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Last Great Day – 2007
Fred R. Coulter – October 4, 2007
Greetings brethren, welcome to the Last Great Day, 2007. And time marches on.
When this day ends at sunset, the Feast is over. And we can read back there in 1
Chronicles where after the Feast was over, Solomon sent them home joyous,
happy and very well contented for all the things that God had done
during that Feast of Tabernacles in dedicating of the temple. We hate to see it
come to an end. We’ve had a lot of good fellowship. We’ve been able to renew
friendships. We’ve been able to meet new people and so we hope that this day
will be the capstone or the crowning of the things that we look forward to. And
of course, this day pictures something that the world does not understand. And
also, it pictures something which can only be understood with the New Testament,
and in particularly the book of Revelation.
As we will see later, Ezekiel 37, if you just take Ezekiel 37 and have no New
Testament, like the Jews do—they do not recognize the New Testament—when they
read Ezekiel 37, they don’t understand what that means. That’s why it’s so
important that we understand that the last division of the Bible is the book of
Revelation, and only one book. It’s the only division of the entire Bible that
has one book—which shows you the importance of the book of Revelation, and how
that without the book of Revelation, we would not be able to interpret the Day
of Atonement, as found in the book of Leviticus. We would not be able to
understand the Feast of Tabernacles and the thousand-year reign—or the
millennium, as we understand it now—without the book of Revelation. And we would
not understand Satan’s final judgment without the book of Revelation. And we
would not understand what God is going to do for all the terrible things that
have happened to so many people, which you could say were innocent people. Now
all are sinners, no question about that. But have all committed the unpardonable
sin? Are they all excluded, as the Protestants would have it, from eternal life?
That if they do not accept Jesus in this life they have no other recourse for
salvation. Well, it shows that they don’t understand the book of Revelation. And
it’s right there easy to read.
So, let’s begin with what we know. And the first place we go with what we
know is where? Where all the Holy Days of God are listed: Leviticus 23. And as I
pointed out at the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles—let’s go back to
Leviticus 23—and let’s see that without the New Testament and without the book
of Revelation there would be absolutely no understanding of the eighth day. And
it’s not called the Last Great Day here. But we’ll see a little later it’s
called the Last Great Day in the book of John. And I think that’s interesting
because who was the one who wrote the book of Revelation? The Apostle John.
Now how much understanding he had of it, we don’t know. But he certainly saw the
vision of it, didn’t he? Yes, without a doubt!
So let’s come here to Leviticus 23:33, KJV—and let’s just review a
couple of verses here: And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying… [Now, remember,
this is always a thing to remember, when something begins ‘in the beginning,’
that gives us the foundation to go on. But as God builds and builds and builds
and adds on it, before we come to the ending with the book of Revelation, that’s
where we get the understanding. So here we just have the command. And we have
very little understanding of the eighth day.] (verse 34): …Speak unto the
children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be
the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD. On the first day
shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD… [You can read
there in Numbers 29 all the offerings that they had. Then it says, right in the
middle of verse 36]: …on the eighth day… [And eight is the number of a
new beginning. As a matter of fact, let’s understand this: In the Greek, the
name ‘Jesus Christ’ figures out to be 8-8-8. So eight is significant. When was a
male child circumcised? On the eighth day. Because after he was
circumcised he was accepted into the community—and following the covenant that
God gave to Abraham.] …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"
(vs 33-36). So in reading this, we can say, "What does that mean?" Why do we
have an extra day thrown in at the end of the Feast of Tabernacles? Well, it’s
not revealed here, but nevertheless, we’re told it’s a Holy Day, a Holy
convocation and we are to bring an offering.
So let’s see what he says here concerning this. Giving a summary of all the
Feasts, verse 37: "These are the feasts of the LORD… [And always
remember, they belong to God. They’re not the Jewish feasts, they’re not the
church’s feasts, they’re not Herbert Armstrong’s feasts, they’re not anybody
else’s feasts, but God. And even Moses only gave to the children of Israel what
God told him to bring.] …which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations,
to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat
offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Beside the
sabbaths of the LORD… [Sabbath’s plural include what? Always, the weekly
Sabbath, the annual Sabbaths, right?] …and beside your gifts… [Which then
are above tithes and offerings] …and beside all your vows… [special dedication
to God] …and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD"
(vs 37-38).
So we are on this last day to take up an offering. God tells us so. Even
though, here in verse 39 he says the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is a
holy convocation, and the eighth day shall be a Sabbath—a Sabbath and a Sabbath.
Every Holy Day is a Sabbath. So at this time we’ll pause and take up the
offering for the Last Great Day, 2007
(Pause)
Now let’s come back to the book of Revelation, chapter 20, and let’s read
some things: some in review, some in to ask other questions, and some to see how
this applies to the Last Great Day. You see, if we understand that the thousand
years is pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles, then it follows that what happens
afterwards—after Satan is put away, as we saw yesterday—has to be tied in with
the Last Great Day. And we will see, yes, sure enough it is.
Now let’s pick it up here in Revelation 20:5, FV—actually the last
sentence in verse 4: "…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years….
[Now here’s a parenthetical statement inserted right here]: …(But the rest of
the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.)… [Who are
the ‘rest of the dead’? Well, the Bible shows there are two categories of the
‘rest of the dead.’ And ‘of the dead’ there are a total of three categories.
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Those who are in the first resurrection—that’s the first category.
And 1 Corinthians 15 tells us what?: that ‘Christ is the firstfruits,
and afterward those that are Christ’s.’ Now it hasn’t mentioned the
‘rest of the dead’ there. But it’s just talking about those who are
Christ’s at His coming.
-
Now here we find something new—a second category—‘the rest of the
dead.’ Now we know from a little later on in Rev. 20 that the
-
third category are those who have committed the unpardonable sin—who
are going to be ‘cast into the lake of fire.’ And that’s their final
judgment which is also pictured on this day.
Just like the final judgment against Satan the devil is pictured on the last
day of the Feast of Tabernacles, so the final judgment against the incorrigible
wicked, as we will see, is toward the last part of the hundred-year period—if we
have the time-frame from Isaiah 65 correct.
"…the rest of the dead [second category] live not again until the thousand
years were completed…. [Now, here’s another thing, verse 6]: …Blessed and holy
is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death
has no power" (vs 5-6). Now what does this tell us? This tells us, #1) that the
rest of the dead, who live again after the thousand years are finished, would be
subject to a second death. And this we will see fits in with the rest of what
the Bible tells us about those who sin.
Now let’s understand something concerning sin. Let’s first of all ask: Are
there sins, which are not sins "unto death"? And the answer is
yes! Let’s come here to the Epistle of 1 John, and let’s see what John wrote
concerning about those who sin "a sin not unto death." And then we will ask the
question: What then is a sin unto death? Since we all die once
it’s got to refer to a death not counting the first death, correct? Yes.
So let’s pick it up here in 1 John 5:16, FV: "If anyone sees his brother
sinning a sin that is not unto death, he shall ask… [that is, he’ll go to
God and pray] …and He [that is, God] will give him life for those who do not sin
unto death…. [In other words, it will be forgiven. That’s what it’s talking
about. See, because ‘the wages of sin is death.’ All sin! But
there is a sin not unto permanent eternal death, which can be
forgiven. But there is a sin unto permanent eternal death which never will
be forgiven. Now we’ll look at that, so forth.] …There is a sin unto
death; concerning that sin, I do not say that he should make
any supplication to God."
Now, let’s turn a few pages over to the book of Romans, the second chapter,
and let’s see where Paul gives us another part or another precept that we put
together with this so that we understand what God is going to do. Because we’re
talking about those, who in the world, are what the world would say, "good
people, law abiding people"—not murderers or anything like that. Not that
murderers cannot be forgiven, but we’re talking about the average person in the
world, not given over to sin, not given over to Satan, not given over to all
kinds of things you see going on in the world. Now here’s a very interesting
thing that Paul wrote. Now, let’s pick it up here in Romans 2:14,
FV: "For when the Gentiles… [Now the Gentiles before the beginning of
the New Covenant were excluded from the nation of Israel. They could come in and
be part of it if they were circumcised, but they were still always strangers.
Now, this was magnified with Judaism, where then the Gentiles were always second
or third class, even within the synagogue. That’s why salvation coming to the
Gentiles raised them to the level that God intended. And this infuriated the
Jews because this took away their special privilege and bragging rights, you
see.] (Now notice): …Gentiles, which do not have the law… [Because God
didn’t give them the law. So he’s saying, ‘Now, you Jews, you have the law.’ But
now let’s look at the Gentiles, which didn’t have the law given to them,
practice by nature the things contained in the law. And almost every ‘code of
law’ of any nation has things in there based upon the laws of God. And that goes
clear back to the days of Noah. Now they don’t have everything contained in the
law that God gave to the children of Israel. They don’t have anything in there
concerning the Sabbath. They could not partake of that until we came to the New
Testament time, or they lived in Israel during the time when they were keeping
the Sabbath.] (But notice): …these who do not have the law are a law unto
themselves." In other words, God recognizes the good behavior of anyone in the
world because God is no respecter of persons. Now this doesn’t necessarily mean
that they have been called unto salvation because God honors what they do. And
you can go back and find this also in the book of Jeremiah where God says that
He judges the nation; when a nation sins He will judge it and bring curses upon
it. When they do good God will bless it. You can go to the book of Jonah and see
what happened with Jonah and the Assyrians and the city of Nineveh and how they
repented. And even as we’ll see a little later, Jesus commended them for
repenting and told the Jews of His day that a greater than Jonah was there. So
God recognizes that.
Now here’s a key verse—verse 15: "Who show the work of the law… [Now I want
you to underscore that because we’re going to do just a little bit of
explanation of this verse. This is the only place in the whole New Testament,
where in the Greek it says ‘the work of the law.’ Meaning, God’s laws.
Every other place that Paul writes about ‘works of law’ there is no ‘the’ for
works; and there is no ‘the’ for law,
because Paul is not talking ‘the works of the laws’ of God—he is talking about
‘works of law’ of Judaism. And that’s a key in understanding the book of
Galatians and the book of Romans. ‘Works of law’ have to do with any religious
works of law that men contrive that are not found in the Law of God. So what
it’s talking about here in verse 15: ‘the work of the law written in their own
hearts’—that is acknowledging that there are good works with the law of God that
we are to do.] …their consciences bearing witness, and their reasonings also,
was they accuse or defend on another;)… [Now, is God going to recognize that?
Of course, because He’s no respecter of persons. So that’s why that wherever
there are people who keep, in measure, those things which are actually initially
derived from the laws and commandments of God they have blessings to that
degree. Now notice how important that this is]: …"In a day when God shall judge
the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel" (vs 15-16). When is
that day that God is going to judge it? In the day of the Great White Throne
Judgment; and in the day when it comes for the rest of the dead to be raised
to life—and as we will see, a second physical life in the flesh. And those died
in the wool Protestants say, ‘Ohhhh!!! Giving them a second chance for
salvation.’ No, they never had a first chance, and God is determined that He’s
going to give everyone an opportunity. Even Jesus talked about that.
Let’s come back here to Matthew 12 and see that Jesus talked about it. Now
here He combines the Scriptures that we have put together so far in a way that
will give us understanding of Matthew, the twelfth chapter and what He is
saying—and there are some very interesting phrases here in Matthew the twelfth
chapter. Let’s pick it up here in Matthew 12:27, FV—because they accused
Him of casting out demons by Beelzebub—He said, "And if I by Beelzebub cast out
demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?… [Well, they always cast them
out by the name of God, didn’t they? Yes] …On account of this, they shall
be your judges. But if I [says Jesus] by the
Spirit of God cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you….
[Because that’s an action which comes from the Kingdom of God, authorized by
God, given by God, empowered by God. So it’s an action of the Kingdom of God,
though the Kingdom of God is not on earth at the present time. And during Jesus’
day, He was a representative or the coming King of the Kingdom of God, so He was
the Kingdom of God on earth in His person at that time.] …Or how is anyone able
to enter into the house of a strong man and plunder his goods, if he does
not first bind the strong man? And then he will plunder his house…. [Now, what
did God do with Satan the devil? He bound him first of all, did He not?
And what was the world up to that point? It was Satan’s. And all during
the millennium, as far as Satan’s view of the world, Jesus Christ and the saints
were plundering his domain! And bringing children into the Kingdom of
God.] …The one who is not with Me is against Me, and the one who does not gather
with Me scatters. Because of this… [Now, here’s a key verse]: …I say to you,
every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven to men except the blasphemy against
the Holy Spirit; that shall not be forgiven to men" (vs
27-31). Why? Is it because the Holy Spirit is God? No, that’s not why.
The Holy Spirit comes from where? God the Father. So you are rejecting—if
you commit the unpardonable sin, the blasphemy which shall not be forgiven—God
the Father.
Now notice, verse 32: "And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it
shall be forgiven him… [There are a lot of people who have said a lot of things
against Jesus and about Him; and perverted doctrines and perverted gospels and
so forth and so on. Upon repentance that shall be forgiven him] …but whoever
speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this age… [That is in that time during the life of the
individual.] … nor the coming age." What is the "coming
age" where this applies? That, as we’ll see, is the Great White Throne Judgment.
So He says, "Either make the tree good and the fruit good, or make the tree
corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for a tree is known by its fruit" (v 33). And so
forth.
Now let’s come on down to verse 39 because they say, "Oh, we want a sign.
Give us a sign." Well, people won’t necessarily believe a sign. "And He answered
and said to them, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign,
but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just
as Jonah was in the belly of the wale three days and three nights, in like
manner the Son of man shall be in the heart of the earth three days and three
nights" (vs 39-40). And in both cases, literally three days and three nights.
Now notice verse 41, because something is very important here: "The
men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment… [now, we’ll answer
the question: What is ‘the judgment’? We saw where Paul wrote of it, right? ‘The
Judgment’—notice what else it says:] …with this generation… [removed from that
generation almost a thousand years. So this shows a simultaneous resurrection,
does it not? Of those who lived in different ages, correct?
Yes!] …and shall condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of
Jonah… [Now, they didn’t receive eternal life, they just repented, which is
what? The work of the law written in their hearts.] …and behold, a
greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south… [Now
we’re going back another thousand years in this case. The queen of the south
came to who? Solomon.] …shall rise up… [that is, be resurrected] …in the
judgment with this generation and shall condemn it because she came from the
ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than
Solomon is here" (vs 39-42). So this becomes very important when we
understand it. This tells us an awful lot doesn’t it? This gives us the
interpretation of 1 John 5:16—these people have the "law of sin and death" in
them just like anyone else. They did good and evil just like anyone else. God
did not call them unto eternal life. So that means they didn’t sin a "sin unto
death." So this means they are eligible to be raised from the dead in the
category of those people that it talks about there in Revelation 20.
So let’s go back and let’s read a little more in Revelation 20 and see about
"the judgment." As a matter of fact, it’s called quite some judgment when we see
it here. And remember that John saw all of this in vision. So after Satan is
removed, cast into the lake of fire, his final judgment put on him, then John
saw something else, beginning in Revelation 20:11, FV: "Then I saw a
great white throne… [That’s why in some phrases this is called ‘The Great
White Throne Judgment.’] …and the one Who was sitting on it, from Whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and no place was found for them…. [Now, who are
‘them’?] …And I saw the dead… [which ‘dead’? This is after what? ‘After the
thousand years the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years
were completed.’] …And I saw the dead… [now raised to life] …standing before
God; and the books were opened…" (vs 11-12). Whatever books these refer
to about God’s way of life or whatever it may be. Now let’s understand
this—let’s think on this for just a minute, and we can do this by proper
deduction using the Scriptures.
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Is there a book of Life in which our names are written?
Yes. We find that in Heb. 12, we find that even in the account of
Moses and God, where Moses intervened to save the children of Israel.
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Does God keep track of all people? Yes, He’d have to otherwise
how would He resurrect those we’re just talking about here in Matthew
12. So that means that there is also a section in the book of Life
which then would be the book of Life for the second resurrection
because the first resurrection was a resurrection of the saints;
therefore this is the second resurrection. And the part we are talking
about has got to be the first part of the second resurrection.
Some people would like to say there’s a third resurrection, but nowhere does
it give us a third resurrection except that the wicked are raised in a second
resurrection, which is a second life for them after the 100-years comes to an
end, as we will see. So let’s go on. "…and another book was opened, which is
the book of life…. [Now they have an opportunity for salvation. Now
here’s another Scripture that’s hard for people to understand]: …And the dead
were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works" (v
12). Question: If they were judged according to their first life, did they know
God? No. Did they have an opportunity for salvation?
No. Were they cut off from God? Yes. Did they live their lives
separate from God, apart from God? Yes. Now, if they were judged by those
works, they would have to be condemned to death again, would they not? Yes.
Because "God is the same yesterday, today and forever." And if it’s required for
us for salvation, to repent and be baptized and keep the commandments of God,
what do you think is going to be the agenda for these people when they’re raised
back to a second physical life, as we’ll see here in just a minute—but to what?
Repent! Be baptized! Receive the Holy Spirit and keep the commandments of
God! That’s always required.
Now, another thing that God has already decreed and we can see, which is
this: There are no souls that go to heaven, neither are there souls in heaven
that are in the stars which come down and possess people and then they live
their lives—this is strictly Gnostic doctrine when it gets down to that—and then
they return back to heaven if they live good lives. That’s all the theology of
men. "…And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books,
according to their works" (v 12). Which is what? The works that they would
now be doing. Because everything they did, when they died, was wiped
out—with the exception that they did not ‘sin a sin unto death.’ "And the sea
gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the grave gave up
the dead that were in them; and they were judged individually, according
to their works" (v 13).
Now, let’s come back to Ezekiel 37, and on the Last Great Day we always go to
this chapter, just like we always go to Leviticus 23 for all the Holy Days,
because Ezekiel 37 tells us something that’s important for us to realize. And
without the book of Revelation, chapter 20, to tell us who these people are, and
to tell us what is happening, you can make no determination except to say they
are resurrected back to a second physical life. That’s about the only
determination you can make out of it, because you see, Revelation 20 gives us
the reason. So here’s quite a fantastic thing. What about all the children of
Israel that were given the law of God, but never given the Holy Spirit to keep
it? What about all of those that God killed—executed because of their sins—sent
them off into war, sent them off into famine and pestilence and captivity? What
about them? Doesn’t God say that He loves Israel? Yes!
Okay, Ezekiel 37—so let’s read this, we know much of it already, but let’s read
it and let’s understand. You know, it’s amazing, every once in a while, every
year or two, we come across those people that for some reason or other they get
some thought in their head and what do they do? They reject the way of God.
They reject the knowledge that we’re going to read here. And they blither back
out into the world. And I hope and pray that they don’t commit the
unpardonable sin. But they are accountable. But nevertheless, for those who did
not commit the unpardonable sin, and since God did not give the Holy Spirit to
the children of Israel under the covenant with them that they received through
Moses, therefore, with the exception of some of the kings and the prophets, they
were never converted—so they didn’t commit the unpardonable sin.
So let’s read it—Ezekiel 37:1, KJV: "The hand of the LORD was upon me,
and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of
the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round
about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo,
they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live?
And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest…. [‘How am I supposed to know? I’m
looking at these dry, dead bones here, you see.’] …Again he said unto me,
Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of
the LORD" (vs 1-4). Now, let’s understand something: When you have bones, what
do you have? You have evidence of a first physical life. Is that not
correct? God did not take Ezekiel around a valley full of stones. Because
remember what John the Baptist told the scribes and Pharisees: ‘Don’t say that
Abraham is your father, for God is able, from these stones, to raise up
children.’ So this is a valley of dry bones, not rocks. Therefore, these people
lived once. What do you conclude? What do the police conclude when they go out
when someone has disappeared and finally find where they were buried and dig up
the bones? They know that this person was killed, murdered, however they died,
and now they dig them up and they have the bones. They know that this person had
lived once, correct? Yes! So same thing here. "Again he said unto me,
Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of
the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath
to enter into you… [which you have to have for physical life] …and ye shall
live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and
cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live… [A second
physical life, correct? Couldn’t be anything else.] …and ye shall know
that I am the LORD…. [Because in your first life, you didn’t know the
Lord.] …So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a
noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And
when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin
covered them above: but there was no breath in them…. [So you’ve got a
body. Now what do you do with it?] (so, verse 9): …Then said he unto me,
Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith
the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain,
that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into
them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.
Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel…
[Obviously then, down through historical time,] …behold, they say, Our bones are
dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy
and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open
your graves… [Where were they? In the grave. Live people are not in the
grave are they? Dead people. So they were dead.] …and cause you to come
up out of your graves [#2], and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall
know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves [#3], O my
people, and brought you up out of your graves [#4]… [Now notice: An opportunity
for conversion that they did not have when they lived their first life and
died.] …And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you
in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and
performed it, saith the LORD" (vs 1-14). And ‘knowing the Lord’ means
conversion! So here they didn’t have an opportunity for salvation or
conversion and they are raised from the dead and they are given that
opportunity. Yes, they live a second physical life, but this is their first
opportunity for salvation. And they will be judged according to the works that
they now do.
(Break)
Now, let’s continue on right here in Revelation 20, and we saw that that is a
tremendous and magnificent chapter back there in Ezekiel 37; and that answers
the question about being raised together with this generation. So, it shows that
what happens to the children of Israel, also happens to all nations, because God
is no respecter of persons. Now, let’s come back here and read verse 13 again,
because this applies in both cases. We have here: "…judged according to their
works" (Rev. 20:13, FV). Now that’s the second category of dead, those
who did not sin a sin unto eternal death. Now, we’ve got plenty of information
on the unpardonable sin. We’ll cover just a little bit here, but go back to the
series that we did in the book of Hebrews where in chapter six of the book of
Hebrews and chapter ten we cover concerning the unpardonable sin or the
rejecting of the Holy Spirit after they’ve already had an opportunity for
salvation. Now Revelation 20:13, FV: "And the sea gave up the dead
that were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead
that were in them; and they were judged individually, according to their
works…. [Now those who have committed the unpardonable sin their judgment is a
sentencing to the second death. Because God has decreed that all who sin a sin
unto death—that is the unpardonable sin—will die the second death. Because sin
unto death is not the first death, that is the second death of the incorrigible
wicked. Now notice verse 14: "And death and the grave were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death." Now let’s understand something very
simple: If you die twice what does that mean? You have lived twice. So
the rest of the dead lived not until the thousand years were over. Those who do
not qualify for salvation then are raised so they can all stand together and God
is going to sentence them all at the same time; and all of those who have
received eternal life are going to witness and see this. And they’re going to
look and see us. And they’re going to know that the second death is at hand.
Now notice, verse 15: "And if anyone was not found written in the book of
life, he was cast into the lake of fire." Which also means this: You have the
book of life—for the first resurrection, the second resurrection—which means
that there also has to be a book which we could call The Book of Death—so
that they will be raised to die the second death. And God is the one Who makes
the judgment concerning that.
Now let’s come to Hebrews, the sixth chapter, and let’s see what the
unpardonable sin really amounts to and how that, down through all the course of
time, there will be relatively few, though through all the number of people that
have been born, will probably be as the number of the sand of the sea—as it was
concerning those at the end of the millennium—and they likewise will be raised
to stand with all of these. All of those who in the second resurrection that did
have an opportunity for salvation and did not accept it, or rejected it and
refused it, obviously were not changed from flesh to spirit. They were standing
there with those committing the unpardonable sin.
Now here in Hebrews 6 it tells us about the unpardonable sin—verse 4. It’s
something that has to be to really be worked at in devotion to evil and
rejection of God in order to commit the unpardonable sin. Now, I receive
inquiries from people from time-to-time afraid they have committed the
unpardonable sin. Well, you can rest assured that if you are fearful because you
have sinned, you haven’t committed the unpardonable sin because those who commit
the unpardonable sin have no more conscience left for remorse concerning sin.
Now let’s pick it up here, Hebrews 6:4, FV: "For it is impossible for
those who were once enlightened… [that is knew and understood the truth.]
…and who personally obtained the heavenly gift… [Which is what? The gift
of repentance and the gift of salvation.] …and became partakers of
the Holy Spirit… [They had the Holy Spirit impregnated and united with the
spirit of their minds.] …And who have tasted the good Word of God… [In
other words, they lived by the Word of God the way they should have for whatever
period of time that was.] …and the powers of the world to come….
[So they understood God’s plan, they understood conversion, they understood
overcoming, because that’s all part of the powers of the world to come.] …If
they have fallen away, to renew them again unto repentance… [See, they
have no conscience left.] …seeing that they are crucifying the Son of God
for themselves, and are publicly holding Him in contempt" (vs 4-6). Which
means they now hate Jesus Christ. They hate God the
Father. They are now in a total same attitude as Satan the devil and that is
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit—because you’re rejecting God the Father, Jesus
Christ and the Holy Spirit and blaspheming and calling that evil. So that is the
unpardonable sin.
Now let’s come to Hebrews 10 and let’s see something else; see what Paul says
concerning those who disregard salvation and get themselves into a contemptuous
attitude and hardness of heart and rejection of the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 10:26,
FV: "For if we willfully… [By determined will saying, ‘I am going to sin in
spite of all of the consequences that I know of and the second death I am aware
of. I am going to sin.’] …go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the
truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins…. [Because there’s no
repentance. The heart has been cauterized with a hot iron. And there is no
remorse. So if that happens then here’s what they look to:] …But a terrifying
expectation of inevitable judgment… [We just read that back in Rev. 20] …and of
fierce fire… [you’re looking at a volcano, a lake of volcanic, molten lava,
that’s what a lake of fire is. And the wicked are all on the edge of that lake
of fire, just resurrected out of their graves.] …which will devour the
adversaries of God. Consider this: anyone who rejects
the law of Moses dies without mercy under the testimony of two or
three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has
trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded the blood of the covenant,
with which he was sanctified, as an unholy thing, and has scorned the
Spirit of grace? For we know Him Who has said, ‘Vengeance belongs to Me.
I will recompense!’ says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge
His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of
the living God" (vs 26-31). For our God is a God of fire and
consuming all the wicked.
Now, let’s come back here and see a Scripture, let’s come back here to
Matthew 25, and it talks about the lake of fire. And those who do not love God
and do not love the brethren and those who do not love Christ are not willing to
put themselves out to serve and help and become calloused and hard-hearted, and
eventually reject the salvation of God. Matthew 25, and this we have back here
concerning the—yes, let’s pick it up here in verse 31—now this is encapsulated
here. "Now when the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels
with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory; And He shall
gather before Him all the nations; and He shall separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And He shall set the sheep at
His right hand… [because they receive eternal life] …but the goats at His
left. Then shall the King say to those at His right hand, ‘Come you who are
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world…. [Because from the foundation of the
world God’s plan has been laid out.] …For I was hungry, and you gave Me
something to eat… [Even gets down to just the minimal things of helping
people.] …I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a
stranger, and you took Me in; I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was
sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then shall the
righteous answer Him saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You?
or thirsty, and gave You a drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and
took You in? or naked, and clothed You? And when did we see You
sick… [Because I don’t think Jesus was sick a day in His physical life] …or in
prison, and came to You? And answering, the King shall say to them, ‘Truly I say
to you, inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of
these My brethren, you have done it to Me’" (vs 31-40). Showing
you’ve got to have the love of God, the love of the brethren, the love of your
neighbor—that’s the basis on which everything that God does is founded.
Now verse 41—"Then He shall say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me,
you cursed ones… [because you’ve committed the unpardonable sin] …into
the eternal fire… [the fire that God started!] …which has been prepared for
the devil and his angels." And they were cast into it at the end of the
millennium, correct? Yes. Then He says here, the same thing: ‘I was
hungry, you didn’t feed Me; I was naked, you didn’t clothe Me; I was sick you
didn’t visit Me; I was in prison, you didn’t visit Me.’ And they said, ‘When
Lord?’ and He said, ‘Because you didn’t do it to the least of these, you didn’t
do it to Me’ (vs 42-45, paraphrased). Now the last verse—46: "And they
shall go away into eternal punishment…" Meaning the second death there is no
resurrection from that. And that’s how God is going to get rid of evil.
Now let’s see what Peter said about this, let’s come to 2 Peter, the third
chapter, and we will see that Peter talked about this, though he did not know
the time-frame that we have because he died long before John wrote the book of
Revelation. So he didn’t understand this. But, let’s come here to 2 Peter 3:10,
FV: "However, the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the
night… [which it will] …in which the heaven itself shall disappear with a mighty
roar… [because now there’s going to be new heavens and new earth. So what we’re
going to see really is this, as described by the Apostle Peter. The lake of
fire, after all of the wicked are cast into the lake of fire and burned up, that
it is going to consume the whole earth. And it’s going to burn everything up on
the earth to prepare it to be the new heaven and the new earth. Now let’s read
it:] … in which the heaven itself shall disappear with a mighty roar and the
elements shall pass away, burning with intense heat, and the earth and
the works in it shall be burned up…. [Everything!] …Since all these things are
going to be destroyed, what kind of
persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, Looking forward to
and striving for the coming of the day of God, during which the heavens,
being on fire, shall be destroyed, and the elements, burning with intense
heat, shall melt? But according to His promise, we look forward to a new heaven
and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. For this reason, beloved, since
you are anticipating these things, be diligent, so that you may be found by Him
in peace, spotless and blameless" (vs 10-14).
Now let’s come back to Revelation 21 and see the timing and fulfillment of
this. Because, when that happens, when the earth is consumed in the fire, which
begins with the lake of the fire, into which all of the incorrigible wicked have
been cast, then it consumes the whole earth. And that’s going to be an awesome
thing to witness, too, isn’t it? Because we’re going to see it. Just like John
saw it here. Now let’s come to Revelation 21. Now we see at the end of the Last
Great Day, we see the beginning of the rest of eternity. And so, number eight is
a new beginning. First of all, for those who are resurrected to a second
physical life, for their first opportunity for salvation, and then the second
death of the incorrigible wicked. That was their ending. Now we see a new
beginning and the plan of God fulfilled. God, having overcome all the enemy,
Satan the devil, all human beings against Him, everything that was evil and
wretched and sinful have been removed. "Then I [John] saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was
no more sea…. [The reason is, there are no more physical human beings. We need
the ocean and we need the breeze and we need these things because we’re
physical.] …And I, John, saw the holy city, the
new Jerusalem… [I wonder what that looked like to him, seeing this in vision?]
…coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her
husband…. [Now let’s understand this: New Jerusalem is not the bride. That’s
where the bride is going to live, with Christ. But she’s prepared as a
bride. For the bride!] …And I heard a great voice from heaven say,
‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men… [So here completes the
tabernacle of God which began in the Garden of Eden with God living and dwelling
in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and now is finished with the new
heavens and the new earth, and the tabernacle of God dwelling with men. Men
what? Now perfected! Made perfect! Made in the image and substance of God.
The sons and daughters of God.] …and He shall dwell with them, and they
shall be His people; And God Himself shall be with them and be their God"
(vs 1-3). This is what we are to look forward to. And I want you to keep this in
mind as we leave this Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day and we go home and
face the world again, and face all the darkness that Satan is going to bring
upon this world with His holidays, substituting for God’s Holy Days. And you be
inspired to know and understand that yes, this is going to happen. It is
sure!
Notice verse 4: "And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and
there shall not be any more death, or sorrow, or crying; neither shall
there be any more pain… [and I know of very few deaths where there is
not pain and sadness and sorrow involved. All of this will be gone, removed.]
…because the former things have passed away. And He Who sits on the throne said,
‘Behold, I make all things new,’ Then He said to me, ‘Write,
for these words are true and faithful’… [They’re the inspired words of
God! And they are going to come to pass.] …And He said, to me, ‘It is done….
[God’s plan is finished. And now, as we will see, the only thing is to move in
to New Jerusalem. It is done!] …I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.
To the one who thirsts, I will give freely of the fountain of the water of
life…. [And that means to receive the substance of eternal life forever and ever
and ever.] …The one who overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his
God, and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, and unbelieving, and
abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone;
which is the second death’" (vs 4-8). Because there’s going to be no more
sin, no more death, no more sorrow.
Now, we will be ready to perform a greater and more fantastic work of God.
"And one of the seven angels that had the seven vials full of the seven last
plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come here, and I will show you
the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ And he carried me away in the
Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, holy
Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Having the glory of God. And her
radiance was like" (vs 9-10). You see, because that’s where the bride is
going to be. You don’t marry a building. You don’t’ marry a city. You live in
it. Then it describes it. It’s going to be 1500 miles wide, 1500 miles high in a
cube. Not a pyramid, a cube. Just like the Holy of Holies greatly expanded. And
then he measured the city and he measured the walls and it’s going to be all
furnished with precious stones, all the way through. And if I had enough money,
I would like to try and get a sample of each one of these stones that would be
big enough to make an impression of what it’s going to be like to see New
Jerusalem. Not only these stones, but the streets are paved with pure gold and
yet, translucent and you can see through them. Now that’s amazing. Then there
are 12 gates—and we have the foundation named after the 12 tribes of Israel and
we have the 12 apostles after the gates. I think that’s it. If it’s the other
way around it’s the other way around.
Verse 22: "And I saw no temple in it… [Isn’t that something! The whole lesson
of the Feast of Tabernacles is a place for God to live and He always lived in a
tabernacle? Yes. So here the ultimate finale, the completion of God’s
plan—where there’s an ending, there’s a beginning—so here’s the beginning of the
rest of eternity. There was no temple in it. God wants to be with His people.]
…for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city has
no need of the sun, or of the moon… [It doesn’t mean they weren’t there, it just
didn’t need it.] …that they should shine in it; because the glory of God
enlightens it, and the light of it is the Lamb. And the nations that are
saved… [through the millennium and the Great White Throne Judgment] …shall walk
in its light; and the kings of the earth... [that will be us] …shall bring their
glory and honor into it. And its gates shall never be shut by day; for there
shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the
nations into it" (vs 22-26). So this tells us that all through eternity we are
going to be busy building, perfecting, working, doing, learning, growing. Is
that going to be something? Stop and think for minute. All the beauty of the
Universe that is out there, God did not create that in vain. He created it for a
purpose. And now we are going to fulfill the purpose as to why He created it.
And who knows what that is going to be. And who knows how great the plan of God
is going to be at this time. It’s going to be forever, into all eternity! Now
notice, verse 27—another warning: "And nothing that defiles shall ever enter
into it, nor shall anyone who practices an
abomination or devises a lie; but only those who are written in
the Lamb’s book of life." First resurrection and second resurrection.
Now then, he saw God’s throne. Revelation 22:1, FV: "Then he showed me
a pure river of the water of life…. [Spiritual water] …clear as crystal,
flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb…. [Amazing!] …And
in the middle of the street, and on this side and that side of the river…
[So the river flowed right down the middle of the street.] …was the tree
of life, producing twelve manner of fruits, each month yielding
its fruit; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the
nations…. [Now, I don’t know exactly how this applies forever and ever, but I
believe that this means this: We are going to constantly learn on how to live
eternally forever.] (Now notice): …And there shall be no more curse… [No more
sin; no more disease; no more sickness; no more Satan the devil.] …and the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve him,
And they shall see His face… [That’s going to be amazing, to be able to walk up
to the Father, to worship Him, to hug Him, to talk with Him, to see Him
face-to-face or, as we say today, eyeball-to-eyeball; and say, ‘Father, I love
you.’ and to hear Him say, ‘And I love you.’ Isn’t that going to be astounding!
Absolutely amazing!] …And His name is in their foreheads" (vs 1-4). We
will belong to God! We are His! And we’re going to serve Him and carry out
whatever plan He has for all eternity—forever and ever and ever and ever. And
that’s what we’ve been called to, brethren. That’s why God’s plan is so
fantastic! And why He took the trouble to put it in a book so that we may know,
as He calls us and opens our minds, and gives us the understanding through His
Holy Days, which is that which the world considers the least and rejects.
Let’s continue: "And there shall be no night there; for they have no need of
a lamp or the light of the sun, because the
Lord God enlightens them; and they shall reign into the ages of eternity….
[Forever and ever. Boy, I imagine John was just stunned! Breathless!
Speechless!] …And he said to me, ‘These words are faithful and true; and
the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the
things that must shortly come to pass" (vs 5-6). Not just to John, to all the
true servants of God, to know and understand His plan so that in season we can
preach it to the people. That God can inspire us with His Spirit. That He can
lift us from all the troubles and difficulties of this world, to give us the
hope, to give us the inspiration, to give us of His Spirit, to see and to
understand, that yes, everything that we do in this life—all the difficulties,
all the problems, all the things that we have to face, all the things that come
upon us—are worth it, because "Everything works together for good to those who
love God and are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28). And this is our
hope, brethren. And this goes out beyond, clear out to all eternity.
And He says, "‘Behold, I am coming quickly, Blessed is
the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book’…. [And you can only
keep them if you understand them, right?] …Now I, John, was the one who
saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship
before the feet of the angel who was showing me these things. But he said
to me, ‘See that you do not do this! For I am a fellow servant of
yours, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of
this book. Worship God’…. [Never forget that, brethren!
Worship God! Don’t let any man take you away. Don’t let any doctrine take you
away. Don’t let anything come into your life that’s going to take
you away from God.] …And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the
prophecy of this book because the time is near. Let the one who is unrighteous
be unrighteous still; and let the one who is filthy be filthy still; and let the
one who is righteous be righteous still; and let the one who is
holy be holy still… [Think of this in our lifetime, brethren; because this is
understood at the end of time.] …And behold, I am coming quickly… [and
Christ is going to come.] …and My reward is with Me… [He’s not going to
forget what we do. He’s going to remember it.] …to render to each one according
as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the
End, the First and the Last. Blessed are those who keep His commandments,
that they may have the right to eat of the tree of life, and may enter by
the gates into the city" (vs 7-14).
"But excluded are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers,
and idolaters, and everyone who loves and devises a lie. I, Jesus, sent My angel
to testify these things to you in the churches. I am the root and the offspring
of David, the bright and morning star.’ And the Spirit and the bride say,
‘Come’…. [That’s going to be our job during the millennium. That’s going to be
our job, whatever it’s going to be through all eternity. But here now, at this
time, in this life, in this occasion:] …And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’
and let the one who thirsts come; and let the one who desires partake of the
water of life freely…. [Then He gives a warning for the whole Bible, not just
the book of Revelation, but the whole Bible, because it’s the last book of the
Bible:] …For I jointly testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy
of this book, that if anyone adds to these things, God shall add to him
the plagues that are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from
the book of life, and from the holy city, and from the things that are
written in this book. He Who testifies these things say, ‘Surely, I am coming
quickly.’ Amen…. [Then John adds:] Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen" (vs 15-21).
And brethren, that’s the meaning of the Last Great Day, which fulfills all
the plan of God in its fullness and in its greatness and in its spiritual
application for our lives. So we need to love God, thank God, love each
other, love our neighbors, serve God with a pure heart and let that be what we
focus in on between now and Passover next spring.
(The End)
FOT—2007
Last Great Day
Scriptural References
-
Leviticus 23:33-39
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Revelation 20:4-6
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1 John 5:16
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Romans 2:14-16
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Matthew 12:27-33, 39-42
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Revelation 20:11-13
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Ezekiel 37:1-14
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Revelation 20:13-15
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Hebrews 6:4-6
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Hebrews 10:26-31
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Matthew 25:31-46
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2 Peter 3:10-14
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Revelation 21:1-10, 22-27
-
Revelation 22
-
Romans 8:28
Old Testament Scripture from the King James Version
New Testament Scriptures from The New Testament in Its Original Order
by Fred R. Coulter
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
Numbers 29
1 Corinthians 15
Isaiah 65
Jeremiah
Jonah
Hebrews 12
Also referenced:
Sermon series on the book of Hebrews
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