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money exchangers, and overturned the tables" (v 15). I can just see them scrambling for every rolling coin!
Verse 16: "And to those who were selling the doves, He said, 'Take these things out of here! Do not make My Father's house a house of merchandise.'"
Think about all the merchandizing that all of the Protestants do. Money-making!What did He do? Got rid of the sin in the temple! That was right after the Passover on the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Verse 23: "Now, when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the Feast, many believed on His name, as they observed the miracles that He was doing. But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all men; and He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man" (vs 23-25).
Jesus goes to Samaria. And here's a big lesson that we have:
John 4:24: "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth."
Jesus was there and it was harvest time, which is the time leading up to Pentecost. He probably went to Capernaum to keep Pentecost there.
John 5:1: "After these things there was a Feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem."
It doesn't tell us what it is, but it's after Pentecost, so this has to be probably Trumpets. Now in John 6 it goes into the next year.
John 6:4: "Now, the Passover a Feast of the Jews, was near."
So, we have Passover, fall Festival season, Passover. It shows what Jesus did. Remember, we're to walk in His footsteps. If He does these things, we need to do them, as well.
Then He gave a long lesson of Passover concerning Himself as the Bread of Life. That is absolutely true, because on His last Passover what did He do? He broke the bread and blessed it and said, 'Take eat, this is My body, which is broken for you.'
John 7:2: "Now the Jews' Feast of Tabernacles was near."
He told His brothers and His mother to go on up to Jerusalem. A lot of people say that He didn't keep it because He told them to go. You need to read a little more, because He went up secretly. He could disguise Himself just by changing how He looked. Remember He did that after His resurrection to the two walking to Emmaus and they had a long conversation. So, He went up in the middle of the Feast and then He began speaking and teaching:
Verse 15: "And the Jews were amazed, saying, 'How does this Man know letters, having never been schooled?'"
Sidebar: What does that mean? Jesus was never taught by the rabbis; never in any of their schools. He was taught by God directly (Isa. 50) by God the Father, Who woke Him up every morning and taught Him. That's quite a thing to understand.
Verse 16: "Jesus answered them and said, 'My doctrine is not Mine, but His Who sent Me. If anyone desires to do His will… [up against the will of the Father again] …he shall know of the doctrine, whether it is from God, or whether I speak from My own self. The one who speaks of himself is seeking his own glory…" (vs 16-18).
That's what fake Christianity and the world is all about. Ministers and teachers of God:
- do not seek their own glory
- do not take credit for anything
Everything goes to God because it comes from God!
"…but He Who seeks the glory of Him Who sent Him is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him" (v 18).
Then on the Last Great Day He shows that there will be universal salvation for all of those in the second resurrection:
- all who never had a chance
- all who were never called
Think about that! This is so astounding, that it is earth-shaking really when you come to understand it.
- all those who had not committed the unpardonable sin will be raised to a second physical life
Verse 37: "Now, in the last day, the great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and called out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water'" (vs 37-38).
John 13:1—Jesus' last Passover: "Now, before the Feast of the Passover, knowing that His time had come to depart from this world to the Father, Jesus, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the end." Then He shows about the foot-washing!
So, we find that the New Testament Passover is a three part activity:
- foot-washing—Jesus says that if you don't wash one another's feet, you have no part with Him.
- broken bread—Symbolizing the broken body of Christ Who was scourged so that we could be healed and have our sins forgiven.
- wine—Jesus' shed blood!
There we have in the New Testament the whole life of Jesus Christ, based around the Passover, the Sabbath, the Holy Days and Feasts of God!
How can anyone who is trying to preach Jesus say that you don't need to keep them when John wrote and said that 'we are obligated to walk even as He walked.'
I hope this will give you a little insight concerning the Feasts of God that are coming up. I know for those of you out there who are brand new, you'll get a lot out of it if you just really apply yourself and pat attention.
Scriptural References:
- Acts 20:19-25
- Matthew 7:21-23
- Matthew 22:36-40
- Hebrews 10:7-10
- John 1:11-13
- Hebrews 10:10, 14-17
- Ephesians 2:1-4
- John 3:16
- Ephesians 2:5-10
- Leviticus 23:1-4
- John 2:13-16, 23-25
- John 4:24
- John 5:1
- John 6:4
- John 7:2, 15-18. 37-38
- John 13:1
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- John 1
- Isaiah 50
Also referenced:
- Appendix S: God's Annual Feasts and Holy Days (The Holy Bible in Its Original Order, A Faithful Version)
- Book: God's Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days, 2nd ed. by Fred R. Coulter
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 9/8/21
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