Day 1—Feast of Tabernacles 2017

The Restitution of All Things

From vast destruction and upheaval to renewal

Fred R. Coulter—October 5, 2017

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Greetings, brethren! Welcome to the Feast of Tabernacles! What a wonderful Feast that the Feast of Tabernacles is, and the meaning of it. It brings, as we will see, the salvation of God to the world!

The Feast of Tabernacles shows that everything physical is temporary. That's why God had the children of Israel dwell in booths. Today we understand that every building is temporary, every abode is temporary. There is coming a new earth and the Government of God is going to be here, and we are going to be the ones to save the world.

Let's begin as we always do in Leviticus 23:33: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying, "The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the LORD."'" (vs 33-34). That's according to the Calculated Hebrew Calendar, as we understand it.

Verse 35: "On the first day shall be a Holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein. Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD…." (vs 35-36).

Those are the required (Num. 29). We will see that there's another offering to be given, which is separate from the fire offerings that are commanded by God to the priesthood and the Levites to do, and that's the individual offering that we do.

"…On the eighth day shall be a Holy convocation to you…." (v 36). Isn't that an interesting thing? What does God say about the least? They shall be great! And the last day is the Last Great Day, and it's going to produce more than any other part of the plan of God. But you'll have to be here to go through that day.

Then it says "…It is a solemn assembly…. [v 37]: These are the Feasts of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be Holy convocations to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD, a burnt offering and a grain offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, everything on its day; besides the Sabbaths of the LORD…" (vs 36-38).

This is very important for everyone to understand, especially people who are new. The Sabbath is called the Sabbath. That's the seventh-day Sabbath. Of course, Lev. 23:1-3 shows that the weekly Sabbath is the one that sanctifies all the Holy Days, as well. So, every Sabbath that is a Holy Day is called a Sabbath, not the Sabbath.

"…and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill offerings which you give to the LORD. Also, in the fifteenth day of the seventh month when you have gathered in the fruit of the land, you shall keep a Feast to the LORD seven days. On the first day shall be a Sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath" (vs 38-39). Then it shows how they were to make booths out boughs and things like that.

If you take a bough on the first day and break it off a tree and just keep it and look at each one of the eight days, you will see that by the seventh day it's just about gone, and on the eighth day you're just about ready to throw it out. A perfect example of what Jesus says:

'I am the vine and you are the branches. Every branch that does not bear fruit the Father cuts away and is cast into fire. You must remain in the vine as the branches in order to bear fruit.'

When you break off that bough and you look at it every day, you will see what is true. So, if you don't have a constant supply of sap for the bough or the branch, and if you don't have a constant supply of God's Spirit you can do nothing!

Here we have a command for a free will offering; Deuteronomy 16:16: "Three times in a year shall all your males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose: in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles…." Today there are many places that God chooses. Even in some instances, like Jesus said, 'Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of you.'

In keeping the Feast of Tabernacles and coming to the different Feast sites, fellowshipping with the brethren and being there all eight days to go over the Scriptures, to hear the sermons, to fellowship with everyone, that is a great, great time.

"…And they shall not appear before the LORD empty, every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God, which He has given you" (vs 16-17). So, whenever we bring an offering to God:

• we look at the blessings that God has given us
• we look at how God has spared us from so many things
• we look at how God has delivered us from our trials

God has given us His Spirit and He has given us His Word! We have all of these things available to us today in a most fantastic way. Keep all of those things in mind as you give your offering for this Holy Day of the Feast of Tabernacles, 2017!

(pause for the offering)

While the Feast of Tabernacles pictures the great time of peace, and a great time of harvest for those to enter into the Kingdom of God, it starts out quite a bit differently than you might suppose. It's not going to be an instantaneous change of everything and now we have peace and everything is wonderful.

We saw that on the Day of Atonement that Jesus Christ sent an angel to take Satan and the demons and cast them into the abyss and then set a seal over them.

Rev. 20—here is a job description for what we will be doing all during the Millennium. We don't yet know what our job description will be in the new heaven and the new earth and going out into eternity. Isn't that a fantastic thing to understand? We can understand the concept of it, but we don't know how it's going to be! That's why we need to always remain faithful and:

• love God with all our heart, mind, soul and being
• keep His commandments
• love the brethren
• overcome
• do the things that God wants us to do

So that we can be there!

This begins the Millennium, and then we will see what the work is that we have to do at first:

Revelation 20:4: "And I saw thrones; and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given to them…" We're going to judge the people of the world. The 12 apostles are going to sit on 12 thrones judging the children of Israel. King David is going to be king over all of greater Israel physically and spiritually.

"…and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus, and for the Word of God, and those who did not worship the beast, or his image, and did not receive the mark in their foreheads or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (v 4). That's something! Reigning as kings and priests!

Just a little hint for the Last Great Day. Isn't it interesting how that fits in, exactly how it's recorded in Lev. 23. It talks about the eighth day, but then doesn't tell us anything about it. Likewise here:

Verse 5: "(But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.)…." We know, as we have covered, that those who are Christ's are going to be raised from the dead, and those who are alive will be changed at His coming. We're all going to meet Christ in the air on the Sea of Glass, and after everything is done there, we're going to come back to the earth, Satan is going to be bound and then we are going to be given the actual rule and judgment of this world.

"…This is the first resurrection" (v 5). That parenthetical statement [first part of v 5] is put there to look forward to after the thousand years. But what it's talking about is those in the first resurrection. This also tells us that there's a first resurrection and there's a second resurrection. Wondrous when you stop and think about it and read it.

Notice what it says about us: We'll be the sons and daughters of God ruling and reigning with Christ!

Verse 6: "Blessed and Holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power…. [because we're going to live forever] …But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."

Then we're going to rule and reign after that, but that's saved for the Last Great Day. Let's look at our coming back to take over the world. We finished off on the Feast of Trumpets in Zech. 14. This tells us an awful lot about how the condition of the world will be:

Zechariah 14:3: "And the LORD shall go out and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle."

What happens when there's war? Everything gets destroyed! We need to look at the challenge that we're going to be facing at the beginning of the Millennium. We need to contemplate what the people will be up against at that time, those who survive through all the calamities that happen at the end.

Verse 4: "And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall split in two, from the east and to the west, and make a very great valley. And half of the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south." That's something!

Think about the earthquakes that are talked about just going through the book of Revelation. This is going to be a fantastic earthquake when Christ puts His feet on the Mount of Olives and the mountain splits in two and creates a great valley. So, the whole geography of everything is going to be changed. That's going to be awesome, indeed!

Verse 5: "…And the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with You. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark. And it will be one day, which shall be known to the LORD, neither day nor night; but it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem…" (vs 5-8)—out to heal the whole world. Why? Because all the rivers and all the oceans have been turned to blood, and everything in it died!

This is how God is going to take care of cleansing the oceans; "…half of them shall go toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea. In summer and in winter it shall be" (v 8). A constant flow of the River of God. This is symbolic of the Spirit of God.

Verse 9: "And the LORD shall be King over all the earth; in that day there shall be one LORD, and His name shall be one." Then it talks about what's going to happen.

Verse 11: "And they shall dwell in it, and there shall never again be any more utter destruction, but Jerusalem shall dwell safely." For Jerusalem, that's quite a promise! No more destruction!

Verse 12: "And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will smite all the people who have fought against Jerusalem…." There are going to be people mad, angry and fighting against us. It's not going that everything is going to peaceful and righteous right off the bat.

"…Their flesh shall consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their sockets. And their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall be in that day that a great panic from the LORD shall be among them. And they shall each one lay hold of his neighbor, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbor. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the nations all around shall be gathered—gold, and silver, and clothing in great abundance" (vs 12-14). So, this is now all going to come into Jerusalem.

There's still independent free moral agency—IFMA—and everyone, every individual, every province, every nation is going to have to choose:

• Are they going to fight God?

or

• Are they going to obey God?
• Are they going to submit to the government of God?
• What are they going to do?

Verse 15: "And likewise shall be the plague of the horse, the mule, the camel, and the donkey, and of all the beasts which shall be in these camps—it shall be as this plague."

Let's see one of the things that has to be done, not only about Satan but the demons.

Zechariah 13:1: "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the people of Jerusalem to cleanse them from sin and for uncleanness. And it shall be in that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall be remembered no more….'" (vs 1-2).

The first thing that is going to happen is the destruction of every idol. You go back and read how Israel conquered the 'promised land,' what was one of the first things they were to do?

• destroy the images
• destroy the groves
• destroy the places of worship

"…and they shall be remembered no more. And also I will cause the lying prophets and the unclean spirits to pass out of the land" (v 2). All of the demons will be bound in the abyss with Satan the devil.

When this happens all the nations are going to be given a choice: Will they obey God? or not? Let's see what happens in the rest of:

Zechariah 14:16: "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." Remember:

• God told them to keep the Feast of Tabernacles
• Jesus and the apostles kept the Feast of Tabernacles
• we are to keep the Feast of Tabernacles
• now the whole world is going to keep the Feast of Tabernacles

Verse 17: "And it shall be, whoever will not come up from all the families of the earth to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain."

Obviously, not everybody can get to Jerusalem. So, there have to be duly authorized representatives representing them, who will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles in their countries. But in Jerusalem the official representation of that country and everyone in it.

Verse 18: "And if the family of Egypt that has no rain, does not come up to present themselves, this shall be the plague with which the LORD shall strike the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles."

At first there are going to be some more battles to be fought. We're going to see that the earth is going to be in ruins and desolation and falling apart. What a tremendous job that we will have to bring about the way that it should. That's going to be interesting, indeed, when we look at it. In Isa. 24 we get a great description of the condition of the earth. It's going to be shambles. We're going to have to help them rebuild. In another place in Isa. It says that they're going to 'rebuild the waste places.'

Here's what happens with all the wars right up to the return of Christ; Isaiah 24:1: "Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, and turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants."

• think of all the chaos
• think of all the destruction
• everything is broken
• everything is ruined

Everything that man has done in defiance against God is going to be obliterated! Like we saw in Zech. 14, we're going to get rid of the idols first.

Verse 2: "And as it is with the people, so it shall be with the priest; as with the slave, so with the master; as with the handmaid, so it is with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be completely laid waste, and utterly stripped; for the LORD has spoken this word" (vs 2-3). That's what it's going to be!

Verse 4: "The earth mourns and languishes; the world withers and languishes; the proud people of the earth wither. And the earth is defiled under its people; because they have transgressed the Laws, changed the ordinance, and have broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore, the curse has devoured the earth… [that's quite a condition]…and they who dwell in it are desolate; therefore, the people of the earth are burned, and few men are left" (vs 4-6).

When you look at some of these war stories, the bombing and things that have gone on in different wars. When you think of some of the atomic bombs that have been blown off like in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and also the blast at Chernobyl, look at the destruction. That's going to be something!

Verse 10: "The city of shame is broken down; every house is shut up so that no one may come in. A crying for wine is in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth in the land has gone. In the city, it is left a desolation, and the gate is stricken with destruction, for so it is in the midst of the earth among the people, it shall be like the shaking of an olive tree and as gleanings when the grape harvest is completed" (vs 10-13). That's quite a thing! So, the whole world is going to have to start from scratch!

Verse 14: "They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Therefore, glorify the LORD in the east where the light dawns, the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea" (vs 14-15). They're all going to come and recognize God!

Verse 16: "From the ends of the earth we have heard songs, 'Glory to the righteous.' But I said, 'Leanness to me! Leanness to me! Woe to me! Deceivers deceive, even treacherously. Deceivers deceive!' Dread and the pit, and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth. And it shall be, he who flees from the sound of dread shall fall into the pit. And he who comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare, for the windows from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake. The earth is broken, yea broken down!…." (vs 16-19). Think of that! The whole earth in total shambles!

"…The earth is crumbling, yea crumbling to pieces! The earth is tottering, yea tottering! Like a drunkard the earth is staggering, yea staggering! And it rocks to and fro like a tree hut! And its transgressions are heavy upon it; and it shall fall and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered, as prisoners are gathered in a dungeon. And they shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days they shall be punished" (vs 19-22).

So, that's the way the earth is going to be when we come and take over. You might say that the book of Isaiah has a lot to do with the Kingdom of God.

Isaiah 33:1: "Woe to the destroyer, and you who have not been destroyed; and to the treacherous one, for they have not dealt treacherously with you. When you stop destroying, you shall be destroyed. When you stop dealing treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with you. O LORD, be gracious to us…" (vs 1-2).

This is showing that everyone who has committed sins, followed demons and worshipped idols there has now got to be repentance!That's how it's going to start out at the beginning of the Millennium. Think about how the people are going to be. We're going to help them recover from:

• shock
• wounds
• lost limbs
• destroyed minds
• destroyed homes
• destroyed lives

that's why it is "…be gracious to us; we have waited for You; be their arm every morning; our salvation also in the time of trouble. At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of Yourself the nations were scattered. And your spoil shall be gathered as the stripping locust gathers; as the running to and fro of locusts they shall run upon them. The LORD is exalted…" (vs 2-5). The first thing they're going to do is that God reigns in Jerusalem!

'We have been sent here as kings, priests, rulers and administrators, and we are going to show you how you need to start repairing your lives, your cities and your homes, and come to God!'

Verse 5: "The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high. He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of your times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. Behold, their mighty ones shall cry outside; the messengers of peace shall weep bitterly. The highways lie waste, the traveler ceases. He has broken the covenant. He has despised the cities. He cared for no man. The earth mourns and languishes…." (vs 5-9).

Now God is going to change everything! We are going to be the ones who are going to do it. This is how it's going to be when we start. This is going to be unimaginable! So, we need to prepare ourselves to understand what's going to happen.

Isaiah 25:1: "O LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will praise Your name; for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and Truth, for You have made a city a heap; a fortified city into a ruin; a citadel of foreigners to be no city; it shall never be rebuilt" (vs 1-2).

Some of those things are just going to be wasted away; new things will be put on it. They're never going to rebuild it the way it was.

Verse 3: "Therefore, the strong people glorify You, the city of the terrible nations shall fear You, for You are a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is like a storm against the wall. You shall bring down the noise of foreigners, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud…." (vs 3-5). It's going to be something!

• there are going to be people resisting
• there will be people fighting

We'll be able to take care of them, because we'll have the power to do it.

Verse 6: "And in this mountain… [notice the transformation]: …the LORD of hosts shall make a feast of fat things for all the people…" How long that takes to get all of that in order so that there will be that Feast of Tabernacles talked about in Zech. 14…

"…a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of refined wines on the lees" (v 6). This shows that there is going to be:

• replanting
• growing
• harvesting
• getting all the produce
• making wine

It says in Rev. 12:9 that Satan the devil is 'deceiving the whole world.' All blinded! Think about how fixed their minds are going to be when they have been worshipping the beast and the false prophet! Think how their minds are going to be fixed if they survive and we're fighting against the return of Christ and he saints.

So, there has to be a change; here is the change, v 7: "And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering, which covers all people…"

• Remember how they're blinded?
• Why are they blinded? Because of Satan the devil!

God is going to have to take care of all of this!

"…and the veil that is woven over all nations" (v 7). That's quite a thing to take place! That's really going to be something.

Verse 8: "He will destroy death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces. And He shall take away from all the earth the rebuke of His people, for the LORD has spoken it. And one shall say in that day, 'Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him, and He will save us…. [complete change; conversion will come and amazing things will take place] …This is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation'" (vs 8-9). That's going to be something!

Isa. 26 shows the gradual:

• changing
• rebuilding
• making things correct
• getting rid of the sinner
• getting rid of the destruction
• getting rid of all the things that this world has consisted up

and begin a new!

Isaiah 26:1: "In that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah: 'We have a strong city; He sets up salvation as our walls and banks. Open the gates, so that the righteous nation shall enter in…'" (vs 1-2).New Jerusalem on the earth, not the New Jerusalem of Rev. 21 & 22, but the rebuilding of Jerusalem for the Millennium. "…the righteous nation…" are all of those in the first resurrection.

"…one that is faithfully keeping Truth. You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You; because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever…" (vs 2-4).

We're going to trust in the Lord even when we're spirit beings! Are we not? Yes, indeed! Did Jesus Christ trust in the Lord? Yes! All through His life when He was in the flesh!

"…for God the LORD is the everlasting Rock" (v 4). That's quite a thing that happens here.

Verse 7: "The way of the just is uprightness; O Upright One, You make the path of the righteous level. Yea, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; for Your name and for Your remembrance is the desire of our soul" (vs 7-8). Changing everything about carnal nature. There will still be some carnal nature, but not like it is today. God is going to do that!

There's going to be salvation that's going to be granted to them, and it's going to be a marvelous thing. We will be the ones to bring it. Now we will see how things are progressing, and people are going to be happy and people are going to understand:

• they'll be keeping the Sabbath
• they'll be keeping the Holy Days
• they'll be worshipping and reverencing God
• we will help them

Imagine what it's going to be like at Sabbath services! The whole earth keeping the Sabbath. Can you imagine that?

Isaiah 35:1: "The wilderness and the desert shall be glad and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly…" (vs 1-2).

Think of that the next time you see any aerial shot of the Sahara Desert, the Gobi Desert, the desert of the southwest, or wherever there's a desert. It's all going to bloom! It's all going to be productive!

"…and rejoice even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD and the majesty of our God" (v 2).

Not only is He going to be ruling from Jerusalem, He's going to be going around the earth and meeting with the people:

• they will see His glory
• they will see His majesty
• we'll all lead them in worship and prayer to God when He comes to visit that part of the world

Verse 3: "Make the weak hands strong and make the feeble knees sure. Say to those of a fearful heart, 'Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the full recompense of God. He will come and save you'" (vs 3-4). That's what we will be doing: saving the earth; saving the people! Notice what it's going to be. Imagine this:

• How many people are going to be blinded because of all the wars?
• How many people are going to be lame, missing limbs and so forth?

Verse 5: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped"—physically and spiritually, because Satan is removed, the demons are gone and the sons and daughters of God are ruling as kings and priests and administrators. They will be bringing the way of God to the people.

• healing them
• uplifting them
• encouraging them
• loving them

Verse 6: "Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing; for in the wilderness waters shall break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land shall become springs of water in the home of jackals, in its lair, it shall be a place for the reed and rush. And a highway shall be there…" (vs 6-8).

Yes, there are going to be roads and people will travel. But this highway is the Way of God! That's what it's talking about. Today the majority of people are deceived. When the Millennium is here nobody is going to be deceived. The way of righteousness will be there, called the Highway of God!

"…and a way, and it shall be called The Way of Holiness…." (v 8). How do these physical people now:

• live
• understand
• grow
• overcome
• love God
• keep the commandments

We'll be teaching them and be with them, to learn the Way of Holiness so that they may fulfill their lives and enter into the spiritual Kingdom of God, as we have. That's interesting when you contemplate it and look at it.

"…The unclean shall not pass over it. But it will be for him who walks in that way, but fools, shall not err in it…. [they won't go near it] …No lion shall be there, nor any beast of prey shall go up on it, they shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (vs 8-10).

• that describes our mission
• that describes what we are going to do
• that shows what it's going to be like

At the beginning of the Millennium!

Jer. 30 talks about the return of all nations to their own nations. Everything is going to be the restitution of all things, as Peter prophesied (Acts 3).

Jeremiah 30:8: "'For it shall be in that day,' says the LORD of hosts, 'I will break his yoke from your neck…'" Bring them out of captivity; that's going to be a big thing. What's it going to be like to bring all the people of Israel back to their various lands?

"…and will burst your bonds. And strangers shall no longer enslave him, but they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up to them" (vs 8-9).

What did God promise David? He promised that there would always be someone sitting on his throne! That blends out to Christ, but it also comes back to David.

• Christ is going to rule over all the world
• David is going to rule over all Israel
• the 12 apostles will be judging the 12 tribes of Israel

They're going to be serving their God and David their king, whom God is going to raise up.

Verse 10: "'And you, O My servant Jacob, do not fear,' says the LORD. 'Do not be terrified, O Israel. For lo, I will save you from afar, and your seed from the land of their captivity. And Jacob shall return, and shall be at rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.'" That's something! That is an incredible thing!

When there's war the men get killed, because they're the ones who go to war. Just like after WWII, look who was cleaning up the rubble and the bricks: women! Long lines of women! There were millions of dead men.

So, unless something is done to balance out the population so that there becomes the amount male and female—men and women—that should be in a normal population, how are we going to get the abnormality of numbers back to an equal status so that there can be one man and one woman in a marriage situation? At the beginning of the Millennium there will be women who have no husbands, but will have one husband for them who will raise up children from those women.

Isaiah 4:1: "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, 'We will eat our own bread and wear our own clothing; only let us be called by your name. Take away our shame.'" That's going to be quite a thing!

Then when the population gets balanced out, there will be the normal relations and balancing of male and female. Of course, marriage and children is going to be wonderful thing during that time.

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There's a verse in Jer. 31 that verifies what we read in Isa. 4. This is talking about the restoration of Israel, Ephraim and so forth.

Jeremiah 31:21: "Set up way marks, make sign posts for yourself. Set your heart toward the highway, even the way that you went…." Notice the highway; there's a lot there about coming back to God and doing what we need to do.

"…Return again, O virgin of Israel, return to these your cities. How long will you go to and fro, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land; a woman shall court a man" (vs 21-22).

Isa. 4 tells us that in order to balance out the population, it's going to take seven women.

Verse 23: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, 'Again they shall speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I shall bring them back from their captivity: 'The LORD bless you, O habitation of righteousness and mountain of Holiness.'"

Everything that men have always wanted and have never been able to get, because it has to be God's way. Now we have this great work as kings and priests, and as sons and daughters of God the Father. We will be administrators, directors and builders; all of this. It's going to be magnificent!

Verse 24: "And farmers, and those going forth with flocks, shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities of it together. For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul" (vs 24-25). This is the great healing that we are going to be doing, and what a magnificent thing that is going to be.

Remember, we're going reign a thousand years! Tomorrow we'll talk about how that thousand years is divided up. But today what we're seeing is that we're coming from vast destruction, vast upheaval to renewal! God changing things:

• changing the land
• making deserts bloom
• making mountains be fruitful
• the land fruitful
• restoring all the plants and animals

Verse 25: "'For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.' On this I awoke and looked up; and my sleep was sweet to me" (vs 25-26). What a dream that was for Jeremiah, with all the misery and terrible things that he had see, go through, preach and put up with.

Verse 27: "'Behold, the days come,' says the LORD, 'that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of animal. And it shall come to pass, as I have watched over them to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so I will watch over them to build and to plant,' says the LORD" (vs 27-28). No more war! No more evil!

Verse 29: " 'In those days they shall not say any more, "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge." But every man shall die for his own iniquity…. [if he chooses to sin] …Every man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge. Behold, the days come,' says the LORD, 'that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah'" (vs 29-31).

The covenant of eternal life through the operation of the Millennium! That's going to be quite a thing! Even though we have some Scriptures that tell us about it—we'll get into those tomorrow and during the whole Feast—but this is something!

Verse 32: "'Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them,' says the LORD; 'but this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days,' says the LORD, 'I will put My Law in their inward parts… [conversion] …and write it in their hearts…'" (vs 32-33). Can you imagine

• what the cities are going to be like?
• what the farms are going to be like?
• what the animals are going to be like?

Is God going to make childbirth so much easier, that there will be many children? Yes! Because God needs all of them to help run the entire universe! This is going to be a great thing during the Millennium!

"'…and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, "Know the LORD'; for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," says the LORD. 'For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more'" (vs 33-34).That is going to be fantastic!

Just stop and think about it! In your mind, or if you have a globe at home, take out that globe and look at all the death and destruction, war and misery, upset weather, heat and cold, deserts and artics and so forth; we don't really know what the climate is going to be like. Is it going to be wonderful all around the world? Are we still going to have the Northern ice cap and the Southern Antarctica the way it is now.

Verse 35: "Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea when its waves roar; (the LORD of hosts is His name), 'If those ordinances…'" (vs 35-36).

Here's a promise; you want to know how sure that the Millennium is coming, how sure all of the things at the end-time that we are living through are going take place:

• that Christ is going to return
• that the Millennium is going to be set up

Verse 36: "'If those ordinances depart from Me,' says the LORD, 'the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.'" Think about that!

Sidebar: How can it be said that Israel was absorbed into all of the Gentile nations when He says the nation will never cease before Him?

• Do we still have the oceans? Yes!
• Do we still have the sun? Yes!
• Do we still have the moon? Yes!
• Do we still have day and night? Yes!
• Has it be going on continuously from the time that these words were spoken until now? Yes!

Therefore, there is the end-time nations of the children of Israel.

Verse 37: "Thus says the LORD, 'If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be searched out, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done,' says the LORD."

That means that He's saying if those things can be done, 'then know for sure that I'm going to get rid of Israel.' But since they can't be done, Israel continues to exist!

How God is going to restore Israel and then every nation. We're going to see what going to have to happen with every nation and how it's going to be.

Joel 2:21: "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD will magnify his deeds. Do not be afraid, beasts of the field; for the pastures of the wilderness grow green; for the tree bears its fruit, and the fig tree and the vine yield their strength. Be glad then, children of Zion… [all of Israel, all Judah] …and rejoice in the LORD your God, for He has given you the former rain in just measure, and He will cause the rain to come down for you, the former rain and the latter rain as before" (vs 21-23).

Restore the climate! Everybody today is worried about climate change. Well, only God can restore it. It's changing because of the sins of men today.

Verse 24: "And the threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil." It talks an awful lot about wine during the Millennium. I sounds like that's going to replace Seven-Up.

Verse 25: "And I will restore to you the years, which the swarming locust has eaten, the locust larvae, and the destroying locust, and the cutting locust, My great army which I sent among you. And you shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt with you wondrously; and My people shall never again be ashamed" (vs 25-26).

That's quite a tremendous thing to think about! How is that going to be? What a wonderful thing! We're the ones who are going to lead it and direct it, and cause it to be done.

Verse 27: "And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and there is none else; and My people shall never again be ashamed…. [Why?] …And afterward it shall be that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…." (vs 27-28)—universal salvation! This was quoted by Peter on the Day of Pentecost; that was the fulfillment there. But here is fulfillment in the Millennium.

"…And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your old men shall dream dreams; your young men shall see visions. And also I will pour out My Spirit upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days" (vs 28-29). That's going to be quite a thing!

No more war! That's going to be something! Think about all the resources, all the money, all the weapons that have been down through the centuries in war! God holds Babylon the Great—directly Satan the devil and his whole system (Rev. 18)—for all the bloodshed of mankind down through every war, every fight, every murder. This is why you need the Kingdom of God, the government of God and the kings and priests of God all being spirit beings to help manage and bring the people salvation.

Micah 41: "But it shall be in the last days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it." This is depicting:

• the Kingdom of God
• the government of God
• the rule of God

and below that

• the governments of the nations, which are going to be run by us
• the various people within those nations
• the countries
• the cities

Here's what's going to happen when they see what's taking place with Israel:

Verse 2: "And many nations shall come and say, 'Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob. And He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths'—for the Law shall go forth out of Zion, and the Word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and will rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall… [they're going to] …beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore" (vs 2-3). That's one of the first things that 'kiddies' are taught today, war!

Sidebar: Have you ever watched on the History Channel Forged in Fire? That's quite interesting, because it shows all the work that has to be done in making the weapons. But beyond that they have to get the ore, the coal, the coals, all the things for the furnaces. They have to melt down the ore, make into iron, steel and brass. In Forged in Fire it shows how they make weapons: all the work, all the effort and all the time to make all of these weapons.

One thing I've never understood, when you watch WWII and you see how the Germans were being defeated, I always ask:

• Where did they get all of that ammunition?

We know they were making planes right under the city of Berlin. But:

• Where did they get the metal?
• Where did they get the smelters?
• Where were they doing these things?
• How did they have so many weapons?
• How did they have so many bombs?

Just like with all the nations of the world—fighting, warring, bombing, shooting—and all of the planes, submarines, ships and everything. The Chinese are bragging that they're going to build gigantic submarines, battleship submarines. Well, all of that is under Satan the devil!

• they will not learn war
• they will not be taught it
• they will not make the weapons

Verse 4: "But they shall sit each one under his own vine and under his own fig tree; and no one shall make them afraid…" What a fantastic time that is going to be! And all of their animals and children. Wonderful! They're going to have their carnal nature reduced down to the bear minimum. That is going to be quite a thing!

"…for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken" (v 4). God is guaranteeing that this is going to happen. Isn't it something that down deep in the heart, mind and psyche of every human being, what do they really, really want? Love, joy, peace and safety! But you can't get it by human means, only by God!

Verse 5: "For all people will walk, each one in the name of his god… [we will be the sons of God; they're going to worship the true God, we'll just be there helping] …and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God forever and ever." The firstfruits!

Verse 7: "And I will make the lame into a remnant, and she who was cast off into a mighty nation; and the LORD shall reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth, even forever." Quite a story that all of this brings out!

God is going to make it so productive! With the restitution of all things, guess what's going to be gone? Thorns, thistles and weeds! Won't that be nice? Yes, indeed! For their gardens, they'll have to go out and hoe it and till it, that's true. That's so you get the air in there and the plants are healthy and produce. But no more weeds! That's going to be marvelous! I look back on the gardens that we've had in our time, and the weeds have always been a problem.

Amos 9:13: "'Behold, the days come,' says the LORD, 'that the plowman shall overtake the reaper…'" There's so much to harvest that the reaper can't get out of the way of the plowman, and plowman is saying, 'Hurry up, I've got to get this ready for the next crop!'

"…and the treader of grapes him who sows seed. And the mountains will drop sweet wine…" (v 13). What's it going to be like in Millennium? No teetotalers there! Look at that!

"'…and all the hills will flow with it. And I will bring back the exiles of My people Israel, and they shall build the cities which are desolate, and they shall live in them. And they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine. They shall also make gardens and eat their fruit. And I will plant them in their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them,' says the LORD your God" (vs 13-15). That is a tremendous and wonderful thing for us!

This is the first thing we're going to have to proclaim as the Millennium begins:

Psalm 97:1: "The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of islands be glad."

Psalm 99:1: "The LORD reigns…" Your God reigns in Jerusalem! Jesus Christ and the Bride are there, and all of those who serve Him. And the beautiful tabernacle that God is going to put in Jerusalem.

Sidebar: All of those of you who think that the Millennial temple is the one listed in Ezek. 40 onward. That's not it! Read it carefully and Ezekiel is told to measure the temple in Jerusalem. Those measurements were for the second temple after the Babylonian captivity, because you can't make a temple of God for God without His plans! So, Ezekiel measuring, in vision, the temple in Jerusalem was measuring the temple according to the plans that God had given to David, and Solomon was the one who built the temple.

As you will see on Day 2, tomorrow, it's going to be spectacular! Now, these are the Millennial Psalms:

Verse 1: "The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the people tremble. He sits between the cherubim; let the earth quake. The LORD is great in Zion, and He is high above all the people" (vs 1-2). Isn't that something? They're all going to know God!

I think God is going to make His presence known around he world at different times, in different places, so that they all know God! We're going to go up to Jerusalem and we're going to walk on that great highway. It's going to be an awesome thing to visit Jerusalem. Outside around where the great tabernacles is going to be is where they will be keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. There will be representatives of every nation: a place over here for this nation, a place over there for that nation, a place for every nation on earth to represent all the people in the nations back home before God during the Feast of Tabernacles.

Verse 3: "Let them praise Your name as great and awesome; Holy is He. The strength of the King also loves justice; You established uprightness; You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob" (vs 3-4).

That's what we will be doing! This is really a fantastic thing! See how Psa. 98 fits right in with the Millennium, and how it's going to be God from Jerusalem and the saints ruling and reigning.

Psalm 98:1: "O sing to the LORD a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His Holy arm have worked salvation for Him. The LORD has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations" (vs 1-2)—all nations!

This is going to be so awesome, the things that God is going to give us to do. How we can help undo every evil thing that men have done. Satan is going to be removed. The demons will be removed. There will be righteousness, peace and joy! What a wonderful thing that's going to be!

Verse 3: "He has remembered His steadfast love and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth, and rejoice, and sing praise" (vs 3-4).

Just think about this: Here's God the Father in heaven above; He's not on the earth. Of course, I'm sure we'll be able to go up and see God the Father and come back to the earth. Why not? But just think of this:

Sabbath starts—it has to start where the new day begins, and it doesn't involve splitting any landmass. So, let's just say New Zealand. As Sabbath comes here's the rejoicing, the singing, the praising and the teaching of God's Word. We are there with the people in this location. Other saints are with other people in other locations. It comes to Jerusalem, and Jerusalem will be the high point of it, because that will be the center of earth, and the center of the Sabbath. So, when the Sabbath comes to Jerusalem, think of what a wonderful thing that is going to be. Think of the songs by spirit beings! No more just a 'joyful noise.' We will be able to sing in great beautiful harmony and:

• praise to God
• praising Christ
• celebrating the Sabbath

Then we will have those from other nations around Jerusalem there for the Sabbath to learn. They go back and tell the people about it. It's a wonderful thing!

Psalm 100:1: "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth." On the Sabbath that's what they're going to do. It's going to be a joyful time! Wonderful time! Fantastic time! No one is working! No one is doing anything but keeping the Sabbath and serving God:

• coming to services
• learning of God
• being with their families
• being with their brethren in the congregation
• being with their community

What a wonderful thing that is going to be!

Verse 2: "Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing." Everyone is going to sing! It's going to be great!

Verse 3: "Know that the LORD, He is God. He has made us, and we are His; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; give thanks unto Him and bless His name, for the LORD is good; His steadfast love is everlasting; and His faithfulness endures to all generations" (vs 3-5).

What an actually awesome and wondrous thing that this is going to be! We are going to restore the earth; we are going to help all during the Millennium. There are going to be people entering into the Kingdom of God all during the time of the one thousand years.

• no more war
• no more fighting
• no more killing
• no more Satan the devil
• no more demons

None of those things that we have to fight today!

That's why we are the firstfruits and the firstborn, and we'll remain that forever, because salvation for them is going to be so much easier than for us.

Psalm 146:10: "The LORD shall reign forever… That's why we have New Jerusalem and the new heaven and the new earth.

"…even your God, O Zion, to all generations. O praise the LORD!" (v 10). When we get to New Jerusalem and the new heaven and the new earth, then it's going to be into the ages of eternity! What is that plan going to be? Think about that! We really don't know very much!

Psa. 148 is quite a Psalm, a wonderful Psalm, indeed! Psalm 148:1 "O praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the heights." Talk about singing and praising God; a whole total different situation for mankind and for us. What's it going to be for us as spirit beings? The very sons and daughters of God the Father?
As we bring people into salvation during the Millennium, Jesus then will also become 'an everlasting Father for those people who spiritually enter into the Kingdom of God.

Verse 2: "Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts. Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you stars of light" (vs 2-3). How is that going to be? I don't know! But it says that it's going to be!

Verse 4: "Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created" (vs 4-5). What a fantastic thing!

Sidebar: One thing I can hardly wait for is the coming James Webb Space Telescope. It's going to be a fantastic telescope up in space that's going replace the Hubble. It will be so huge, 21-feet across. It's going to be quite a reflector that they have built and will be composed of pentagon mirrors put together. It's going to be such that it will all fold up so it can be shot into heaven by a rocket and reach its altitude and then it will open up and all of these pentagon mirrors will open up and there will be this huge, gigantic mirror to peer into the darkness and depth of space and send back those awesome pictures to us.

Greater than that, what is it going to be when we can travel into the universe? Think of that!

Verse 5: "Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He commanded and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree, which shall not pass away. Let praise be to the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters, and all the depths" (vs 5-7).

How can all of those things there praise God? I don't know! But Rev. 5 attests to the fact that everything in heaven, everything on earth, and everything under the earth is going to be saying, 'Worthy is the Lamb. Praise God the Father.' That's going to be something.

Then everything is going to be praising God (vs 8-10).

Verse 11: "Kings of the earth… [that's us] …and all people, princes… [that's us] …and all judges… [that's us] …of the earth."

• just think what the world is going to be
• just think what Sabbath services will be like

It's going to be awesome!

Verse 12: "Both young men and maidens, old men and children; let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and the heavens. And He has also lifted up a horn for His people, praise for all His saints, even of the children of Israel, a people near to Him. O praise the LORD!" (vs 12-14).

What a thing this is going to be, brethren! Bringing the earth back from destruction, chaos, mayhem and all the problems with wars and fighting, and having Satan removed and rebuilding the earth. Then it builds, and builds, and builds!

This is why we have the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days. When that great work is done, then the greatest of all is going to take place the Last Great Day.

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:33-39
• Deuteronomy 16:16-17

• Revelation 20:4-6
• Zechariah 14:3-9, 11-15
• Zechariah 13:1-2
• Zechariah 14:16-18
• Isaiah 24:1-6, 10-22
• Isaiah 33:1-9
• Isaiah 25:1-9
• Isaiah 26:1-4, 7-8
• Isaiah 35: 1-10
• Jeremiah 30:8-10
• Isaiah 4:1
• Jeremiah 31:21-37
• Joel 2:21-29
• Micah 4:1-5, 7
• Amos 9:13-15
• Psalm 97:1
• Psalm 99:1-4
• Psalm 98: 1-4
• Psalm 100:1-5
• Psalm 146:10
• Psalm 148:1-7, 11-14

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Numbers 29
• Leviticus 23:1-3

• Revelation 12:9; 21; 22
• Acts 3
• Revelation 18; 5
• Psalm 148:8-10

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 8-4-17

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