There are going to be a whole lot of things that people are going to have to learn when they’re resurrected and really find out the truth. Now you see Jesus was right here telling them the truth. But they were so deceived, so locked into their lies and their personal beliefs that they couldn’t believe Jesus Christ. So what’s going to have to happen during the Millennium and during the great white throne judgment, they’re going to have to give up their personal beliefs. They’re going to have to give up their personal ways of doing things. They’re going to have to give up their lies and give up their deceits. And they are going to have to recognize that they were deceived by Satan the devil. Now remember Revelation 12:9 says that Satan the devil has deceived the whole world and is deceiving it. And brethren, that deceit is so pervasive today that it is just mind-boggling. You know, to really tell the truth, as it says there in Isaiah 59, you’re counted crazy. And likewise here when Christ was talking to these Scribes and Pharisees and Jews. They didn’t believe Him, because they were so deceived. And remember, the best deception is this: that when you are told that you are deceived you don’t believe you’re deceived. And that’s what we’re dealing with here. So when these people are resurrected on the Last Great Day for a second physical life, for an opportunity for salvation, they are going to have to understand they were deceived, and they rejected Christ.

Now let’s continue on here in John 8. After Jesus said, “If ye were [you are] Abraham’s children ye [you] would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill Me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father” (vs. 39-41). Now we’re going to stop and we’re going to analyze this a little bit. Because you see, what a thing it’s going to be to teach these people the truth who have been so deceived that they believe the deception is the truth, and the truth is a deception.

Now just to give you an example. The Churches of God are called cults because we keep the Sabbath, and we keep the holy days, and we don’t believe in the trinity. So therefore we are a cult, which the truth is the opposite is so. All the religions of the world are cults because they worship Satan the devil, they believe in a trinity, they reject the truth of God. Even those Christian professing churches reject the truth of God and call us a cult when they are the cults. So you can almost be guaranteed today that what is said may be the truth, is just the opposite. At least we can be guaranteed that it is, and what is called religion.

Now He says, “Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to Him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father; even God.” See, going back and relying on God in their own deceived way. They actually believed that they were serving God the Father when they were serving Satan the devil. There is the perfect deception, right? Let’s say complete. “Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do ye not understand My speech? Even because ye cannot hear My word” (vs. 41-43). Or that is, you cannot hear My message. You won’t let the words into your mind to comprehend them. That’s what He’s saying. And that’s what happens to people who are deceived and have so closed their minds that they reject the truth. And so Christ is exposing it here. And it is profound that this is being exposed on the Last Great Day because that’s what the fulfillment of the Last Great Day is going to be all about, to expose all of the lies that these poor people have lived under. To expose the fact that they were following Satan the devil rather than God. To expose that fact that they reject the truth, they rejected God, and they died in that deception, and in God’s mercy He’s raised them to a second physical life for an opportunity for salvation. And if they don’t repent it is the lake of fire. Now that’s also part of the Last Great Day.

Now let’s continue on. “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” And when Satan speaks words of truth, such as he did to tempt Jesus to cast Himself down, he quoted Psalm 91 perfectly. And when he quotes words of truth it is only to deceive you to get you to misinterpret it and do the wrong thing. That is how diabolical that Satan is. And that is how diabolical the deception has been on these people. “…There is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (vs. 44).

Now let’s see the works of Satan the devil concerning this because it is profound. Here, we already quoted Revelation 12:9. Let’s go back and let’s just read that again because it does us good to understand and know, and to reaffirm the fact that Satan is deceiving this world and he’s got all the tools to do it. This is his world and God has given it to him because mankind has desired it. See, the truth is, Satan can only have power as you give it to him. And as you give it to him then he has power over you. But if you resist him in the faith and you flee the devil, and you come close to God, and you resist him in the faith and with the love and power of God, then you can overcome him.

Now Revelation 12:9. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Now notice how much we are to hold on to the truth brethren. So let’s just interject this here. “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony, and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev. 12:9-11). So that’s what we need to do brethren. That describes how our lives have to be in relationship to the truth of God. Listen, let’s understand something profound. You are never, never, ever going to understand God’s word or receive salvation by coming along and attaching men’s lies to the truth of God and say that this is how the Bible should be interpreted. Never happen. We’ll see that in just a minute.

Now let’s come to Revelation 18:23. Let’s see the instrumentality that Satan has used to do this. And it is Babylon the Great and everything that is in Babylon the Great. All the religions, all the economics, all the governments, all the businesses, all of these things. Because the judgment came on Babylon the Great in Revelation 18. Let’s see it here. Let’s pick it up in verse 20. “Rejoice over her [that is the demise of Babylon the Great], thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets…” Why? Because they’re resurrected and on the sea of glass and seeing this take place. “…For God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all” (Rev. 18:20-21). Now this is typical of the Great Babylon which is going to be the one world government.

“And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth [the multi-national corporations]; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.” Now if that doesn’t tie it into the religion of Simon Magus, who used sorceries to deceive the people, all nations were deceived. “And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth” (vs. 22-24). And I’m here to tell you, if you get the book Vatican Assassins, you will understand this verse. You won’t till you get it and read it and I’ll guarantee you one thing, your view of the world will never, ever be the same again. So I encourage you to get that book.

Ok, let’s continue on with the deception here. Let’s come back here to 2 Corinthians and we will see how Satan deceived them at that time. And it’s going to take a lot for these people to unlearn. It’s going to be difficult for them to know, to realize, to understand. Let’s pick it up in 2 Corinthians 4:1, because this tells us something about how the preaching of the gospel and the truth needs to be.

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty…” Now that’s what they’re going to have to do when they are resurrected. “…Not walking in craftiness…” Not having an agenda. Not having a secret goal to have something accomplished. “…Nor handling the word of God deceitfully…” Boy, I tell you what, when the kings and priests rule under Christ, that is those of us who are resurrected and in the first resurrection doing that, the word of God is going to be handled absolutely perfectly. And I think that we need to understand that the word of God is going to have much more than this. This is what we have in this age. Think of what it’s going to be in the Millennium. “…But by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not…” (2 Cor. 4:1-4). Now we will see that as we get into chapter 9 with the man who was born blind. Because Satan is the one who has caused the blindness in this world. He is the one who has created the things the way that they are. And that’s why Christ has to return.

Now let’s look at the other thing that they’re going to have to repent of. Well, we’ll just mention Hebrews 3:9. They’re going to have to repent of the deceitfulness of sin, because they’ll have to admit that they followed Satan the devil. He is the father of lies. And that there are, as John says in 1 John 3, there are the children of God and the children of the devil. And the children of God are the ones who keep His commandments and the children of the devil are the ones who promote lawlessness through deceit.

Now let’s come back here. We’ll finish chapter 8. We won’t go through the rest of it because this is the main portion that we need to cover. He’s a liar and the father of it. Verse 45, “And because I tell you the truth, ye believe Me not. Which of you [convicts] convinceth Me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe Me? He that is of God heareth God’s words [very profound]: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God” (John 8:45-47). Now, if they don’t hear the words of God during the great white throne judgment, then they are going to the lake of fire where Satan the devil and the demons were cast. No question about it.

Now let’s come over here and we’ll begin to start chapter 9. But let’s understand that when Jesus got done, when He told them that if you believe on Me you shall not taste of death forever. But when He said that before Abraham was I AM, now they knew exactly what that meant. They knew exactly that meant that He was saying that He was God in the flesh. And they didn’t believe Him. So they took up stones to stone Him and He passed by, got out of the way.

Now let’s come to chapter 9 because this becomes an important thing too. And I really like this chapter and the things that go on here because this really has quite a bit of prophetic understanding given in it by the things that happened. And also it reveals the spiritual blindness. This is not just physical blindness, but spiritual blindness that we’re talking about here, as illustrated in the blindness of a man who was born blind.

Now let’s pick it up here in John 9:1. “And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man which was blind from his birth. And His disciples asked Him…” Now I want you to listen to this question, because this is really kind of a…has some real faults in it. “…Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2). Now how can a babe in the womb sin to be born blind? That’s really a nonsensical question. Of course he couldn’t have done anything. Now it also talks about his parents. Notice what Jesus said. And this ties in…this is a type then of the spiritual blindness to Israel, and the spiritual blindness to the world. As we saw, Satan is the one who has blinded their minds.

Now verse 3, “Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” I want you to think about this for just a minute. This man was born blind, caused to be born blind by God, for this very act which Jesus was to perform. To open his eyes. Now we also need to understand that God has blinded people. He’s used the instrumentality of Satan to do it, but He has blinded them. Born into a society that is spiritually blind. Blinded by Satan the devil.

Now let’s come to Romans 11, and we will see what the apostle Paul says concerning this. Let’s come here to verse 7. “What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for [no, Israel didn’t]; but the election hath obtained it [that is those that God has called], and the rest were blinded.” We will see when we come to the Last Great Day that God is going to remove that blindness. But it’s something. “…The rest were blinded (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. And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompense unto them: let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back alway” (Rom. 11:7-10). So God says, “Alright, you reject truth. I turn you over to blindness.” And the society becomes blind, people are born into the society, and it is so bad that Jesus said of the man who wanted to go bury his father, He said, “Let the dead bury their dead.” And He said, “If the blind lead the blind, they’re both going to fall in the ditch.” So people are born into a spiritually blinded world and God has given them over to that. No question about it.

Let’s come here to Isaiah 43 and let’s see that. Let’s see it. Now we’ll get back to John 9. We’ll go through John 9 after we go through this and then you will see the spiritual parallels as they come along. Let’s begin in Isaiah 43:8. “Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? Let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth” (Isa. 43:8-9). Now this is when God is going to lift the blindness and lift the deafness. Now remember, in chapter 8 Jesus said, “You cannot hear My words”, see. So we have a combination of John 8 and John 9 here.

Now then verse 10. “Ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen…” Now who are going to be the witnesses of God during the Millennium and the great white throne judgment? We are, and all of those who have been born again into the Kingdom of God all through the Millennium. And we are going to be witnesses to them. And when they are resurrected on that Last Great Day and they have the blindness taken away and they have the deafness removed, boy what a thing that is going to be. Now if under those circumstances they still reject Christ, they still hold on to their deception, then there’s no recourse but the lake of fire.

“Ye are My witnesses…and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me…” It’s going to be an opportunity to know and believe and understand “…that I AM He…” Almost the same wordage that we have there in John 8, right? Yes. “…Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour” (vs. 10-11). So God is going to show that and bring that salvation to the whole world.

Now let’s come back here to Isaiah 29 and let’s see how this was accomplished in their first lifetime. Why is it that they rejected God? Why is it that they didn’t receive Jesus Christ? Why is it that they are going to have to be resurrected in the second resurrection for a second physical life so they’ll have an opportunity to understand salvation? Because Satan deceived the world. Now let’s come here to verse 18. Now it talks about opening their ears to hear and so forth.

“And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.” That is going to be lifted for them. Now when we get to the Last Great Day and we start going through the scriptures then, what we’re covering here today is going to help give you a little more background and understanding to realize how important that the Last Great Day really is. “The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to nought [Satan is removed], and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off” (Isa. 29:18-20). So God is going to open their understanding. God is going to open their eyes.

Ok, now let’s come back to John 9, and as we go through this chapter I think then you’ll be able to see the spiritual parallels as it refers to the things that are going to be accomplished on the Last Great Day as pictured by giving sight to this blind man. It was done so “…that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:3-4). And let me tell you something that is true. The night is coming again when no one can work. So we better work the work that we need to do right now so that we can get accomplished as much as God wants us to do. Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (vs. 5) Isn’t it interesting that in both cases here, in chapter 8:12 He says “I am the light of the world.” These people were spiritually blinded following Satan the devil. Again here in chapter 9:5 He says, “I am the light of the world.” And what is it that a blind man cannot see? He cannot see light.

“When He had thus spoken, He spat on the ground…” Now, for those of you who, you know…God can do anything to heal, can’t He? So Christ spat on the ground, “…made clay of the spittle, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam…” Now the blind man had a very difficult trail to go, and very steep coming down to the pool of Siloam. So he had to have the desire. Now Siloam means “…by interpretation, Sent. He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing” (vs. 6-7).

Now here it gets very interesting and somewhat a little bit funny and in some cases a little ludicrous too. But it also exposes the attitudes of people towards something that God has done that is good. “The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he. Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened [after all we know you were born blind, we’re your neighbors]? He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight. Then said they unto him, Where is he? He said, I know not” (vs. 8-12). So this is so astonishing they had to bring him to the religious authorities.

“They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind. And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.” Now making a little clay with spittle, is that work? Of course not. To do good on the Sabbath, is that work? To heal on the Sabbath, is that work? No. A tremendous miracle was done. “Then again the Pharisees…” Here comes the grilling. Now he’s going to be asked these questions. “Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them [notice how many times he has to repeat this in order for them to get it and they still don’t get it], He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see. Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because He keepeth not the sabbath day [no, He made clay with spittle]. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.” {laughter} “They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of Him, that He hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind [and they knew he was blind, because he was brought before the Pharisees who knew beforehand that he was blind], and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? How then doth he now see? His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: but by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself” (vs. 13-21).

Now can you imagine these Pharisees just sitting there in their hatred and anger and just seething and wanting to find fault rather than rejoicing and going out and finding that Jesus did it. That He had to be the Messiah. That He had to the Son of God because one of the very signs that was said of the Messiah which the Jews understood, and they even say today that He would heal those that have been born blind. So this is really a rejection. Now we need to understand something here that’s very important. If during the great white throne judgment they reject Christ, then the end is at hand for those people.

Now verse 22. “These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already…” How’s this for righteous judgment? You go back and you understand what Jesus said. He said, “Judge righteous judgment. Don’t judge after appearance, and don’t judge after the flesh. Judge righteous judgment.” They didn’t. How can you have righteous judgment when you already agree what your decision is beforehand. “…For the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.” So they are stuck. “Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him [now here’s the intimidation of the interrogation], Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner” (vs. 22-24). Now here is a lesson for us today. Never be intimidated by religious people and their tactics to trap you into their traps to go against the truth.

Verse 25, “He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. Then said they to him again, What did He to thee? How opened He thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye also be His disciples?” So he was giving it right back to them, see. “Then they reviled him, and said, thou art His disciple; but we are Moses’ disciples” (vs. 25-28). Remember what Jesus said? He said, “Had you believed Moses, you would have believed Me.” See, being Moses disciple is an ideological mask. An ideological mask is a guise of truth to cover over, but the real ideology is that they were worshipping Satan the devil and were of their father, the devil. So we can learn that as we’re going along here.

They continued saying, verse 29, “We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence He is [we don’t even know where He’s from]. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, He could do nothing” (vs. 29-33).

Notice their answer. Now you see it’s going to be hard for these people to be converted. Very difficult. Even though they are raised and given an opportunity for salvation, it is going to be difficult because they have so given themselves wholly to Satan the devil that it’s going to be so hard. Now let’s understand that’s why during the great white throne judgment Satan has already been cast into the lake of fire before it begins. Because that is the only way that this kind of hard-hearted deception is going to be removed from their eyes.

Now let’s continue on. Verse 34, “They answered and said unto him, thou was altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us?” Well, Jesus said, “Out of the mouths of babes.” “And they cast him out [that is out of the synagogue].” So you see the dishonesty and deception into the very heart and core of what should be those who would lead the people to God is to reject people who are standing up for God. I’ve experienced that, you’ve experienced that, so it’s nothing new.

Verse 35, “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said unto him, dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that I might believe on Him? And Jesus said unto him, thou hast both seen Him, and it is He that talketh with thee.” And that’s why the eyes of the blind will be opened, so they can see God. And their ears will be opened so they can hear. “And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him” (vs. 35-38). Now this was a proof that Jesus was God in the flesh.

Now let’s understand something, all of those who come up in the great white throne judgment in the second resurrection are going to have to have the deception removed, they’re going to have to have their eyes opened, and they are going to have to accept Jesus Christ, and they are going to have to worship Him. Now if they don’t it will be the lake of fire.

Now let’s read on. “And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, we see; therefore your sin remaineth” (vs. 39-41). So it’s going to be likewise in the great white throne judgment. If they do not believe Christ, if they do not accept Christ, if they do not throw off the deception that they had in their first physical life in the flesh, then they have their sins retained and they go into the lake of fire.

So we’ve seen in chapter 7, chapter 8, and chapter 9 some very profound and important things that took place during the Feast of Tabernacles and on the Last Great Day, which also show the working and functioning of the purpose of those days, so God does indeed use these days to fulfill His work.