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Feast of Tabernacles 2009─Day Seven
End of the Millennium
Fred R. Coulter—October 9, 2009
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Welcome, brethren! For all of you old timers out there, a lot
of us thought we’d already be in the Kingdom of God by many, many years, but it
hasn’t come yet—because the time will come at the set time; not in
a way that we may think; not in a way that men may misinterpret the Scriptures.
But in the meantime, since we are now about 35 years away from 1975, what we are
doing is learning more of the way of God. And remember what Jesus said in Matt.
13: “For it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of
God”—but to the world it hasn’t been given. And He also said that “Truly, many
prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things that we see and have
not seen; and to hear the things you hear, and have not heard.”
Now, let’s come to 1-Peter, the first chapter, and let’s see
how Peter also understood this and explained it. Yet, when you realize it, what
we are covering now, brethren, and the way that we understand the Feast
today—nearly 2000 years removed from the apostles—is this: Christ is also
revealed more things through the writings of the apostles and through the
writings of the Old Testament—the Law, the Prophets and the Writings; and the
Gospels and the General Epistles and Paul’s Epistles and Revelation. Let’s read
it here and let’s understand something else.
1-Peter 1:10: “Concerning which salvation the prophets who
prophesied of the grace that would come to you… [Now grace does
not mean just the forgiveness of sin. Grace, as we know, is the umbrella under
which we live in our relationship with God from which then comes God’s love and
mercy and hope and faith and forgiveness—all of those things! So we have to add
it all together. And grace to understand. As we all know, the Bible has not been
given as a book that you just pick up and read and you understand and you’re
enlightened! No, because you must have the Spirit of God, you must have also
God’s timing in letting these things be known to us.] …have diligently searched
out and intently inquired, searching into what way and what manner of
time the Spirit of Christ which was in them was indicating, testifying
beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and these glories that would follow” (vs
10-11). The glories that would follow are the glories of the Kingdom of
God. Which then, you tie all the other Scriptures together. This is why the
seventh division of the Bible, the book of Revelation, requires a good knowledge
of the whole Bible in order to understand it. So I want you to realize the
blessing of the knowledge and information that God has given us and we’ll see
the way that He gives it to us and then we will go back and we will see the
meaning of the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Verse 12: “To whom it was revealed that, not for themselves…”
Just like the angel told Daniel, ‘Go your way, Daniel, it’s not for you to know;
it’s closed and sealed until the time of the end.’ And at the time of the end
‘the wicked shall do wickedly’ and none of the wicked shall understand but ‘the
wise shall understand.’ And Psa. 111:10 says ‘a good understanding have they who
do all His commandments.’ We can take all of that and we can add to that God’s
Spirit, the timing and the days in which we are living, and we have—as we do
every year—a greater unfolding of the plan of God, a greater knowledge and
insight of the plan of God, learning a little bit more because it’s precept upon
precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little. And also, because as
Jesus said: ‘The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life.’
And we’re going to see are spiritually understood IF we ‘rightly
divide the Word of Truth’—because, if you wrongly divide the Word of Truth, you
can come up with a lie. And anyone who is teaching, and anyone who is learning,
cannot have any other agenda than the Truth of God; the
understanding of the Scriptures as God wants us to understand it. And to
recognize that it doesn’t come to men because of who they are. It comes from
Jesus Christ Who’s the Head of the Church, and He is over all.
Let’s keep that in mind as we go through and study day seven.
“…but to us they were ministering these things, which now have been announced to
you by those who have preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit… [not
by self; not by personality; not by self-appointment—but by the Holy Spirit]
…sent from heaven—into which things the angels desire to look” (v 12). Now, when
you think about that, that’s really something!
Let’s look at some more here. Let’s come to 1-Corinthians,
the second chapter, and this tells us how we understand the Word of God, and how
we can understand these days. And here’s another thing that’s important in
understanding the Holy Days: You cannot understand them unless you keep
them, and unless you keep them the way that the New Testament—as well as the
rest of the Bible—shows us! So this is what we’re going to do today. But
notice:
1-Corinthians 2:9: “But according as it is written, ‘The
eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’”
[So, before you understand anything in the Bible, not only do you have to keep
the commandments of God, not only do you have to keep the Holy Days, but
you’ve got to love God! And the reason that is so is because unless
there is the love of God in helping and teaching and serving, then it becomes a
self-serving vehicle for power and control! And that’s how hierarchies are
started. So, keep that in mind.
Notice, if you love God: …But God has revealed them
to us… [Any knowledge and understanding that I have of the Bible is not
because of me—though I have to apply myself just like you have to apply
yourself—it’s because I’m trusting and looking to God and Jesus Christ, through
the Holy Spirit, to properly, ‘rightly divide’ the Word of God and understand
the Word of Truth. That’s how we have to approach everything that we do.] …God
has revealed them to us by His Spirit, for the Spirit
searches all things… [not only your heart and mind, not only the Word of God,
but]: …—even the deep things of God” (10). God doesn’t want us to remain
in kindergarten, first, second and third grade. He wants us to understand the
deep things of God and that’s why living in the end-time, we have got to
beseech God
for His wisdom,
for His Truth,
for His understanding,
for His Spirit
so that we can know it. And God will add it to us a little at
a time.
Now then, he [Paul] draws this analogy: “For who among men
understands the things of man except by the spirit of man which is
in him?…. [But the ‘spirit of man’ is not good enough by itself to understand
the Word of God.] …In the same way also, the things of God no one understands
except by [or through] the Spirit of God…. [It’s the only way]
…Now we have not received the spirit of the world…” (vs 11-12). That’s also
interesting—isn’t it? If you have the spirit of the world, which is the
spirit of Satan the devil unto fear and bondage again] you’ll never understand
the Scriptures. This is why you’ve heard me say for nearly a year now, over and
over and over again, the three things:
Sabbath
Passover
Holy Days
vs the things in the world of the counterfeit
Christianity, which is:
Sunday
Easter/Eucharist/mass, communion
holidays
And also remember this: All three of these are lies!
And also understand this: You cannot understand God by worshiping Him with
lies! And you cannot expect to use parts of the Word of God, coupled
with lies to understand the plan of God. That’s just a basic thing that we all
ought to know, and yet, brethren, unfortunately, how many brethren are out there
with itching ears, wanting to find a teacher to teach them something different?
Rather than sticking with the Bible and the Word of God and applying themselves
to it to know the Word of God, to learn from the Word of God. Because, if you
have the Spirit of God, God the Father’s the One Who’s doing the teaching to
you. That’s what we need to realize and understand.
“…but the Spirit… [that’s what we have received] that is
of God, so that we might know the things graciously given to us by God”
(v 12). That’s something really important that we’ve got to understand.
Now, when we come to the seventh day of the Feast of
Tabernacles, we’re going to see some very interesting things; we’re going to
review what is it going to be like during the Millennium. And how are people
going to be in relationship to God and each other.
As we covered yesterday, when there is sin—and Adam and Eve
started it—the penalty given to the whole human race was a nature of sin
and death. So this is how the whole human race got the carnal minds that
they have, which are hostile to God and not subject to the law of God. When we
repent and come to God we have our sins forgiven and are baptized and receive
the Holy Spirit, then our hearts and minds are circumcised to receive the Spirit
of God and the Truth of God. So that’s the first thing that has to take place
when the Millennium begins.
Let’s come back to Ezekiel 36:23 and we will see how clear
that is. Now, I think I will quit giving you the page numbers. As my wife
Delores brought this up. What she did, she memorized the order of the books in
the New Testament, and now she’s going to memorize the original order of the
books in the Old Testament, so she can find her way around in the Bible. I’m
going to quit giving the numbers and let you memorize it yourself. So that’ll
help you.
Ezekiel 36:23—God says, at the beginning of the Millennium
concerning the house of Israel, the house of Judah, etc.: “‘And I will sanctify
My great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in
their midst. And the nations shall know that I am the LORD’… [So this is
the Millennial setting where all the world is going to know. And we’ve seen how
that some nations will willing come; how other nations have to be rebuked by
Christ in order to bring them to their senses and come to Jerusalem.] (v 24):
…For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries,
and will gather you into your own land. And I will sprinkle clean waters upon
you, and you shall be clean…. [the washing away of their sins] …I will cleanse
you from all your filthiness and from your idols…. [and here’s the important
thing; realize this: It doesn’t do any good to forgive people’s sins if their
hearts are not changed, because they’ll go right back into it. And frankly,
brethren, that’s what’s wrong with the Christianity of this world.]: …And
I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And
I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart
of flesh’” (vs 23-26).
So, just as we covered on the first day, the restitution of
all things is going to be also the restitution of the hearts and minds of all
people. That’s necessary to get rid of the carnality. That’s necessary to
prepare them for repentance and the receiving of the Holy Spirit.] …And I will
put My Spirit within you… [Notice: two spirits. A new spirit of man
removing the law of sin and death to a great degree. He can’t completely take it
away because there is free choice, and everyone has to chose what they’re going
to do. But it will be greatly reduced!] … And I will put My Spirit within
you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My
ordinances and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to
your fathers. And you shall be My people, and I will be your God’” (vs 27-28).
That’s going to be a great thing for the whole world.
“‘I will also save you from all your uncleannesses, and I
will call for the grain, and will increase it, and will lay no famine upon you.
And I will multiply the fruits of the tree and the increase of the field, so
that you shall never again receive the curse of famine among the nations….
[Notice, there has to be repentance. And that repentance God will lead them to,
but they have to choose, just like we have to choose to repent. Repentance is a
choice. Walking in God’s way is choice.] …And you shall remember your own evil
ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in
your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations’” (vs 29-31). So
there has to be that mass repentance; and that repentance has to be carried on
down through every generation of the Millennium, because God is not going to
force people to accept salvation against their will. And God expects people,
that once they’ve repented and received the Holy Spirit of God:
must work with the Holy Spirit of God
must use the Spirit of God
must educate the mind with the Word of God
must walk in the way of God
—that is in faith and to believe in hope
and to live in love so that they themselves can qualify for the
Kingdom of God. While it is true all during the Millennium Satan won’t be
around, so we can say that’s going to be a whole lot easier for them. Well, it
may be. However, they will never qualify for the first resurrection—which we’re
qualifying for. And as Paul said, ‘it’s a better resurrection.’
Now, how God is going to break that down we don’t know.
That’s why we need to attain to the Kingdom of God so we’ll find out. And just
as an aside here: Once we are spirit beings then please remember this: We’re
going to start learning far more. Do you think that we’re going to quit
learning? and just remain at the same level through all eternity? Of course
not!
Now notice, He says this: “‘I do not do this for your
sake,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘be it known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for
your ways, O house of Israel.’ Thus says the Lord GOD, “In the day that I
cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also cause you to dwell in
the cities, and the waste places shall be rebuilt…. [so they’re all going
work] …And the waste land shall be tilled, instead of being desolate before all
who pass by. And they shall say, “This land that was desolate has become like
the Garden of Eden…. [and then that goes out to the whole world] …And the
wasted, desolate and ruined cities now are fenced and inhabited.” And the
nations that are left all around you shall know that I the LORD build the ruined
places and planted that which was desolate. I the LORD have spoken it,
and I will do it’” (vs 32-36). That’s quite something—isn’t it? That’s what
God is going to do. When God says He’s going to do something, and it involves us
as human beings, we have to be willing participants. And we have work diligently
and apply ourselves, and exercise ourselves unto righteousness, unto Truth—or,
here in this case, the physical work of doing the things that need to be done.
“Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘I will yet be sought by the house
of Israel to act for them. I will increase them with men like a flock. As a Holy
flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed Feasts… [Key! To understand
the plan of God through the Feasts of God. That’s why we have the book: God’s
Plan Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days.] …so shall the waste cities be
filled with flocks of men. And they shall know that I am the LORD’” (vs
37-38). That’s something! That’s the way it’s going to be all through the
Millennium for all nations.
Let’s come to Isaiah 32:15 and let’s see some more things;
because, brethren, this is really, really, tremendously exciting! Especially
when you understand that these things were not known the way that we understand
them today until maybe beginning in the 1940s & 50s—there was a beginning of an
understanding of these things. And then we grew in knowledge all the way down
and then the Church was scattered because of sin. Those who are faithful God has
blessed with understanding. You see, God has also been doing His Gideon thing,
and so the Church today is much like Gideon’s army.
As you recall, God told him to raise an army, so he sent out
the word and 30,000 men came. And then God did an incredible thing. He said,
‘All right, that’s too many men. So I want you to select all of those that lap
the water like a dog—and I’m going to use those.’ That turned out to be 300. And
all the rest went away griping and complaining because they wanted to get out
and have a fight. Well, when it’s God’s battle, when it’s God’s fight, He
doesn’t need the might of men. But He wants the men and the women to yield to
Him, to bring these things so they can come about.
Isaiah 32:15—this will tell us what we need to do; give us
some more understanding of how it’s going to be. “Until the Spirit is poured
upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the
fruitful field is thought to be a forest…. [This is the way it’s going to be
during the Millennium.] …Then justice shall dwell in the wilderness, and
righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall
be peace; and the result of righteousness shall be quietness and confidence
forever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable home, and in secure dwellings
and quiet resting places” (vs 15-18). That’s why the Millennium is called the
rest of God.
Let’s come over here to Isaiah 55—we’ll be back in Isaiah
again, look at a couple of Scriptures that we’ve already covered, so we can get
a review. Some of them we’ve covered on the first day, but we need a short
review as we’re going through this.
Isaiah 55:11—says the Lord: “‘So shall My Word be, which goes
out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I
please, and it shall certainly do what I sent it to do… [that is through the
Spirit of God
to bring conversion,
to bring humility,
to bring blessing,
to bring love,
to bring righteousness,
to bring judgment
—all of those things] …For you shall go out with joy, and be
led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break out before you into
singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands…. [Showing
that the entire environment’s going to be changed.] (notice, the reversing of
the curse of Adam in Gen. 3): …Instead of the thorn, the fir tree shall come up;
and instead of the brier, the myrtle tree shall come up; and it shall be to the
LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign which shall not be cut off’”
(vs 11-13). So therefore, it’s really great the way that these things are going
to happen. Just think of this, all through Millennium!
Let’s come to Proverbs 11:30—hold your place in Isaiah,
because we’ll come back. Here’s a very fitting Proverb for us. What we are
trying to do in this—and I hope that it will help us understand—is that we need
to put the Scriptures together the way that it makes sense. Proverbs 11:30: “The
fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is
wise. Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; how much more the
wicked and the sinner!” (vs 30-31). Now, there’s still going be wicked and
sinners in the Millennium. And we’ll what will happen to them in just a little
bit. They’re not going to be around to be able to gain any power to lead people
astray. Because as kings and priests and teachers, we’re going to be there to
say: ‘Don’t go to the right hand, don’t go to the left hand, here’s the way of
the Lord.’ I’m sure we’ll be doing that because if we’re going to be the
teachers and priests and leaders, we’re going to be conducting Sabbath services,
Holy Days, teaching the people. They’re going to learn! That’s why they’ll all
be taught of God and will be in the Family of God and we’ll be teaching them.
All right, let’s come back to Isaiah 25:6, please. All these
tell us about the Millennium. All of these tell us about the Kingdom of God,
which, as we know, without the book of Revelation we really don’t understand.
Isaiah 25:6: “And in this mountain… [the house and government of God] …the LORD
of hosts shall make a feast of fat things for all the people… [If you think we
live in a land of abundance now, wait until all of that is multiplied generation
after generation down through the thousand years.] …a feast of wines on the
lees, of fat things full of marrow, of refined wines on the lees. And He will
destroy in this mountain the face of the covering which covers all people… [take
away the blindness of their eyes that Satan put upon the whole world.] …and the
veil that is woven over all nations…. [That’s how Satan the devil deceived the
whole world.] …He will destroy death forever… [eventually, at the end of the
Millennium—the Great White Throne period.] …and the Lord GOD will wipe away
tears from all faces. And He shall take away from all the earth the rebuke of
His people, for the LORD has spoken it. And one shall say in that
day, ‘Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in
His salvation’” (vs 6-9).
See how that’s going to be; let’s come to the next
chapter—Isaiah 26:1: “In that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah:
‘We have a strong city; He sets up salvation as our walls and banks. Open
the gates, so that the righteous nation shall enter in, one that is faithfully
keeping Truth ’” (vs 1-2). That tells us an awful lot—doesn’t it? And that tells
us what we’re going to be doing all during the Millennium, because, as spirit
beings, we will have access to Jerusalem. And as we have seen, Jerusalem is
going to have a great canopy over it. And it’s going to be a beautiful setting.
We don’t know what the house of the Lord is going to look like there, but it’s
sure not going to be the little miniature temple spoken of in Ezekiel 40 onward,
because when you really understand it, that is the temple that was rebuilt when
they came back out of captivity from Babylon.
And we can learn this today: “‘You will keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You…’” (v 3). Think of
that! You want to overcome troubles: mentally, emotionally, spiritually?
keep your mind stayed on God!
on the Word of God!
on the Truth of God!
the way He wants us to live!
perfect peace!
—even as I gave in a sermon this past summer, Stability in
the Midst of Trouble. “‘…because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD
forever; for God the LORD is the everlasting Rock, for He brings down
those who dwell on high; He lays low the lofty city; He lays it low, even to the
ground; He brings it even to the dust…. [What’s going to happen to all
the cities before the Millennium starts?] …The foot shall trample it, even
the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy.’ The way of the just
is uprightness; O Upright One, You make the path of the righteous level….
[So you can go in a straight way.] …Yea, in the way of Your judgments, O
LORD, we have waited for You; for Your name and for Your remembrance is
the desire of our soul” (vs 3-8). That’s what it needs to be. Notice the
conversion. Notice the dedication. Notice the steadfastness to God.
“With my soul I desired You in the night; yea, with
my spirit within me I will seek You earnestly; for when Your judgments are
in the earth, the people of the world will learn righteousness” (v 9). That’s
what we are going to be doing. That will be our job. But, you see, this is how
we need to respond to God today. And then we can teach the people in the
Millennium to respond in the same way. That’s a pretty good deal.
Let’s come over here to the book of Micah now and let’s again
review how it is going to be. There is going to be education and teaching and
peace and productivity and every good thing. You think the cities that we have
today are something. Wait until the cities during the Millennium! You think
there are beautiful people today. Wait until the Millennium! We are going to be
astonished!
If you want an interesting comparison: My wife was watching
the classic movie channel, because there’s so much garbage on TV that when it
gets all garbage-ladened, she turns to the classic movie channel and watches
some of those old movies. I watched some of them with her for a while, and you
know, I was struck! I was struck that 70-years ago—between 55-70-years ago I was
looking at all of the actors and actresses and the people that were in the
movie, and there wasn’t one overweight person in the general population. It just
struck me! I thought when I go out to the mall or go shopping, just like it
says, ‘Jeshurun waxed fat’—so I think it’s talking about that people get fat.
Now, for those of you who are overweight, take heart, I have to fight
overweightness myself. But it just struck me! The food that they were eating
then was different than what we have now. And it wasn’t all
genetically-engineered; and it wasn’t all with the carbohydrates and things like
we have now; or meat that is grown on hormones; or milk that is all pasteurized;
eggs that are produced by chicken factories—and they looked healthy! and they
weren’t overweight! So that also gave me some solace in this way. And I’m also a
victim of the food that is here and once the weight gets on it’s tough to get
off. So have hope! When you’re resurrected, that will be the instantaneous
weight-loss program that God will have for all of us.
Let’s come here to Micah, the fourth chapter. Not only is it
going to be where those things will be in the way that they should be. Good food
for everyone, but here’s what’s important; because remember the three things
that are basically wrong with this world:
They have the wrong god—Satan the devil.
The governments of this world—from top to bottom, large
and small, local, nation, international—are all messed up because they serve
Satan the devil.
The religions of this world teach people to worship Satan
the devil.
All of those things are going to be gone!
Micah 4:1: “But it shall be in the last days that the
mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the
mountains… [so there’s going to be a house of the Lord.] …and it shall be
exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall
come and say, ‘Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the
house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in
His paths’—for the law shall go forth out of Zion, and the Word of the LORD from
Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people… [that will be all during the
Millennium. There is going to be judgment all the time.] …and will rebuke strong
nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore…. [They’re going to get rid of all the toy
factories—sorry China, we won’t need any of your plastic monsters or your
wooden, lead-painted, poisonous toys for kids. You’ll find other employment.]
…But they shall sit each one under his own vine and under his own
fig tree; and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts
has spoken” (vs 1-4). That’s something for us to realize and understand, that
that’s the way it’s going to be.
One more look into—let’s turn back to Amos 9—and let’s see
how the food supply is going to be. Amos 9:12: “‘Behold, the days come,’ says
the LORD, ‘that the plowman shall overtake the reaper… [tell the reaper, ‘Hey,
get out of my way, I’m plowing!’ He’ll say, ‘Oh, I got so much to harvest
here—I’m slow!’] …and the treader of grapes him who sows seed. And the mountains
will drop sweet wine, and all the hills will flow with it. And I will bring back
the exiles of My people Israel, and they shall build the cities which are
desolate, and they shall live in them. And they shall plant vineyards and
drink their wine. They shall also make gardens and eat their fruit. And I will
plant them in their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land
which I have given them,’ says the LORD your God” (vs 12-15). That’s what it’s
going to be like during all the Millennium.
(go to track #2)
Let’s come to Isaiah 33:20 and let’s, again, see how
everything is going to point toward Zion coming out of Jerusalem. “Look upon
Zion, the city of our holy gatherings; your eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet
home, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down… [In other words, dwelling with
God, God dwelling in them, the whole meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles] …not
one of its stakes shall ever be removed… [because it isn’t going anywhere ever
again.] …nor shall any of its cords be broken. But there the glorious LORD
will be to us a place of broad rivers and streams, in which no galley
with oars shall go, nor shall a mighty ship pass by it… [In other words, going
to be a mighty stream of the water of God; and that’s a foretaste of what it’s
going to be like when we come to tomorrow and see that out from underneath the
throne of God and the Lamb come rivers of crystal-clear water. That means
pure spirit from God.] …For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is
our Lawgiver, the LORD is our King; He will save us” (vs 20-22). There
shall be salvation through all during the Millennium. That’s really going to be
a tremendous thing. And isn’t it something, as evil as man is, yet, the good
part of him and his human nature wants to have exactly what’s in the Bible.
But, you see, until there’s conversion men want to do it
their way! And so, God’s message to them is going to be this: ‘It’s going to be
My way or the highway’—you’ve heard that before, so we’ll just update it that
way.
Isaiah 35—again, He’s going to tell us what it’s going to be
like. I think about this every time I fly, especially when I fly back east and I
fly over all the mountains and over all the deserts and I look down there and I
know there’re very few people per square mile, and it’s dry, it’s
barren—especially in the summer or early fall, you can see there’s not a blade
of green grass around. All the rivers are dry. Everything looks like it’s been
baked in the summer heat. But notice what it’s going to be like. Can you imagine
that there will not be deserts in the Millennium? Think about how much food that
will support for people.
Isaiah 35:1: “The wilderness and the desert shall be glad and
the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be
given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of
the LORD and the majesty of our God…. [What a time that is going to be!
Absolutely fantastic, beyond our wildest imaginations! And we’re going to have a
part in it. We’re going to be able to make this come to pass—of course, under
Christ’s direction because He’s King; the government will go out from Jerusalem,
etc. ] … Make the weak hands strong and make the feeble knees sure. Say to those
of a fearful heart, .‘Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with
vengeance, with the full recompense of God. He will come and save you’” (vs
1-4). That’s what’s going to happen to the world.
“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened… [both
spiritually and physically] …and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then
the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for in
the wilderness waters shall break out, and streams in the desert. And the
parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land shall become springs of
water in the home of jackals, in its lair, it shall be a place for the reed and
rush. And a highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The Way of
Holiness…. [and that means the way to eternal life] …The unclean shall
not pass over it. But it will be for him who walks in that way, but fools…
[those who reject salvation] …shall not err in it” (vs 5-8). They’re not
going to go in there by mistake.
“No lion shall be there, nor any beast of prey shall
go up on it, they shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there….
[How much that includes physical Israel, of the redeemed that come back out of
captivity, we don’t know. How much that means those of us who receive salvation,
become spirit beings and we’re looked upon as the redeemed, I don’t know.] …And
the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow
and sighing shall flee away” (vs 9-10). Every evil and problem that mankind has
created for himself shall be gone! And remember, Satan the devil and the demons,
at the beginning of the Millennium as we saw, were bound in the abyss. So Satan
is not there. Human nature has been changed. The Spirit of God is available. The
blessing of God on all the land and everything that is done is going to be
fantastic!
Let’s come here to Psalm 145—here’s quite a Psalm which also
tells us about what it’s going to be, and it talks about some of our
responsibilities. Here again we see the same thing. Here is a prophecy showing
God’s way; how the Millennium will be. And just think of the potential that
human beings will have:
all of their love
all of the joy
all of the Truth
all of the goodness
all of the peace
—what a wonderful thing that is going to be.
Psalm 145:1: “I will extol You, my God, O King; and I will
bless Your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless You; and I will praise
Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and
there is no searching out His greatness…. [During the Millennium]: …One
generation shall praise Your works to another and shall declare Your mighty
acts…. [Continuously teaching the way of God, worshiping God the Father and
Jesus Christ, and the glory that’s going to be is going to be absolutely
phenomenal! If you think the earth is beautiful today, just wait until the
Millennium!] …I will speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty and of Your
wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of Your awesome works; and I
will declare Your greatness” (vs 1-6).
As we read this, understand: this is how we’re going to teach
the people. This is what we’re going to teach them. This is going to be part of
their conversion.
“They shall pour forth the memory of Your great goodness and
shall sing of Your righteousness…. [Here’s what they’re going to sing]: …The
LORD is gracious and full of compassion; slow to anger and abounding in
steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His
works…. [You could almost make a hymn out of that—right? Yes, that would be a
great hymn. Anyone want to compose a hymn, why don’t you try this one; see
what you come up with.] …All Your works shall praise You, O LORD; and Your
saints shall bless You…. [Every day! When we’re in the Millennium as spirit
beings, we’re going to pray every day. We’re going to study every day. We’re
going to worship God every day—directly! Isn’t that something!?] (Then for the
people): …They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom and talk of Your power,
to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts… [that’s our mission assignment
for the Kingdom of God.] …and the glorious majesty of His kingdom [God’s]. Your
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all
generations” (vs 7-13). No other government; no other way—God’s way alone!
“The LORD upholds all who fall and raises up all who are
bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon You, and You give them their food in due
season” (vs 14-15). So, that’s quite something!—isn’t it? That’s the way it’s
going to be. A wonderful time for us to know and understand God’s way as never
before.
Let’s come to Isaiah 65—let’s ask some questions concerning
the Millennium, which they always come up. I think we can put it together and we
can, from the Scriptures, answer some of these questions, such as: How long will
people live? What will happen to sinners? Some of it we don’t know directly, but
from other parts of the Bible we can put it together and we can understand it,
and we can use the principles that are in the Bible to see if they will fit in
the plan of God as we understand it as far as we do right now. And maybe we’ll
understand more as we go down in the future. Now remember, when the Millennium
starts the heavens are all messed up, the earth is all in turmoil, all the
cities have fallen, everything is in terrible shape, bodies are strewn across
the face of the earth, piled high and deep—and all of that has to be taken care
of. So our first job is going to be a real cleanup. In order to establish what
the Millennium will abide by, God has to do this. Now, this does not necessarily
mean the new heavens and new earth in Rev. 21 & 22, but it can mean both!
Isaiah 65:17: “‘For behold, I create new heavens and a new
earth. And the former things will not be remembered, nor come to mind. But be
glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create
Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I
will joy in My people; and the voice of weeping will no more be heard in her,
nor the voice of crying’” (vs 17-19). Now, that could apply to the New Jerusalem
(Rev. 21 & 22) but notice, as we go on, this is talking about the Millennial
setting. Because when we get to Rev. 21 & 22 there can’t be anymore children
being born. All will be spirit beings, the sons and daughters of God.
Verse 20: “‘There will not be an infant who lives but a few
days, nor an old man that has not filled his days, for the child will die a
hundred years old; but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be
accursed…. [So this tells us, during the Millennium people will live to be a
hundred-years-old. That also can apply to the Great White Throne
Judgment—both—because it’s going to be the same thing for them in the Great
White Throne Judgment (which we’ll talk about tomorrow), but today we’re seeing
how the Millennium is going to end.] …And they will build houses and live in
them… [during the Millennium] …and they will plant vineyards and eat their
fruit…. [We’re going to apply this to the Millennium and the Great White Throne
Judgment period of a hundred years.] … They will not build, and another live
in them; they will not plant, and another eat; for like the days of a tree
are so will be the days of My people, and My elect will long enjoy
the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth children
for calamity. For they are the seed of the beloved of the LORD, and their
offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer;
and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed
together… [that ties in with Isa. 11] …and the lion will eat straw like the ox;
and dust will be the food of the serpent. They will not hurt nor destroy
in all My Holy mountain,’ says the LORD” (vs 20-25).
Let’s come back and look at something here in v 20—let’s
examine this a bit and then we will see what happens to people during the
Millennium. Obviously, the majority of them are going to want salvation and they
will enter into the Kingdom of God. Some of them will not, because it says “the
sinner being a hundred, shall be accursed”—which means that at the end of a
hundred years—and probably sometime well before that—the sinner is going to be
accursed or cutoff from God. And if they die, there’s going to be a funeral, and
the sinner put into the ground. Some of them are going to be thrown into the
lake of fire. When that happens, that is their first death. That becomes
important, because tomorrow we will see the wicked—and God has decreed that all
the wicked will suffer the second death—they must die twice, physically.
Now, what about those who are righteous?
What does it mean that an infant is going to live?
And an old man that has not filled his days?—meaning that
he’s going to fill his days; “for the child will die a hundred years old”
How does that square with being able to enter into the
Kingdom of God?
What kind of death is this talking about for those who
are righteous?
Let’s draw on some other Scriptures so that we can understand
this. Let’s come to Hebrews 9:27—since we all have a nature that is subject to
death—which we inherited from Adam and Eve—let’s look at this Scripture here
which talks about that. And I know that in the past I have gone back and forth
on this: that there’s no need for them to die. And in going back and forth on
it, I had to conclude that this death (Isa. 65) has to be an instantaneous death
and change—for this reason:
Hebrews 9:27: “And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once
to die, and after this, the judgment.” We know that applies to everyone.
We know that Isa. 65 says, ‘the child shall die a hundred’; the infant is going
to be born, live a full life of a hundred years and die a hundred.
But what if they’re righteous?
What happens?
How does that square with the Bible?
Some say, ‘Well, they’ll die and be put in the grave and then
resurrected at the end of the Millennium.’ Well, the other Scriptures do not
bear that out.
Let’s come to 1-Thessalonians 4:14—let’s read here what
happens to those who remain alive when the resurrection takes place. “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…. [So, we’re talking about
those who have died will be resurrected, meet Christ in the air.] …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… [so the dead in Christ are going to rise first] …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 14-17).
We’ve looked upon that and said that since they’re alive and
have been faithful there’s no reason for them to die. Well then, how can we make
that be reconciled with Isa. 65 which says that they die? Heb. 9:27 says ‘it’s
given unto men once to die’? Well the only way we can reconcile it is this:
There would be no need for the righteous to die and be put into the grave and
then resurrected at the end of the Millennium and we have no Scriptures to
justify that. So the way that we reconcile it is this: That transformation, or
that change, if you are alive, has to be an instantaneous death and change of
the flesh to spirit. Have to be! And I know, for years I’ve gone back and forth
on this, how is this going to be accomplished? And this way then all the
Scriptures fit together.
Now, let’s come to Philippians 3 and we will see about us
being transformed. The Scriptures are to make sense, and all truth is logical,
but not all logic is truth. So what we’re trying to do here is ‘rightly divide’
the Word of God, take all the Scriptures and see how they can be made to
harmonize correctly so that we can make sense out of it. Since it’s give to all
once to die—it didn’t say there were any exceptions; we thought there were
exceptions, but why would there be? It’s given to all once to die; so if they’re
righteous and live to the end of the 100-years, then there will be a
transformation; but that transformation will be and instantaneous death and
change—so that the Word of God cannot be broken.
Philippians 3:20: “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… [So
the old man must die! Now, how long must it stay dead? Just an instant!]
…that they may be conformed to His glorious body… [a spirit body, shinning as
the stars of heaven] …according to the inner working of His own power,
whereby He is able to subdue all things to Himself” (vs 20-21). Now
at this point, I think that is the best way that we can understand it. And the
reason is this: All the Scriptures fit together.
So here’s what is likely to happen: As we go down during the
Millennium, most of the people will accept salvation. Most of them will be
changed with an instantaneous death and transformation from flesh to spirit and
enter into the spiritual Kingdom of God. The sinner, who does not repent—if he
does a ‘sin that is unto death’—will probably be cast into the lake of fire or
be executed some other way for his sin. And if he’s executed some other way, he
will die and be buried and everyone will know that when someone dies and is put
in the ground, they miss the opportunity for salvation and they are in the
ground waiting the second death—or have been transformed into ashes, being cast
into the lake of fire, to be resurrected for the final judgment with all the
rest of the incorrigible wicked.
Now, let’s go on and let’s see about this transformation.
Let’s come to 1-Corinthians 15, which is the resurrection chapter. And it tells
us the requirement to enter into the Kingdom of God. We’ll start here with
1-Corinthians 15:50, then we’ll go back and pick up some of the others. “Now
this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of
God… [no one is going to go into the spiritual Kingdom of God as a physical
human being—it isn’t going to happen!] …nor does corruption inherit
incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all fall asleep, but we
shall all be changed, in an instant… [instant death!] …in the twinkling
of an eye… [Blink! Quick death and transformation!] (Now, for us waiting the
return of Christ): …at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (vs 50-52). So
this we can apply to all of the righteous.
We know that when it talks about the resurrection here, this
is quite something! And of course, the church at Corinth was really quite a
church, because they were even saying, ‘Hey the resurrection is over, it only
applied to Christ.’ So here the church at Corinth was beginning to get into
‘your soul goes to heaven.’ A little bit of Greek mythology mixed in there. And
Paul had to tell them; he says back here in v 34: “Awake to righteousness, and
do not sin, for some of you do not have the knowledge of God. I say
this to your shame. Nevertheless, someone will say, ‘How are the dead
raised? And with what body do they come?’…. [So Paul says] …Fool!….
[talking to the brethren!] …What you sow does not come to life unless it dies”
(vs 34-36). There’s another principle we can add to this. ‘It’s given to men
once to die.’ But, you see, the change is instantaneous! So it’s an
instantaneous death and transformation.
Verse 37: “And what you sow is not the body that shall
be; rather, it is bare grain—it may be of wheat, or one of the other
grains; and God gives it a body according to His will, and to each of the
seeds its own body. Likewise, [with us] not all flesh is the same
flesh. Rather, there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts,
and another of fish, and another of birds. And there are heavenly bodies,
and earthly bodies; but the glory of the heavenly is different, and the
glory of the earthly is different. There is one glory of
the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the
stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. So also
is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; 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” (vs 37-43). So, during the Millennium we can
apply this instantaneously! Don’t have to be buried.
“It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body; accordingly, it is
written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul [living being]; the last
Adam [Christ] became an ever-living Spirit.’ However, the spiritual
was not first, but the natural—then the spiritual” (vs 44-46). Now we
can apply this directly to all people in the same way.
And finally, let’s come down here and see the ultimate of
everything—v 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
53-55). And that’s the whole purpose of the Millennium, so that people will
enter to the spiritual Kingdom of God as spirit beings.
Now, let’s come back to Revelation 20 and let’s see something
that people have wondered about a long time. Some have asked: Since the
Millennium is going to be there, why wasn’t Satan given his final judgment at
the beginning of the Millennium? Why was he put into the abyss—and where he goes
all the demons likewise go; and we can verify that by Rev. 9. Let’s see what
happened to Satan the devil on the Day of Atonement.
Revelation 20:1: “Then I saw an angel descending from heaven,
having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he took hold of
the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound
him for a thousand years…. [he’s removed from the presence of men, but he
is bound in the abyss which is on the earth.] …Then he cast him into the abyss,
and locked him up, and sealed the abyss over him, so that he would
not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were fulfilled” (vs
1-3). Now we come down to the last generation during the Millennium. And just
think of 900-years of peace, prosperity, plenty; all that sort of thing—and you
know that there’s going to be a giant case of Laodiceanism such as the world has
never seen. Because all of the miracles and wonders of God will be taken for
granted. So God is going to do something with those people. And as we will see,
that’s why Satan has been bound—not totally removed.
Notice what is says here: “…until the thousand years were
fulfilled; and after that it is ordained that he be loosed for a short
time” (v 3). Why would he be loosed again? What would the purpose be? A lot of
people say, ‘Well, it’s going to be a whole lot easier for those in the
Millennium to come into the Kingdom of God, because they don’t have to fight
Satan the devil’—that is true! However, does it mean that people will not have
the choice to reject salvation? No, it does not! They will have the
choice to reject salvation. Will there be people who do that? Yes! That’s
why Isa. 65 says, ‘the sinner will die a hundred, being accursed.’
All right, now let’s come down here to the last part of v 4:
“…and they… [those who are Christ’s] …lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years…. [v 5 is a key for tomorrow]: ….(But the rest of the dead did not live
again until the thousand years were completed.)…. (v 7): …Now when the thousand
years have been completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison… [Why?! Why
should he be loosed? Because there’s a logistical problem that God will solve
using Satan the devil. The incorrigible wicked, who have rejected salvation,
will not have time to die and live a hundred years. So what does God do with
those who sin? as we have seen at the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles. He
sends them into exile, just like He did exiling Adam and Eve out of the Garden
of Eden. Exiling Cain even further more because of his sin, to the ‘land of
wandering.’ Exiling the children of Israel, and exiling the children of Judah
when they sinned. So, this helps us understand v 8, because there will be an
exiling of those who sin but will not live their full 100-years.
Notice what Satan does when he’s released: “And he shall go
out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog
and Magog… [this confronts us with another problem: Did God pre-determine that
all of Gog and Magog will never be saved; none of their descendants? Well then,
salvation would not be open to all people—correct? So, how do we understand Gog
and Magog? I think we understand it from a geographical place.] …in the four
corners of the earth, Gog and Magog… [Now, it says ‘the nations’—more than just
Gog and Magog. In other words, in that area—Gog and Magog—that is probably the
area of exile from all nations. So he deceives them. How many are there?] …of
whom the number is as the sand of the sea, to gather them together for
war” (v 8). He’s going to be released and he’s going to be turned on them, and
he’s going to say, ‘here I am. I’m the real god that you really want.’
Unfortunately, in the war with the other God down there in Jerusalem, I lost
that battle, but now I have escaped and you and I together will form a mighty
army and we’ll go down to Jerusalem and we will take over and we will rule the
world.’ So that’s what it is—full war!
“Then I saw them go up upon the breadth of the earth
and encircle the camp of the saints… [could that be during the Feast of
Tabernacles?] …and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven
and consumed them” (v 9). Which then has to be what? Their first death!
So that takes care of all the sinners of the last generation who did not have an
opportunity to live a full 100-years. They will be resurrected back to the
resurrection of the wicked to be cast into the lake of fire again.
Now notice—then the judgment comes upon Satan the devil to
end the Millennium and he is henceforth put away forever. “And the Devil, who
deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and
the false prophet had been cast; and they, Satan and the demons,
shall be tormented day and night into the ages of eternity” (v 10). Why will
they be tormented? Because they are spirit beings! And the ‘they’ means
Satan and the demons, because the Beast and the False Prophet already
burned up at the beginning of the Millennium. And human beings burned up cannot
be tormented day and night forever. So this is Satan’s fate!
Jude tells us that ultimately they’re going to be in the
‘blackest darkness forever.’ They will be out there somewhere in the universe as
a perpetual lesson that sin and rebellion never pay; and sin and rebellion will
not be tolerated.
So that’s how the Millennium ends!
Scriptural References:
-
1-Peter 1:10-12
-
1-Corinthians 2:9-12
-
Ezekiel 36:23-38
-
Isaiah 32:15-18
-
Isaiah 55:11-13
-
Proverbs 11:30-31
-
Isaiah 25:6-9
-
Isaiah 26:1-9
-
Micah 4:1-4
-
Amos 9:12-15
-
Isaiah 33:20-22
-
Isaiah 35:1-10
-
Psalm 145:1-15
-
Isaiah 65:17-25
-
Hebrews 9:27
-
1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
-
Philippians 3:20-21
-
1 Corinthians 15:50-52, 34-46, 53-55
-
Revelation 20:1-5, 7-10
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
Matthew 13
Psa. 111:10
Genesis 3
Revelation 21, 22, 9
Isaiah 11
Jude
Also referenced: Book:
God’s Plan for Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days
by Fred R. Coulter
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