Below are the transcripts of two of the feast messages:
*Holiness in the Modern Sense by Jonathan Saladin
*The Eighth Day by Ron Saladin
Holiness in the Modern World
by Jonathan Saladin
“ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:45
What does the word “holy” mean? For many, the word “holy” is nothing more than a exclamation uttered before an expletive. It’s used almost as casually as God’s name in most everyday language. But for those peculiar people who shun that way of life and seek the higher ways of God, the idea of holiness is seen in an entirely different way.
To be holy is to be “dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose”; in other words, to be sacred. To be holy is to be set apart for a different purpose than most things. It is a change from the norm, a calling to be different. For us today, holiness is a term mostly applied to God’s people. But I’d like to take a look at other things God deemed holy in the Bible and see how those instances can be applied to our lives.
When I begin to think of uses of the world “holy” in the Bible, one of the first things I come upon chronologically is the burning bush passage in Exodus 3. Now we all know the story quite well. Moses is tending the sheep of Jethro, and comes across this burning bush. When he approaches it, God tells him “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” While we often focus on the command for Moses to remove his sandals, I’d like to point out another point. God instructs Moses not to draw near to the bush. God’s holiness is so great Moses could not approach Him at all.
Another one of the first things that comes to my mind is the tabernacle, and later on, the temple. While Israel was God’s holy people, the tabernacle was sacred ground, a place to be kept separate from uncleanness. In Leviticus 16, the Atonement instructions, it is shown how one of the goats is killed as a sacrifice for the cleansing of the Holy Place. Starting in verse 15, “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions, for all their sins, and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.” Leviticus 16:15-16
The Tabernacle, and later the temple, was therefore rightly safeguarded against being defiled, as it was the meeting place between God and man. You may recall the story in Acts 21 where Paul was nearly killed after the story circulated that he had defiled the temple; eventually resulting in his trip to Rome. But even the safeguards were not enough. The state of holiness required for God’s presence could only be attained and reinstated by a blood sacrifice.
I’d like to make one more back door reference that may not be expected. Let’s go to Matthew 23; we’ll start in verse 16. We know this chapter well as Jesus’ rebukes to the scribes and the Pharisees. Would anyone like to read verses 16-22? “Woe to you, blind guides…”
Jesus here points out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, who were constantly making up their own rules and then creating loopholes to get around them. While Jesus is focused on another facet of this verse, He brings up something useful for our discussion. The gold in the temple is sanctified by the temple itself. In the same way, the gift on the altar is sanctified, made holy, if you will, by the altar.
While there are many other things in the Old Testament considered holy, I would like to dig into these subjects and find their application for our lives today. I love the saying, “The Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament, and the New is hidden in the Old.” I believe that much of the things we see taught in the Old Testament serve as harbingers of a deeper spiritual lessson revealed to us through the coming of Christ and the Holy Spirit. As Dad was saying yesterday, the law has not been done away with, but fulfilled, or “filled fuller.” I believe that there is much we can glean from these examples of holiness in the OT scriptures.
To begin, in light of the burning bush, let us consider 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul says: “who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”
God’s glory and holiness is so great that we are unable to approach Him in our sin and weakness. We are overcome by the mere presence of our awesome God. Our lack of holiness is incompatible with His total holiness, and it is only through taking on the holiness of Jesus Christ that we are allowed to be reconciled to God . Let’s go to Hebrews 9. We’ll start in verse 6. (Go through 15). Whenever the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies, he had to bring a blood sacrifice. But Christ, as our High Priest, offered His own blood as the ultimate sacrifice and the fulfillment-the filled fulllerment- of the sacrifice commandment.
Along the same lines then, is the temple. We all know the verse, lets go to 1 Corinthians 6:19. (Read v20 as well).
This apt comparison by Paul leaves one with a lot to think about. How striking a comparison it is when we realize the lengths the Israelites, and later the Jews, went to to protect the physical temple from defilement, and how we are now the spiritual fulfillment of that temple. How careful we must be to keep from defiling our own temples of God.
But to take it a step further, the sacrifice made on Atonement implies that in fact, the temple was defiled throughout the year. Again, it took a blood sacrifice to cleanse it and wipe the slate clean. The safeguards were not enough, and neither was the blood sacrifice, as it had to be repeated every year. Turn to Hebrews 10; again, a well known passage. (verses 1-4)
So what was lacking in the physical, the “shadow of things to come”, was made full by the spiritual “filling fuller” that Christ proclaimed Himself to be bringing about in Matthew 5. Entering the Most Holy Place with His own blood, He made the sacrifice that was being pointed to by every offering made until that time, to cleanse not the physical temple,which was soon to fall, but to cleanse us, the spiritual temple.
So “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” Again, the comparison is clear. As God knew there would be an eventual defilement of the temple, so He knows of the times we, as the spiritual temple, will make mistakes. In both instances He made a way of reconciliation and cleansing, but He left the action up to us. The priest had to be the one to kill the goat and sprinkle the blood on the Mercy Seat. But he would not be permitted into the Most Holy Place if he were not clean. In the same way, we have to recognize our sins,turn from them and accept the blood of Christ. While we cannot attain forgiveness on our own apart from God, we also cannot expect God to run a spiritual direct deposit account, paying our bills of failure without us caring or paying attention. We can be no more careless with the blood of Christ than the High Priests were when entering the Holy of Holies.
If then, we are the temple, what is the gold that the temple sanctifies, according to Matthew 23? I would like to suggest that it is our works. You don’t need to turn there, but I’m going to read James 2:14 and 17. “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? And again down in 17, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
I’d like to couple this with another verse, Isaiah 64:6.
I want to bring out this verse for two reasons. First, I want to make it clear that our works are useless to save us. Our best attempts are still well short of the holiness of God. Second, I want to use these verses to prove this fact: That faith by itself, and works by themselves, are insufficient to obtain holiness.
So then how can we apply Jesus’ saying to our own lives? Well, I’d like to use these verses, much like a mathematical equation, to attempt a quick substitution. Think back to Matthew 23, but look at it this way: What if it read, “Which is greater in God’s eyes? The works of a man or the man himself?” Obviously, I think we would all agree that the person is more valuable in God’s eyes than his works. Yet it was the gold on the walls, and overlaying the Most Holy Place, Ark of the Covenant, and Mercy Seat, that beautified the temple. In the same way, our justification is, free and clear, through the sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His blood; however, our ongoing sanctification and beautification as the bride of Christ is through our growing to be and act more like Him. Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 3. (verses 9-15)
I have always loved my dad’s paraphrasing of this section: “Some will enter into the kingdom smelling like smoke.” Their works will not be found to be beautifying as the bride of Christ, while others will have already traveled down that road of sanctification, or as Paul puts it, they will have built with that which fire will not destroy.
The world changes. Cultures rise and fall, words find new meanings and lose their old. Ideas that were once prominent and revered soon are left by the wayside by uncaring generations. But for an unchanging and eternal God, holiness is no less important now as it was back in the Golden Age of the Israelite Kingdom. The focus has changed to something less visible and more spiritual, but it is just as imperative for us to strive for sanctification now as it has ever been. For “you are a chosen generation,a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
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Feast of Tabernacles at Echo Bluff State Park
Eighth Day
November 1, 2018
Ron Saladin
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
“that there should be time no longer.”
Can time end?
The KJV translation is a rather poor one here, the more accurate wording is that there should be “no more delay.” That fits the context better.
But when I first started reading the Bible as a young boy, I didn’t even know of other translations. I wondered how it would be to have time end. Would I arrive at my destination before I left? Would I have to dodge myself going out the door the same time I was going in the door?
Or perhaps everything would just begin to slow down until everybody would be frozen midstride so to speak, forever stuck at the exact position time ran out of, well, time.
That’s a rather scary and funny thing to think about. What do you want to be doing when time freezes forever?
I thought about vanilla ice cream. O.K. I’m being silly, right? Not entirely.
In the early 1900s, Einstein’s theory of general relativity stated matter and energy affect space and time. A person on earth experiences the passage of time differently than a person in space. And time is supposed to almost stop close to a black hole in space.
So time is not such a fixed constant that you might think.
If time can be slowed down, could it be reversed? Some great science fiction stories have been written about time travel. Can God time travel? Could God go back in time and undo something which has already happened?
It’s always wise to hesitate before you say God can’t do something. Think it over carefully. I’ll just say I don’t think God operates like that.
If time can be slowed, can it stop completely? There are several ideas which essentially support that: probably you have heard of the Big Freeze, the universe slows down and eventually runs out of energy, everything becomes dark and cold with a temperature of almost absolute 0, -459.7º Farenheit. That theory is called the Big Freeze for a good reason.
Another has the universe collapsing back in on itself - The Big Crunch. Another idea involves dark energy and the expansion of the universe so rapidly it tears apart, even at the atomic level. This is called? The Big Rip.
Any one of these scenarios happening would be a declaration “that there should be time no longer.” At least for our universe.
Some in the scientific community come across confident we have about 6 billion years left.
There’s a short verse I want to look at here, Romans 9:28, “For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (KJV)
The NIV reads, “For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
What I want to look at is the Greek behind the word “work” here. It’s logos. It is not an easy word to define. Britannica defines it as, “in Greek philosophy and theology, the divine reason implicit in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form and meaning.” It also has the meaning of word, discourse, and the logic behind an argument, including supportive evidence.
In John 1:1 we see this word applied to Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word [Logos] was with God, and the Word [Logos] was God.” vs. 14, “And the Word (Logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, as the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Whatever your translation here, it is talking about the Lord, who has a definite, logical plan with a timetable He is working out on this planet. It won’t take 6 billion years.
This verse in Romans comes from Isaiah 10. Let’s take a look there. Isaiah 10:20, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.”
That day is still future. Also make note of the word “remnant.” We will encounter that again, quite a few times.
Verses 21-23 21The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 22For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.
Israel would be decimated for a while. Let’s go back to Romans and see how Paul draws this out. Romans 9:1-5, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Paul here is grieving for his people who have rejected Christ. He was willing to give up his own salvation for them.
V. 6-8: 6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
There’s more to the calling of God than just genetics.
V. 9-12: 9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. 10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
God chooses according to His sovereign will, not according to our works. These two boys hadn’t even been born yet. And it would be the younger one which received the election, not the firstborn here.
Does that seem unfair? If so, it gets worse.
v. 13 13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Pretty strong language here for two babies not even born yet. Paul seems to anticipate a possible negative reaction.
v. 14-16 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
So what is Paul saying here?
That God’s mercy is a gift, not an obligation. Earlier in Romans 5, Paul makes the point we are all born as sinners, inherited a guilt and death sentence from our father Adam. God would be just if He had taken Adam and Eve’s lives. God could justly take any life that has not come into covenant with Jesus Christ. Sinners have a guarantee of future judgment. God is obligated to deal with sin. God is not obligated to show mercy; again, God’s mercy is a gift. Gifts are by nature not an obligation. If you belong to Jesus, you have experienced mercy. If you are being called to come to Christ you are receiving mercy; you have an invitation.
V. 17-18: 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
This is hard for many people to receive. And Paul addresses that again.
V. 19-24: 19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
So Paul has set this up to show God has not had mercy on these people, at least not at that time.
V. 25-28: 25As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. 27Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
But there is a logical plan God is working here on earth.
Romans 10:1-4: 1Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Paul is still talking about Israel’s overall rejection of Jesus and their efforts to obtain righteousness through their own works. Christ is the end, telos, the terminating point or goal of the law, as pertaining to obtaining righteousness and justification. The law shows us our need for Jesus because we have broken it and are under its penalty and in need of a Savior. This does not do away with the law as a guide to sanctification, how to live.
Romans 11:1-5: 1I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Paul begins to make his very important point about Israel here. At the present time there is only a remnant chosen to receive grace.
V. 7-8: What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
If God blinds you, are you guilty for not seeing? Paul’s drift here is no.
V. 11: 11I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Here’s the reason for their blindness: full salvation is being offered to the Gentiles.
v. 25-26: 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
This is still a future event. Paul says all here. I think he means Israel overall, the vast majority, not every single one, but “all” is a significant word choice he uses. Does that include those that were blinded? The multitudes which rejected Jesus and died not believing or knowing?
This is a very special day, the 8th day following the Feast of Tabernacles. But we are told so very little directly as to what it is about. I saw a quote from a woman rabbi, Nina Beth Cardin, who is a writer and active in environmental issues. She said this 8th Day is a holy day in search of a cause. And you can understand why she said that if you look at the five scriptural references where this eighth day celebration is mentioned.
Nehemiah 8:18: Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
2 Chronicles 7:9 And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
Numbers 29:35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:
Leviticus 23:36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: 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.
Leviticus 23: 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
There’s a reason here for celebrating it: God said to, at least to Israel. But no explanation is given as to what it stands for. And we know the Holy Days are now revealed to be for all Christians because they show God’s plan for mankind in Christ. And that might be a clue for disciple gumshoes.
The next Holy Day to be fulfilled is Trumpets, the time when Jesus Christ begins to exercise His authority to take over the earth. A few days later Atonement arrives, a day of judgment for some, reconciliation for others. Shortly after that, the Feast of Tabernacles begins, with multiple possible layers of meaning but almost certain to tie in with the millennial reign of Jesus because of where it is located in the Holy Days and because of what happens. Let’s look at some of those happenings, back to where we were in Isaiah.
Isaiah 11:1-5: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
This is Jesus and the time frame is when He is in power over the earth.
v. 6-9: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Millennial.
v. 10-16: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 11And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. 14But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. 15And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 16And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
This is the second Exodus, bigger by far than the first exodus from Egypt, the outcasts of Israel coming from the four “corners” of the earth, everywhere. Notice v. 13, Ephraim and Judah, the two bickering tribes, will finally get along.
Isaiah 2:1-4: The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Beautiful words and clearly millennial.
Ezekiel 37:15-22: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 16Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 17And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 18And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? 19Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. 20And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
Ephraim and Judah, and all the tribes, reunited into one kingdom after a great exodus again. Clearly aligned with Isaiah 11 and the millennium. It goes on to say a resurrected David will be their prince forever.
But there’s something a bit odd here. Verses 1-14 talk about a resurrection, but it’s not of the church, rather it is of the whole house of Israel. This is talking about those which are not of the remnant we read about in Romans. Their hope is lost, it says in v. 11.
Remember what we read earlier. These people, like all people, enter this world with sin and a death sentence. God would be completely just to exercise judgment. We not only inherit a sin nature; without intervention and change from God, we also exercise our sin nature. But Paul in Romans wrote about a temporary blindness which happened to most of Israel except the remnant called then by God. What we are looking at here is mercy being extended to these people by God. It is a physical resurrection into a time when blindness has been removed, an opportunity for salvation like the remnant had. It is not a second chance; these people never had a first chance.
Let’s read it. Ezekiel 37:1-14: 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, 2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6And 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; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7So 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. 8And 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. 9Then 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. 10So 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. 11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14And 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.
There will be a land of Israel for them to go to. But when does this happen?
Revelation 19:19-21: And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
This is Armegeddon, the return of Christ. There’s no chapter break in the Greek; read on. Revelation 20:1-6: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
This is the church, the Old Testament and New Testament saints, rulers with Jesus, priests of God and of Christ, us - if we have the Spirit of God - reigning with Jesus a thousand years (millennium), the first resurrection.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years was over. There’s another resurrection after the thousand years. Let’s read it: vs. 7-15: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
One interpretation often applied to this passage is this is a mere, necessary legal proceeding, a guilty condemned stamp upon the billions coming up here. These people are judged by their works and we cannot be saved through our works so therefore these are all condemned, all headed for the lake of fire, the second death, and live forever being tortured.
That’s a common interpretation.
But when the Bible talks about a judgment based on works, sometimes it is talking about works as evidence of to whom you belong. For examples:
In John 10:37-38 Jesus applied such a judgment to Himself. “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”
A little later Jesus applies this standard to the disciples: John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” If you really believe on Jesus, your works will resemble His.
A similar thought is expressed by Jesus in Matthew 7:20: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Fig production is a work the fig tree should do. So to assume this judgement is only a legal proceeding condemning all is the wrong interpretation, I think.
I think this is the judgment of those that never had a chance, blinded or never even heard of Jesus Christ, not in the firstfruits elect chosen by God. They have a chance, a period of time to live their lives and, with eyes open, come to Christ. God doesn’t have to do this, but our God is of tremendous mercy. But it is in His timing.
There’s another passage I think we should look at in this context. It has to do with the death of young children.
Matthew 2:16-18: Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
This is a horrible act of an evil man. The death of a loved infant is an extremely traumatic event, parents weeping and refusing to receive comfort.
The prevalent Christian response today understandably tries to comfort those grieving by teaching young children automatically go to heaven when they die. This is comforting to parents, but there are some serious problems with that teaching. For one, that would be another way to the Father, instead of Jesus. Jesus said He is the only way. Some could argue killing young children is a good thing if it assures their eternal salvation. I think the Bible teaches something else about this.
Matthew ties this to a passage in Jeremiah 31:15-17: Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. 16Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 17And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
This passage is in the context of the Babylonian invasion, but it goes much deeper than that, according to Matthew. These children are murdered, but there is hope, at the end time, they shall come again to their own border, their own land and people.
We heard that before, haven’t we, in the Ezekiel 37 resurrection. They, like billions of others, will live again at a time when Satan is gone and blind eyes are opened. They will have their opportunities in God’s own timing. I suspect the vast majority will have their names written in the book of life. Verse 15 indicates some will not.
So.
The day after the millennium is the Eighth Day, the last of God’s Holy Days outlined in Leviticus 23. It is a closing ceremony, in it God finishes up the short, logical plan He is working out on this planet.
But God has another plan for you and me which is long term.
The number eight in the Bible is often associated with something new, a new beginning, a new relationship of some kind, a new responsibility perhaps. A few examples:
God repopulated the earth from eight people on the ark, a new beginning for mankind.
2) Circumcision was to be performed on the eighth day, a covenant with God entered into.
3) David was the eighth son of Jesse, a new kingly line began which would ultimately produce the King of kings, Jesus.
4) Leviticus 15 describes a man or woman which have become unclean due to some issue. When they are cleansed of the issue, there’s a seven day wait and on the eighth day, they present themselves to the priest at the door of the tabernacle with sacrifices which are offered for their atonement. On the eighth day, they became clean, no longer in danger of defiling God’s tabernacle among them.
5) Leviticus 8 describes the anointing of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. For seven days, they remained in the tabernacles while they were being consecrated to serve. It was on the eighth day they began their priesthood duties.
6) When Jesus first appeared to the disciples on resurrection day, Thomas was not with them. Because he did not see Jesus, he did not believe the resurrection had occurred. Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples and Thomas saw and believed. Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not see, and yet have believed.” Thomas becomes a kind of symbol of a blessing on a new kind of believer, those who haven’t seen but yet believe. You and me, hopefully.
The Eighth Day of the Feast appears to be pointing to a closing out but also a new beginning.
A closing out of God’s short work on earth of man’s redemption and a closing out of our sin damaged planet and universe.
Isaiah 51:6: Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
Those who love the old will die with it.
Hebrews 1:8-12: But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
The first earth and heavens will be closed out. But they will be replaced.
2 Peter 3:10-13: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
So, current theories about what will eventually happen to the universe like the Big Freeze, the Big Crunch, and the Big Rip have the Apostle Peter to contend with and the Universal Burn. But out of the melt down comes a new universe and a new earth for those who belong to God.
Revelation 21:1-5: 1And I 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. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
This is a beautiful passage and some huge things are indicated here. Former things like death, pain, sorrow, crying are gone. God is making all things new. But the context suggests something else which is mind-boggling. God appears here to have an intimate relationship with His people, like a parent wiping tears away from their child’s eyes. Maybe it is a general reference to people, but it doesn’t feel that way. It feels very personal.
God hears our prayers, if we are His. How does He do that with the multitude praying to Him all the time? God knows the hairs on our head and what we need before we ask, scriptures tell us. How does He have time for all of us?
I don’t know.
Isaiah 9:6-7: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
The increase of the government of Jesus shall have no end. The word “increase” we all know and that’s what it means; it grows greater, larger forever.
Forever. Increasing.
Time will never end.
But time has another side to it. What has God been doing for eternity past? We are told absolutely nothing about God’s other projects. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. But that wasn’t God’s beginning. We know God is eternal. We know God does not change in His character. By nature, He is a worker and a creator. Can you imagine God creating for eternity past without a beginning? Just how much is there out there that God will eventually show us of His new creations?
Isaiah 64:4 says, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
We sing the song “How Great Thou Art,” and it is a good song, and we mean it. But we have very little concept of how great God really is. When we someday begin to be exposed to more of what God has done, we will be dumbfounded; that might be the word. There will never be a time when we will come to a stopping point in our respect for the glory of God. Our awe of God, like the kingdom of Christ, will forever be on the increase. Never-ending time will only magnify it. It will increase forever.
God’s current project is to make this earth, universe, you and me into something new. Embrace it with all of your heart.
by Jonathan Saladin
“ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:45
What does the word “holy” mean? For many, the word “holy” is nothing more than a exclamation uttered before an expletive. It’s used almost as casually as God’s name in most everyday language. But for those peculiar people who shun that way of life and seek the higher ways of God, the idea of holiness is seen in an entirely different way.
To be holy is to be “dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose”; in other words, to be sacred. To be holy is to be set apart for a different purpose than most things. It is a change from the norm, a calling to be different. For us today, holiness is a term mostly applied to God’s people. But I’d like to take a look at other things God deemed holy in the Bible and see how those instances can be applied to our lives.
When I begin to think of uses of the world “holy” in the Bible, one of the first things I come upon chronologically is the burning bush passage in Exodus 3. Now we all know the story quite well. Moses is tending the sheep of Jethro, and comes across this burning bush. When he approaches it, God tells him “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” While we often focus on the command for Moses to remove his sandals, I’d like to point out another point. God instructs Moses not to draw near to the bush. God’s holiness is so great Moses could not approach Him at all.
Another one of the first things that comes to my mind is the tabernacle, and later on, the temple. While Israel was God’s holy people, the tabernacle was sacred ground, a place to be kept separate from uncleanness. In Leviticus 16, the Atonement instructions, it is shown how one of the goats is killed as a sacrifice for the cleansing of the Holy Place. Starting in verse 15, “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat. So he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel and because of their transgressions, for all their sins, and so he shall do for the tabernacle of meeting which remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.” Leviticus 16:15-16
The Tabernacle, and later the temple, was therefore rightly safeguarded against being defiled, as it was the meeting place between God and man. You may recall the story in Acts 21 where Paul was nearly killed after the story circulated that he had defiled the temple; eventually resulting in his trip to Rome. But even the safeguards were not enough. The state of holiness required for God’s presence could only be attained and reinstated by a blood sacrifice.
I’d like to make one more back door reference that may not be expected. Let’s go to Matthew 23; we’ll start in verse 16. We know this chapter well as Jesus’ rebukes to the scribes and the Pharisees. Would anyone like to read verses 16-22? “Woe to you, blind guides…”
Jesus here points out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, who were constantly making up their own rules and then creating loopholes to get around them. While Jesus is focused on another facet of this verse, He brings up something useful for our discussion. The gold in the temple is sanctified by the temple itself. In the same way, the gift on the altar is sanctified, made holy, if you will, by the altar.
While there are many other things in the Old Testament considered holy, I would like to dig into these subjects and find their application for our lives today. I love the saying, “The Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament, and the New is hidden in the Old.” I believe that much of the things we see taught in the Old Testament serve as harbingers of a deeper spiritual lessson revealed to us through the coming of Christ and the Holy Spirit. As Dad was saying yesterday, the law has not been done away with, but fulfilled, or “filled fuller.” I believe that there is much we can glean from these examples of holiness in the OT scriptures.
To begin, in light of the burning bush, let us consider 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul says: “who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”
God’s glory and holiness is so great that we are unable to approach Him in our sin and weakness. We are overcome by the mere presence of our awesome God. Our lack of holiness is incompatible with His total holiness, and it is only through taking on the holiness of Jesus Christ that we are allowed to be reconciled to God . Let’s go to Hebrews 9. We’ll start in verse 6. (Go through 15). Whenever the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies, he had to bring a blood sacrifice. But Christ, as our High Priest, offered His own blood as the ultimate sacrifice and the fulfillment-the filled fulllerment- of the sacrifice commandment.
Along the same lines then, is the temple. We all know the verse, lets go to 1 Corinthians 6:19. (Read v20 as well).
This apt comparison by Paul leaves one with a lot to think about. How striking a comparison it is when we realize the lengths the Israelites, and later the Jews, went to to protect the physical temple from defilement, and how we are now the spiritual fulfillment of that temple. How careful we must be to keep from defiling our own temples of God.
But to take it a step further, the sacrifice made on Atonement implies that in fact, the temple was defiled throughout the year. Again, it took a blood sacrifice to cleanse it and wipe the slate clean. The safeguards were not enough, and neither was the blood sacrifice, as it had to be repeated every year. Turn to Hebrews 10; again, a well known passage. (verses 1-4)
So what was lacking in the physical, the “shadow of things to come”, was made full by the spiritual “filling fuller” that Christ proclaimed Himself to be bringing about in Matthew 5. Entering the Most Holy Place with His own blood, He made the sacrifice that was being pointed to by every offering made until that time, to cleanse not the physical temple,which was soon to fall, but to cleanse us, the spiritual temple.
So “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not!” Again, the comparison is clear. As God knew there would be an eventual defilement of the temple, so He knows of the times we, as the spiritual temple, will make mistakes. In both instances He made a way of reconciliation and cleansing, but He left the action up to us. The priest had to be the one to kill the goat and sprinkle the blood on the Mercy Seat. But he would not be permitted into the Most Holy Place if he were not clean. In the same way, we have to recognize our sins,turn from them and accept the blood of Christ. While we cannot attain forgiveness on our own apart from God, we also cannot expect God to run a spiritual direct deposit account, paying our bills of failure without us caring or paying attention. We can be no more careless with the blood of Christ than the High Priests were when entering the Holy of Holies.
If then, we are the temple, what is the gold that the temple sanctifies, according to Matthew 23? I would like to suggest that it is our works. You don’t need to turn there, but I’m going to read James 2:14 and 17. “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? And again down in 17, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
I’d like to couple this with another verse, Isaiah 64:6.
I want to bring out this verse for two reasons. First, I want to make it clear that our works are useless to save us. Our best attempts are still well short of the holiness of God. Second, I want to use these verses to prove this fact: That faith by itself, and works by themselves, are insufficient to obtain holiness.
So then how can we apply Jesus’ saying to our own lives? Well, I’d like to use these verses, much like a mathematical equation, to attempt a quick substitution. Think back to Matthew 23, but look at it this way: What if it read, “Which is greater in God’s eyes? The works of a man or the man himself?” Obviously, I think we would all agree that the person is more valuable in God’s eyes than his works. Yet it was the gold on the walls, and overlaying the Most Holy Place, Ark of the Covenant, and Mercy Seat, that beautified the temple. In the same way, our justification is, free and clear, through the sacrifice of Christ and the shedding of His blood; however, our ongoing sanctification and beautification as the bride of Christ is through our growing to be and act more like Him. Let’s turn to 1 Corinthians 3. (verses 9-15)
I have always loved my dad’s paraphrasing of this section: “Some will enter into the kingdom smelling like smoke.” Their works will not be found to be beautifying as the bride of Christ, while others will have already traveled down that road of sanctification, or as Paul puts it, they will have built with that which fire will not destroy.
The world changes. Cultures rise and fall, words find new meanings and lose their old. Ideas that were once prominent and revered soon are left by the wayside by uncaring generations. But for an unchanging and eternal God, holiness is no less important now as it was back in the Golden Age of the Israelite Kingdom. The focus has changed to something less visible and more spiritual, but it is just as imperative for us to strive for sanctification now as it has ever been. For “you are a chosen generation,a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
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Feast of Tabernacles at Echo Bluff State Park
Eighth Day
November 1, 2018
Ron Saladin
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And sware by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.”
“that there should be time no longer.”
Can time end?
The KJV translation is a rather poor one here, the more accurate wording is that there should be “no more delay.” That fits the context better.
But when I first started reading the Bible as a young boy, I didn’t even know of other translations. I wondered how it would be to have time end. Would I arrive at my destination before I left? Would I have to dodge myself going out the door the same time I was going in the door?
Or perhaps everything would just begin to slow down until everybody would be frozen midstride so to speak, forever stuck at the exact position time ran out of, well, time.
That’s a rather scary and funny thing to think about. What do you want to be doing when time freezes forever?
I thought about vanilla ice cream. O.K. I’m being silly, right? Not entirely.
In the early 1900s, Einstein’s theory of general relativity stated matter and energy affect space and time. A person on earth experiences the passage of time differently than a person in space. And time is supposed to almost stop close to a black hole in space.
So time is not such a fixed constant that you might think.
If time can be slowed down, could it be reversed? Some great science fiction stories have been written about time travel. Can God time travel? Could God go back in time and undo something which has already happened?
It’s always wise to hesitate before you say God can’t do something. Think it over carefully. I’ll just say I don’t think God operates like that.
If time can be slowed, can it stop completely? There are several ideas which essentially support that: probably you have heard of the Big Freeze, the universe slows down and eventually runs out of energy, everything becomes dark and cold with a temperature of almost absolute 0, -459.7º Farenheit. That theory is called the Big Freeze for a good reason.
Another has the universe collapsing back in on itself - The Big Crunch. Another idea involves dark energy and the expansion of the universe so rapidly it tears apart, even at the atomic level. This is called? The Big Rip.
Any one of these scenarios happening would be a declaration “that there should be time no longer.” At least for our universe.
Some in the scientific community come across confident we have about 6 billion years left.
There’s a short verse I want to look at here, Romans 9:28, “For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (KJV)
The NIV reads, “For the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality.”
What I want to look at is the Greek behind the word “work” here. It’s logos. It is not an easy word to define. Britannica defines it as, “in Greek philosophy and theology, the divine reason implicit in the cosmos, ordering it and giving it form and meaning.” It also has the meaning of word, discourse, and the logic behind an argument, including supportive evidence.
In John 1:1 we see this word applied to Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word [Logos] was with God, and the Word [Logos] was God.” vs. 14, “And the Word (Logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, as the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
Whatever your translation here, it is talking about the Lord, who has a definite, logical plan with a timetable He is working out on this planet. It won’t take 6 billion years.
This verse in Romans comes from Isaiah 10. Let’s take a look there. Isaiah 10:20, “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.”
That day is still future. Also make note of the word “remnant.” We will encounter that again, quite a few times.
Verses 21-23 21The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God. 22For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, yet a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. 23For the Lord GOD of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of all the land.
Israel would be decimated for a while. Let’s go back to Romans and see how Paul draws this out. Romans 9:1-5, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: 4Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Paul here is grieving for his people who have rejected Christ. He was willing to give up his own salvation for them.
V. 6-8: 6Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
There’s more to the calling of God than just genetics.
V. 9-12: 9For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. 10And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
God chooses according to His sovereign will, not according to our works. These two boys hadn’t even been born yet. And it would be the younger one which received the election, not the firstborn here.
Does that seem unfair? If so, it gets worse.
v. 13 13As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Pretty strong language here for two babies not even born yet. Paul seems to anticipate a possible negative reaction.
v. 14-16 14What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. 15For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
So what is Paul saying here?
That God’s mercy is a gift, not an obligation. Earlier in Romans 5, Paul makes the point we are all born as sinners, inherited a guilt and death sentence from our father Adam. God would be just if He had taken Adam and Eve’s lives. God could justly take any life that has not come into covenant with Jesus Christ. Sinners have a guarantee of future judgment. God is obligated to deal with sin. God is not obligated to show mercy; again, God’s mercy is a gift. Gifts are by nature not an obligation. If you belong to Jesus, you have experienced mercy. If you are being called to come to Christ you are receiving mercy; you have an invitation.
V. 17-18: 17For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. 18Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
This is hard for many people to receive. And Paul addresses that again.
V. 19-24: 19Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, 24Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
So Paul has set this up to show God has not had mercy on these people, at least not at that time.
V. 25-28: 25As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. 26And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. 27Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: 28For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
But there is a logical plan God is working here on earth.
Romans 10:1-4: 1Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. 2For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. 4For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Paul is still talking about Israel’s overall rejection of Jesus and their efforts to obtain righteousness through their own works. Christ is the end, telos, the terminating point or goal of the law, as pertaining to obtaining righteousness and justification. The law shows us our need for Jesus because we have broken it and are under its penalty and in need of a Savior. This does not do away with the law as a guide to sanctification, how to live.
Romans 11:1-5: 1I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, 3Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. 4But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal. 5Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
Paul begins to make his very important point about Israel here. At the present time there is only a remnant chosen to receive grace.
V. 7-8: What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. 8(According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
If God blinds you, are you guilty for not seeing? Paul’s drift here is no.
V. 11: 11I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.
Here’s the reason for their blindness: full salvation is being offered to the Gentiles.
v. 25-26: 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
This is still a future event. Paul says all here. I think he means Israel overall, the vast majority, not every single one, but “all” is a significant word choice he uses. Does that include those that were blinded? The multitudes which rejected Jesus and died not believing or knowing?
This is a very special day, the 8th day following the Feast of Tabernacles. But we are told so very little directly as to what it is about. I saw a quote from a woman rabbi, Nina Beth Cardin, who is a writer and active in environmental issues. She said this 8th Day is a holy day in search of a cause. And you can understand why she said that if you look at the five scriptural references where this eighth day celebration is mentioned.
Nehemiah 8:18: Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
2 Chronicles 7:9 And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.
Numbers 29:35 On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:
Leviticus 23:36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: 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.
Leviticus 23: 39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the LORD seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
There’s a reason here for celebrating it: God said to, at least to Israel. But no explanation is given as to what it stands for. And we know the Holy Days are now revealed to be for all Christians because they show God’s plan for mankind in Christ. And that might be a clue for disciple gumshoes.
The next Holy Day to be fulfilled is Trumpets, the time when Jesus Christ begins to exercise His authority to take over the earth. A few days later Atonement arrives, a day of judgment for some, reconciliation for others. Shortly after that, the Feast of Tabernacles begins, with multiple possible layers of meaning but almost certain to tie in with the millennial reign of Jesus because of where it is located in the Holy Days and because of what happens. Let’s look at some of those happenings, back to where we were in Isaiah.
Isaiah 11:1-5: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: 2And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; 3And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: 4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. 5And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
This is Jesus and the time frame is when He is in power over the earth.
v. 6-9: The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Millennial.
v. 10-16: And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious. 11And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. 14But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. 15And the LORD shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. 16And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
This is the second Exodus, bigger by far than the first exodus from Egypt, the outcasts of Israel coming from the four “corners” of the earth, everywhere. Notice v. 13, Ephraim and Judah, the two bickering tribes, will finally get along.
Isaiah 2:1-4: The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Beautiful words and clearly millennial.
Ezekiel 37:15-22: The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying, 16Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: 17And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. 18And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these? 19Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. 20And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. 21And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
Ephraim and Judah, and all the tribes, reunited into one kingdom after a great exodus again. Clearly aligned with Isaiah 11 and the millennium. It goes on to say a resurrected David will be their prince forever.
But there’s something a bit odd here. Verses 1-14 talk about a resurrection, but it’s not of the church, rather it is of the whole house of Israel. This is talking about those which are not of the remnant we read about in Romans. Their hope is lost, it says in v. 11.
Remember what we read earlier. These people, like all people, enter this world with sin and a death sentence. God would be completely just to exercise judgment. We not only inherit a sin nature; without intervention and change from God, we also exercise our sin nature. But Paul in Romans wrote about a temporary blindness which happened to most of Israel except the remnant called then by God. What we are looking at here is mercy being extended to these people by God. It is a physical resurrection into a time when blindness has been removed, an opportunity for salvation like the remnant had. It is not a second chance; these people never had a first chance.
Let’s read it. Ezekiel 37:1-14: 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, 2And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. 3And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. 4Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 5Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: 6And 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; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. 7So 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. 8And 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. 9Then 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. 10So 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. 11Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. 12Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14And 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.
There will be a land of Israel for them to go to. But when does this happen?
Revelation 19:19-21: And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
This is Armegeddon, the return of Christ. There’s no chapter break in the Greek; read on. Revelation 20:1-6: And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
This is the church, the Old Testament and New Testament saints, rulers with Jesus, priests of God and of Christ, us - if we have the Spirit of God - reigning with Jesus a thousand years (millennium), the first resurrection.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years was over. There’s another resurrection after the thousand years. Let’s read it: vs. 7-15: And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
One interpretation often applied to this passage is this is a mere, necessary legal proceeding, a guilty condemned stamp upon the billions coming up here. These people are judged by their works and we cannot be saved through our works so therefore these are all condemned, all headed for the lake of fire, the second death, and live forever being tortured.
That’s a common interpretation.
But when the Bible talks about a judgment based on works, sometimes it is talking about works as evidence of to whom you belong. For examples:
In John 10:37-38 Jesus applied such a judgment to Himself. “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”
A little later Jesus applies this standard to the disciples: John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” If you really believe on Jesus, your works will resemble His.
A similar thought is expressed by Jesus in Matthew 7:20: “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Fig production is a work the fig tree should do. So to assume this judgement is only a legal proceeding condemning all is the wrong interpretation, I think.
I think this is the judgment of those that never had a chance, blinded or never even heard of Jesus Christ, not in the firstfruits elect chosen by God. They have a chance, a period of time to live their lives and, with eyes open, come to Christ. God doesn’t have to do this, but our God is of tremendous mercy. But it is in His timing.
There’s another passage I think we should look at in this context. It has to do with the death of young children.
Matthew 2:16-18: Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
This is a horrible act of an evil man. The death of a loved infant is an extremely traumatic event, parents weeping and refusing to receive comfort.
The prevalent Christian response today understandably tries to comfort those grieving by teaching young children automatically go to heaven when they die. This is comforting to parents, but there are some serious problems with that teaching. For one, that would be another way to the Father, instead of Jesus. Jesus said He is the only way. Some could argue killing young children is a good thing if it assures their eternal salvation. I think the Bible teaches something else about this.
Matthew ties this to a passage in Jeremiah 31:15-17: Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. 16Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy. 17And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
This passage is in the context of the Babylonian invasion, but it goes much deeper than that, according to Matthew. These children are murdered, but there is hope, at the end time, they shall come again to their own border, their own land and people.
We heard that before, haven’t we, in the Ezekiel 37 resurrection. They, like billions of others, will live again at a time when Satan is gone and blind eyes are opened. They will have their opportunities in God’s own timing. I suspect the vast majority will have their names written in the book of life. Verse 15 indicates some will not.
So.
The day after the millennium is the Eighth Day, the last of God’s Holy Days outlined in Leviticus 23. It is a closing ceremony, in it God finishes up the short, logical plan He is working out on this planet.
But God has another plan for you and me which is long term.
The number eight in the Bible is often associated with something new, a new beginning, a new relationship of some kind, a new responsibility perhaps. A few examples:
God repopulated the earth from eight people on the ark, a new beginning for mankind.
2) Circumcision was to be performed on the eighth day, a covenant with God entered into.
3) David was the eighth son of Jesse, a new kingly line began which would ultimately produce the King of kings, Jesus.
4) Leviticus 15 describes a man or woman which have become unclean due to some issue. When they are cleansed of the issue, there’s a seven day wait and on the eighth day, they present themselves to the priest at the door of the tabernacle with sacrifices which are offered for their atonement. On the eighth day, they became clean, no longer in danger of defiling God’s tabernacle among them.
5) Leviticus 8 describes the anointing of Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. For seven days, they remained in the tabernacles while they were being consecrated to serve. It was on the eighth day they began their priesthood duties.
6) When Jesus first appeared to the disciples on resurrection day, Thomas was not with them. Because he did not see Jesus, he did not believe the resurrection had occurred. Eight days later, Jesus again appeared to the disciples and Thomas saw and believed. Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not see, and yet have believed.” Thomas becomes a kind of symbol of a blessing on a new kind of believer, those who haven’t seen but yet believe. You and me, hopefully.
The Eighth Day of the Feast appears to be pointing to a closing out but also a new beginning.
A closing out of God’s short work on earth of man’s redemption and a closing out of our sin damaged planet and universe.
Isaiah 51:6: Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
Those who love the old will die with it.
Hebrews 1:8-12: But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
The first earth and heavens will be closed out. But they will be replaced.
2 Peter 3:10-13: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
So, current theories about what will eventually happen to the universe like the Big Freeze, the Big Crunch, and the Big Rip have the Apostle Peter to contend with and the Universal Burn. But out of the melt down comes a new universe and a new earth for those who belong to God.
Revelation 21:1-5: 1And I 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. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
This is a beautiful passage and some huge things are indicated here. Former things like death, pain, sorrow, crying are gone. God is making all things new. But the context suggests something else which is mind-boggling. God appears here to have an intimate relationship with His people, like a parent wiping tears away from their child’s eyes. Maybe it is a general reference to people, but it doesn’t feel that way. It feels very personal.
God hears our prayers, if we are His. How does He do that with the multitude praying to Him all the time? God knows the hairs on our head and what we need before we ask, scriptures tell us. How does He have time for all of us?
I don’t know.
Isaiah 9:6-7: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
The increase of the government of Jesus shall have no end. The word “increase” we all know and that’s what it means; it grows greater, larger forever.
Forever. Increasing.
Time will never end.
But time has another side to it. What has God been doing for eternity past? We are told absolutely nothing about God’s other projects. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. But that wasn’t God’s beginning. We know God is eternal. We know God does not change in His character. By nature, He is a worker and a creator. Can you imagine God creating for eternity past without a beginning? Just how much is there out there that God will eventually show us of His new creations?
Isaiah 64:4 says, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”
We sing the song “How Great Thou Art,” and it is a good song, and we mean it. But we have very little concept of how great God really is. When we someday begin to be exposed to more of what God has done, we will be dumbfounded; that might be the word. There will never be a time when we will come to a stopping point in our respect for the glory of God. Our awe of God, like the kingdom of Christ, will forever be on the increase. Never-ending time will only magnify it. It will increase forever.
God’s current project is to make this earth, universe, you and me into something new. Embrace it with all of your heart.
