LAST GREAT DAY - 2004

Fred Coulter - October 7, 2004

And greetings, brethren. Welcome to the Last Great Day. The eighth day of the feast. We’ve had seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles. And you know, it’s very interesting how God starts out the feasts season. He starts out with the Passover, which is one day, plus seven days, equals eight. So we have one plus seven equals eight. And then we count seven weeks to Pentecost. And then on that eighth day we have Pentecost, don’t we? We have the first resurrection. And then we come down to Trumpets and Atonement and then the Feast of Tabernacles. And now the Last Great Day. So He ends it with seven plus one equals eight. He starts it out with one plus seven equals eight. And those juxtaposition, or are like bookends for the plan of God.

Now let’s go to Leviticus 23, because this is where it tells us about the eighth day and that it’s a holy convocation. Verse 34: “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles [we’ve already done that] for seven days…” First day is a holy convocation. They were to make their offerings, which we covered on the first day in Numbers 29.

Now verse 36 in the middle of the verse: “…on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation…” So this is an appointed feast of God. And it is probably the most insignificant feast that is in the Bible. It’s mentioned once in the book of John, which we will see a little bit later. You hear of the Jews keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, but hardly do you hear them keeping the Last Great Day. And of course the Protestants and Catholics know nothing of it.

But here’s what He says: “…on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.” Now verse 37 reads: “These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations…” And these are the feasts. Notice how He ends it.

Let’s come back here to verse 4. So this again ties it in. Verse 4, and verse 37. “These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” Now we do take up an offering on the holy days. We know that we are not to come before God empty. And knowing and understanding the plan of God, you think about how much God has blessed you and the knowledge that He has in your consideration of the offering. So at this time we’ll take a pause and take up the offering.

(Pause)

Now let’s begin by going to the Gospel of John 7. And here it talks about the feast of the Last Great Day. And here again is showing that Jesus kept the feast, but He also prophesied of it’s meaning and gave a fulfillment of it, as we find here in John 7. We know that in verse 2 it says that it was the time of the Feast of Tabernacles. And of course Jesus went up and kept the Feast of Tabernacles. Now let’s come down here to verse 37. And this was a special ceremony called the Ceremony of Water, which took place as the sun was going down to end the seventh day, and the beginning of the Last Great Day.

Now let’s pick it up here John 7:37: “ ‘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 [prophecy of universal salvation]. The one who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water’ ” (John 7:37-38, FV). Again, a type of spiritual life, spiritual truth, spiritual cleansing. And all of these things are all a part of what we have here in what Jesus is explaining. And there has to come a time when God undoes all evil. And this is the day that pictures when God does that – when He gets rid of all evil in the whole human family.

Now verse 39: “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, which those who believed in Him would soon receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified.” So it had it’s fulfillment beginning when they received the Holy Spirit when the church began. And it’s going to have it’s fulfillment in the end. But what is the meaning of the Last Great Day? And why do we call it the Last Great Day? Well first of all we’re going to see that just like God has always done, that which is considered least among men produces the most for God.

Now let’s come to Isaiah 14 and let’s see what God has declared. And the first thing we need to understand and always remember is that God has a purpose and He is going to carry it out. He is God and He looks down on the nations and as far as compared to Him what are they but a drop in the bucket. They aren’t even weighty enough to be counted as dust in a scale of balances, is it? No.

Now here Isaiah 14:24. Let’s read this: “The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand…” Whatever God’s purpose is, it’s going to stand. That’s why God has given His word, has given His Spirit, and also has given choice – whether we believe in God, whether we love God, whether will keep His commandments, whether we will do the things that are pleasing in His sight. And as I mentioned yesterday: the way that you understand God’s plan is by keeping His commandments. That’s what it says in Psalm 111: “A good understanding have all they who do His commandments…” (Psa. 111:10).

Now verse 26: “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth…” Yes, it talks about breaking the Syrian, which is a type of the beast as fulfilled in Revelation 19, as we saw yesterday. So He has a purpose that is proposed upon the whole earth. “…And this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.” God’s hand. He’s going to do it. You know, and I just imagine that the throne of God is a whole lot closer to the earth than we think. But you see, being spiritual we don’t see it. “For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (verses 26-27). So God is going to do His purpose. He is going to accomplish His purpose. No man, no angel, not even any of the demons are going to turn back the hand of God. It is just not going to happen.

Now let’s come to the New Testament to the book of Ephesians here and let’s understand something that is very profound. And God has called us to reveal His secret to us. And the understanding of this Last Great Day is the greatest fulfillment of the plan of God and it is a secret that God reveals to us. It’s a mystery to the world because they cannot understand it because they will not obey Him.

Now let’s come here and begin in Ephesians 1:3. Now see, the whole first chapter of Ephesians is in English the worst sentence in the world. But in the Greek it is one long sentence. Two at the most. So let’s get the thoughts together here.

Verse 3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things with Christ…” And those spiritual blessings are going to be fulfilled when we enter into the kingdom of God and are the spirit glorified sons and daughters of God. But He has given us the earnest, the down payment of it now.

Verse 4. I want you to mark verse 4 because this is the correct translation here. “According as He has personally chosen us…” Now that’s what it means in the Greek with the special middle voice verb as I have covered before. And I want you to understand: think about you. And if you’re sitting there and you’re thinking, “Well, little old me – what do I have to offer God?” You have love, obedience, and God’s calling and God’s education for you. But God personally has: “…chosen us for Himself before the foundation of the world…” And that means in His plans He said, “Ok, I’m going to call the firstfruits. They will be in the first resurrection.” This is not fatalism, by the way, where most of the churches in the world believe in fatalism. And that is, if you’re called you’re going to make it and go to heaven. If you’re not called you are going to go to hell and be tormented for ever and ever. And this day shows that that lie cannot possibly be true. So the predestination of this whole thing is that He had the plan before the foundation of the world.

“…In order that we might be holy and blameless before Him in love; having predestinated us for sonship…” That is, all of those who are in the first resurrection have been predestinated for a special sonship, by a special personal calling of God the Father and Jesus Christ. “…For sonship to Himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us objects of His grace in the Beloved Son; in Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He has made to abound toward us in all wisdom and intelligence; having made known to us the mystery of His own will…” (verses 4-9, FV). When you understand the plan of the holy days of God you are being invited by God Himself to understand His will. And the mystery is that if you don’t keep the holy days, and if you don’t keep them the way that God has said and Jesus Christ has shown, you’ll never understand it. See, because the Jews have rejected Christ, they don’t understand anything. And they believe just as much as the immortality of the soul as any of the religions in the world. Because even though they have the form of the law, they don’t keep it; even though they have all of the prophecies, they don’t keep it; even though they have all of the prophecies of Jesus Christ, they don’t recognize Him. And so you see, God has called you, God has called me, God has called all the brethren. And down through time, as much as they are able to learn and know and understand. And here we are at the end of the age and what can we do? God has given us His will, His truth, His Word, time to study, to know, to grow, to change, to overcome, and all of these things. And to realize that the very purpose and plan that God thought of at the beginning before the foundation of the world, He has made known to us. Now that ought to be very humbling indeed.

God has made known to us, see. “…Having made known to us the mystery of His own will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself; that in the divine plan for the fulfilling of the times…” And that’s what this is. The Last Great Day is the fulfilling of the last of the times of salvation. “…He might bring all things together in Christ, both the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth…” (verses 9-10, FV). Yes, God has a plan. God has the purpose. He has called it. We are part of it. It is fantastic and tremendous for us to realize and understand.

However, now let’s look at the world. Let’s understand something very profound. God has chosen the few. Many are called but few are chosen because few repent. Now let’s understand something else here. That God has done something that He alone is responsible for. Number one: He’s given all human beings the law of sin and death within them (a miniature part of the nature of Satan the devil). He’s allowed them to go their own ways. He has let them be ruled by Satan the devil. And God is responsible for that. As a result – as a result how many people have been killed and died in wars and all of the things that have gone on down through time because men just reject God and cannot stand Him? But God is responsible.

Now we’re going to see, yes, there is the unpardonable sin as we have covered in the book of Hebrews in going through that series. Which by the way I hope to finish after the feast. But never the less, here’s what God has done. Let’s come to Isaiah 29:13. People love to have their religions. Oh they love to take the name of God in a religious sense; condemn all of those who swear and curse; but those who take the name of God in vain in a religious sense are worse than the people who swear and curse and are just totally blinded. And those who are the religious ones don’t realize that they are blinded because they don’t want to do everything that God has said. An amazing thing, isn’t it? Now you stop and think about that –what a fantastic miracle that it is that you understand, that God has opened your mind; that God has called you.

Now notice, Isaiah 29:13: “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth [Oh yes, got to have religion], and with their lips do honour Me [God bless America], but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the precept of men [not by the Word of God]: therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field…” (Isa. 29:13-17), and so forth. And He’s showing the solution to the problem.

Let’s look at some things here which are important for us to realize and carry through on this. Let’s come to Matthew 13 now, and let’s see where this is fulfilled. And this will help us to answer a couple of very difficult Scriptures in the New Testament to understand. And here we have Christ’s explanation of this even a little bit more. Matthew 13:13: “ ‘For this reason [He said to them explaining why He spoke in parables] I speak to them in parables, because seeing, they see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand.’ ” Now isn’t it amazing that people can have a Bible and not understand it? They can read the words and not comprehend them. They can hear the things said but it’s meaningless to them.

Now notice verse 14: “ ‘And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, “In hearing you shall hear, and in no way understand; and in seeing you shall see, and in no way perceive [and that is true concerning the meaning of the Last Great Day]; for the heart of this people has grown fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed…” They have chosen to do this. So God has selected their delusion, but also to serve His purpose and have mercy on them at a later time. “…Lest they should see with their eyes, and should hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” ’ ” Well now doesn’t this go against mainstream Protestantism, which says, “We have to save everybody. And if you’re not saved in our church you’re going to go to hell and burn in everlasting fire for ever and ever.” How’s God going to do that? Who is responsible for all of this? God is.

Verse 16, He says to the apostles, which means to us: “ ‘But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see, and have not seen…’ ” Even Daniel didn’t understand. Moses didn’t understand. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel – none of them understood. And even the apostles themselves did not fully understand. We have been blessed at the end of the age to understand this far more fully than they did. “ ‘…and to hear what you hear, and have not heard’ ” (Matt. 13:13-17, FV).

Now let’s look at a couple more Scriptures so we can understand what God has said. Let’s come to I Timothy 2. Now here is an enigma. And this is a hard one to answer. And really the answer is found in the meaning of the Last Great Day. This is important. Let’s come to I Timothy 2:3, and here is God’s desire. But remember God’s desire is always modified by the choice of the individual. Let’s read it: “For this is good and acceptable before God our Savior [that is to pray for quietness and so forth], Who desires all men to be saved [now that’s what He desires] and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2:3-4, FV). Now question: If He blinds them, how can they come to the knowledge of the truth? Now what if they lived a full life and died without having the knowledge of the truth, how can they be saved? Because they must be called. And if God has blinded them then obviously God is not going to call them, right? So how’s God going to solve this problem?

Let’s come here to II Peter 3. Let’s see what is said here in II Peter where Peter was writing about the very same thing. And he says in verse 9: “The Lord is not delaying the promise of His coming, as some in their own minds reckon delay; rather, He is long-suffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” So He wants them all to come to repentance. And He wants them all to be saved. Now how is He going to do this? If He cuts them off so they don’t understand it, how’s that going to happen? Now we also have this: that He has used Satan the devil to blind their minds, hasn’t He (II Corinthians 4:4), that they cannot understand? Yet it says He wants them all to be saved. So how’s God going to do this?

Well, let’s come over here to Romans 9. Let’s take a little look into that. Let’s see what the apostle Paul wrote. Now we’re going to see in these Scriptures that we’re going to cover here in Romans 9 (and also Romans 11 in just a minute), that the understanding that we have today Paul didn’t quite have it. He knew that it was going to happen. But you see, God had not given the revelation to the apostle John yet, so those Scriptures were not available for him to understand it.

Now let’s come to Romans 9:14: “What then shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with God?” That is, because He loved Jacob and hated Esau. Or we could say, because He called some and didn’t call others, is God unrighteous? No, because God has to lead a person to repentance. He wants them all to come to repentance. He wants them to all be saved. But He has closed their minds. He has blinded their eyes, and shut their ears, and put them in this predicament. Is God unrighteous in it? Or is not God righteous in doing so? Because you see, the Last Great Day is the rest of the story.

Let’s go on. “What then shall we say? Is there unrighteousness with God? MAY IT NEVER BE! For He said to Moses, ‘I will show mercy to whomever I show mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion.’ So then, it is not of the one who wills, nor of the one who runs; rather, it is of God, Who shows mercy” (Rom. 9:14-16, FV). So if God has called us and shown us mercy, then we ought to be thankful and happy and grateful that God has done it.

And then he goes on to show that yes, He raised up Pharaoh for the very purpose, you see. Verse 17, quite a verse here: “For the Scripture said to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I raised you up in order that I might show in you My power, so that My name may be declared in all the earth.’ ” And it is. In the Bible, His name and what He did to Egypt is there for anyone to read from that time forward to glorify the name of God. “So then, He shows mercy to whom He will, and He hardens whom He will. Will you then reply to me, ‘Why does He yet find fault?’ ” In other words, why does He still punish people for sin if He blinds their eyes? Because sin has penalties, that’s why. So He’s not going to take that away. Otherwise how are you ever, ever, ever going to know what’s right and wrong? “ ‘For who has opposed His purpose?’ Yes, indeed, O man, who are you to answer against God? Shall the thing that is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me this way?’ ” (verses 17-20, FV).

Then he goes on to explain here a little bit about a potter and all the things that are done there. He says: “Or doesn’t the potter have authority over the clay to make from the same lump of clay one vessel unto honor, and another vessel unto dishonor? And who dares to question His purpose if God, willing to show His wrath and to make known His power, chose in much long-suffering to put up with the vessels of wrath which were created for destruction…” Now if God created them for that, how is He going to save them? How is He going to solve the problem? That’s the answer of this day. “In order that He might make known the riches of His glory unto the vessels of mercy, which He prepared before for glory…” (verses 21-23, FV).

Now let’s come here to Romans 11. Now he’s talking to the Gentiles and he’s saying the Gentiles were seeking God, but not the way that they should have. So they were broken off. Even God cut off His own people that He says He loves. Now he’s talking to the Gentiles and he says, verse 18: “Do not boast against the branches; but if you are boasting against them, remember that you do not bear the root; rather, the root bears you.” Isn’t that interesting? It shows that it comes all from the Word of God.

Verse 19: “Will you then say, ‘The branches were broken off in order that I might be grafted in’? That is true! Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be high-minded, but fear…” (verses 19-20, FV). A good lesson for us. Because God has given us the understanding of His plan and has called us, let’s not be high-minded and hooty-snooty and self-righteous and look down on the world.

Verse 21: “For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest He not spare you either. Therefore, behold the graciousness and the severity of God: upon those who fell, severity; and upon you, graciousness, if you continue in His graciousness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, shall be grafted in because God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut off from an olive tree which by nature is wild, and contrary to nature were grafted into a good olive tree, how much more shall those who according to nature were from the good olive tree be grafted back into their own olive tree?” (verses 21-24, FV).

 Verse 25: “For I do not wish you to be ignorant of this mystery, brethren, in order that you may not be wise in your own conceits: that a partial hardening of the heart has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in…” God is going to resolve the problem. Verse 26: “And so all Israel shall be saved…” He doesn’t know when. But at this time, verse 32: “For God has given them all over to unbelief in order that He might show mercy to all.” When? Verse 33: “O the depth of the riches of both the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unfathomable are His judgments and unsearchable are His ways! For who did know the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” See, so here we have it. “Or who first gave to Him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? For from Him, and through Him, and unto Him are all things; to Him be the glory into the ages of eternity. Amen” (verses 25-26, 32-36, FV).

So now let’s look and see how God is going to begin to solve the problem. Let’s come here to Revelation 20. And again, it deals with the millennium. And again, it tells us something that is very important. And it tells us something which shows the mind of God. And it tells us something about the plan of God. So let’s come here, Revelation 20:5. Now verse 4 talks about the resurrection of the saints. They will live and reign with Christ a thousand years.

Verse 5: “(But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.)” So at the end of the millennium there’s going to be a resurrection. Because it says “the rest of the dead shall not live again until the thousand years were completed.” Quite an amazing and a profound thing, isn’t it? Yes, it is.

Let’s look at some other Scriptures which help us understand this a little bit here. Who are the rest of the dead? Well we know (I Corinthians 15) as we learned on the Day of Pentecost tells us that Christ is the firstfruit, and then all of those who are Christ’s at His coming – that’s the first resurrection. Well what about all the other people? What about all of those that God blinded? What about those people who were sincere but never knew, never understood, never had the Spirit of God? Are they lost? Are they cut off? Are they destined to have no opportunity for salvation at all? And if the rest of the dead, all of those who were not in the first resurrection, why are they to be resurrected? What is the purpose in doing so? Well, we get a clue.

Let’s come back here to John 11 for just a minute, and let’s ask the question. We may not read some verses there for the sake of time, but you know that talks about the resurrection of Lazarus. Now why was Lazarus resurrected? Remember, he died and was in the grave for four days. But why did Jesus resurrect him? Even in coming to the tomb Jesus said, “If you believe that I am the resurrection.” And his sister said, “Yes, I believe that he’ll be raised up at the last day” (John 11:23-27, paraphrased). But she wasn’t thinking that he would be raised right then. But, Jesus loved Lazarus, didn’t He? Jesus had called Lazarus, didn’t He? But he died before a very important thing could take place in his life. He had not received the Holy Spirit. And if he had not been raised from the dead he would not have been in the first resurrection, because you have to receive the Holy Spirit of God and to grow in grace and knowledge and to be resurrected when Christ returns. So therefore he was brought back to life. Same way with the saints who were resurrected, came back to a second physical life in the flesh as we find there in Matthew 27, so that they could receive the Holy Spirit and be saved.

Now this tells us how God operates. Let’s come to Romans 2 because this tells us something very important. Because let’s talk about the so-called “good sincere people” out there in the world, because there are many of them out there. Many of them. God hasn’t called them. They’re blinded. Have they sinned a sin unto death? Have they committed the unpardonable sin? No. As a matter of fact, a lot of them are trying to live fairly decent lives, aren’t they? Yes.

Now God talks about this. Romans 2:14: “For when the Gentiles, which do not have the law [and we could say today - do not understand the law], practice by nature the things contained in the law…” They don’t believe in stealing, they don’t believe in committing adultery, they don’t believe in lying and all of those things. They try and live good decent lives. They try and be honest. But their minds are not open to the Sabbath, not open to the holy days, not open to the Scriptures. But maybe they’re even trying in some way to be (as some of the Sunday professing Christians are) trying to lead a decent life. But God hasn’t opened their minds to understanding. And the reason that God does this is so that everyone is going to know that no one is going to receive salvation because of the works that he or she is doing. God has to give it. But in cutting people off from having the understanding of the Word of God, then we have a vast area of decent people out there down through all time who have not committed the unpardonable sin. And it talks about here in verse 14, that we’ve been reading.

“…Practice by nature the things contained in the law, these who do not have the law are a law unto themselves; who show the work of the law written in their own hearts, their consciences bearing witness, and their reasonings also, as they accuse or defend one another;)…” Now notice verse 16: “In a day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel” (Rom. 2:14-16, FV). Now we know this: our names are written in the Book of Life. But what about all of those people out there who have died in wars, and famine, and pestilence, and starvation. What about all of those who died in accidents and floods? What about all of those who were under the influence of Satan the devil before the flood of Noah? What about all of those that have been deceived, that don’t know, that never heard the name of Jesus Christ? And long before there were any Protestant missionaries, hundreds of millions of people down through history have died having not known the way of God. And even a lot of the children of Israel and Judah have not known God because He’s blinded them. Yes, they’ve had the Scriptures. Yes, they’ve had the Word of God, but they don’t know God.

Here, let’s go to John 5 now and let’s see what Jesus said so that we understand all of those who are to be resurrected… Now we’ll cover this in just a minute. We’re not going to delve deeply into the unpardonable sin. But here in John 5:25 where Jesus tells us this: “ ‘Truly, truly I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live.’ ” They’ll be raised. That’s what happened to Lazarus. That’s what happened to the others that He raised. “ ‘For even as the Father has life in Himself, so also has He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and has also given Him authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of man. Do not wonder at this, for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves [that means all who have died] shall hear His voice and shall come forth: those who have practiced good unto a resurrection of life, and those who have practiced evil unto a resurrection of judgment’ ” (John 5:25-29, FV).

And there are two kinds of judgments, as we will see. The judgment of the unpardonable sin, and the judgment of the person who has not committed the unpardonable sin. So we can extrapolate from what we know from the Scriptures. One: there is a Book of Life, and our names are written in it right now. Could we also say that in order for all of those who have not committed the unpardonable sin, that their names are also written in a separate book of life to be raised in a resurrection. Have to be, otherwise how can they be resurrected. And we can also extrapolate that there has to be a book of the dead for those who have committed the unpardonable sin to die the second death. Now as we continue we’ll go ahead and take a look at those scriptures which show this.