FEAST OF TABERNACLES - 1999

Day 1

Fred Coulter - September 25, 1999

And greetings brethren, to the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles. And today is a holy day, a high day, a day in which we come to understand about God’s Word and God’s plan in a very special way. And I hope that you all were inspired by the welcome that you had for the feast, whether last night or this morning. And brethren, hope that this feast will be one of the very best that you have ever had.

Now let’s go to Leviticus 23, because in Leviticus 23 we have all the holy days of God. And this is a very important part for us. And this is something that is very special for us to realize. And isn’t it profound. I really believe it is truly profound, that God put all of the holy days in Leviticus 23, one of the chapters in the Old Testament, so that those people who would blind themselves to the truth of God because they want their own way, or they want their own ideas, or as we covered last night - they set up their own religion in their own imagination of their minds and create idols out of them. So God conveniently hid the holy days right here in Leviticus 23. Yet, when you come to understand it, the whole plan of God is built around the holy days. The whole plan of God is revealed in the holy days. And the whole Bible is written around the substance of these holy days. That’s how profound and important they are. That’s why the weekly Sabbath is so important.

So let’s begin right here in Leviticus 23:1. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the LORD,…” And this means that they belong to Him. The feasts of the LORD - they are His. They belong to no man. These are not the feasts of the Jews. And you will find nowhere in these feasts of the LORD, Christmas or Easter, or Sunday worship at all. No, these show the entire opposite of that. “…Which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations,…” Now the Hebrew is very particular here. The Hebrew means “appointed times” for holy convocations. And that means that God has set the time. And it is in it’s seasons. “…These are My feasts.” And it begins first of all, “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation;…” So every week God has an appointment with you. Every Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. And God has given that as a special time that He can fellowship with His people spiritually wherever they are gathered, or with just two or three because there maybe only two or three. “…Ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings” (Lev. 23:1-3).

Then it continues on verse 4, “These are the feasts of the LORD, even holy convocations,…” That means commanded assemblies, appointed times. “…Which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.” Now the apostle Paul wrote Timothy, “Preach the word. Be instant in season, out of season. Rebuke, correct, exhort, encourage with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2, paraphrased). And so that’s what we’re going to do brethren. And doctrine means teaching. And one of the great doctrines of God, or teachings of God are the holy days as contained here in Leviticus 23. So these are to be proclaimed in their season. We’ve already gone through the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Pentecost, and the Day of Trumpets, and the Day of Atonement, and now here we are for the Feast of Tabernacles.

Now let’s read it beginning in verse 33. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel,…” Now notice something that’s very important. The law of Moses, so called, is really the law of God. The only thing that Moses did was write it. Everything that he wrote was what God told him to speak and to write. Now notice: “…Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the LORD.” That’s this day. “On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” Whenever you read that, that means that you can do whatever is necessary for preparing for eating for the feast. “Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD:…” Today we don’t offer offerings by fire. We offer offerings of monetary value because we’re not in an agrarian society like they were any longer. “…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. These are the feasts of the LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD, a burnt offering, and a meat [meal] offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: besides the sabbaths of the LORD, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the LORD” (vs. 33-38).

Now we know that we are to take an offering on the holy day. Now we’re commanded back there in Deuteronomy 16:16 that three seasons in a year shall all the males appear before God, in the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of firstfruits, and the feast of tabernacles, and none shall appear before the LORD empty. But every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD his God. (Deut. 16:16, paraphrased) Now this is something that we need to understand. God wants you to give freely. Now we do teach tithing because that’s taught in the Old Testament and also in the New, when you come to understand it properly. And God does expect an offering. However, we don’t merchandise you. We don’t send out letters begging for money, but we ask that you give whatever you give, freely. Because what we receive we give freely also. So that’s the way that God intended it to be. So that it will be in a right way, and in a right manner. And so consider the blessings that you’ve had this year. Consider what God has given to you, and make your offering according to your heart that you give willingly and freely to God, to God’s glory, and we will use whatever you give to God’s glory to do the things that benefit all the brethren, which is what God want’s it for. And so thank you for it brethren. At this time we’ll take a short pause and we will take up the offering.

(Pause)

Now let’s continue right on here in Leviticus 23. “Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land,…” So this is the final harvest. This is the great harvest of God. Greater than the firstfruits, greater than the spring harvest. This is the harvest which pictures the salvation for the whole world. That’s why it’s in the end of the year. “…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. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees,…” (vs. 39-40). Now we’ve done this in the past. We have not made booths because when we go to wherever we keep the Feast of Tabernacles it’s a temporary dwelling. And a temporary dwelling is made of those things of the ground. Made of the things of wood and trees and lumber and all that sort of thing. And I’ve seen pictures of how it is in Jerusalem when they keep the Feast of Tabernacles. They have little booths, they’re little kind of square tents that they have, and they get the boughs and put them in there. Well, one year, for the Feast of Tabernacles we went ahead and we broke off some maple boughs with the leaves, and we brought them in. And every day we looked at them. And every day they got drier and drier, and drier, and finally by the eighth day they were all dried up and crinkled and just ready to be thrown away. And we learned some very good lessons from that. And the very good lessons we learned was this: unless you are part of the vine and attached to Christ, you’re going to die, number one. Number two, all physical things come to an end. Number three, physical things never satisfy and can never bring eternal life.

Now God wanted the people to remember that they dwelt in booths when they went through the wilderness. Temporary dwellings. Even God had a tabernacle made for Him. God never desired a temple. That was the desire of David. But God allowed it, and Solomon to build the temple. And the whole history of that is this: every time a man builds a temple for God, it gets in trouble, because then people stop looking to God and look to the building. So that’s why God dwelt in a tabernacle. That’s why God dwelt in a tent. And the true tabernacle is going to come in the fulfillment of the Last Great Day, as we will see with New Jerusalem.

So they were to take these boughs and “…rejoice before the LORD your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the LORD seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths: that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD” (vs. 40-44). Now these are all the feasts of God. There’s a purpose and meaning for it. Part of it is right now that we are beginning the Feast of Tabernacles, which we will see pictures the one thousand-year rule and reign with Christ.

Let’s go back to Revelation 20 and let’s see that again. Let’s pick up where we left off last night, Revelation 20. And this is a tremendous blessing brethren. The thousand years is going to begin. The thousand years is going to end. Just like with those branches you broke off. Right at first they still look a little green. Right at first there’s a little life in them, but gradually there’s less and less and less life. So likewise when we come to the Feast of Tabernacles it’s going to start, it’s going to be a building process, it’s going to be glorious, and we’re going to see all about that today on the first holy day. Then it’s going to come to an end. And when it comes to an end, then God’s plan still has one more phase to continue.

But let’s read it right here in verse 4 of Revelation 20. “And 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.” So that’s a special blessing. The bride of Christ is going to live with Jesus Christ and rule and reign a thousand years. And we are going to be blessed in being able to do that. We are going to help this world. We’re going to restore this world. We are going to do everything that these lying politicians of this world, under the sway of Satan the devil, have been promising people. We’re going to do it. They are never going to do it because they’re not of God, and God didn’t send them, and God is not using them. But God is going to use us.

Notice, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” So there’s going to be an end to it just like there’s a beginning. That’s why the book of Revelation starts out, “I am the beginning and the ending, the first and the last.” And so Christ is the one Who has started it. Christ is the one Who is going to finish it. “This is the first resurrection. Blessed 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” (vs. 5-6).

Now let’s ask the question: what are we going to do? We’re going to live and reign with Christ a thousand years as kings and priests. Let’s see what we are going to do. Let’s see how it’s going to be done. Let’s see what the Word of God tells us. Let’s begin right here in the book of Acts because that was preached right from the beginning. Now the apostles, when they began preaching, did not know the times. They did not know the seasons. God had not revealed it to them yet. What God has revealed to us is very profound.

Come to Acts 3 and let’s pick it up in verse 19. The Apostle Peter was inspired to say, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:…” So Christ said, “If I go I will come again.” And He’s going to. And He’s going to come, as we saw on Trumpets with all the power and glory of God. “…Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things,…” So there is a time when Christ is going to come. There is a time when all of these things will be fulfilled. And that’s why we keep the feast every year leading up to that so we know, so that we grow in grace and knowledge, so that we understand God’s way, so that we realize that there is a time coming, which is the restitution of all things. “…Which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21). And so it is in the prophets that we find many of these things. And isn’t it wonderful that God has given His word that we can go back and look at it and read it and realize that God has proposed this, God has had this going way, way back.

Let’s go to Hebrews 4 first, and let’s see something that is very important. Now in Hebrews 4 it talks about how that entering into the promised land, the rest that Israel was to receive, was a type of the coming millennium. A type of the promised wonderful blessing of the world which God is going to have during the millenium. Now many of them didn’t enter in because of fear and disobedience.

Now let’s pick it up here in verse 4. “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.” Now the reason that I’m going here is because the holy days are sabbaths, and the holy days picture the plan of God, and a profound meaning in it. “And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest.” So it’s conditional upon your believing Christ, accepting His sacrifice, believing in the promises of God. “Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief [or, disobedience]: again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Heb. 4:4-7). And brethren, today is a day that we need to listen to God so that we don’t harden our hearts, but we open our hearts and our minds.

“For if Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest,…”, as it should read. It says Jesus here, but it should be Joshua. So if Joshua brought them into the rest of God. Now the “rest of God” means two things. One, the rest from sin that you have in Christ. Two, the rest of the millennium, where it says “And his rest shall be glorious”. So that’s what it has reference to, and Joshua didn’t give it to them. “…Then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.” But there has been spoken of another day. “There remaineth therefore a rest…” (vs. 8-9). Now this is really a poor translation and should be translated this way, which I have in the New Testament, which will be coming sometime in the year 2000. Which is this, “There remains therefore for the people of God Sabbath-keeping.” Now that is a very direct translation from the Greek. And it’s not all mixed up with this rest.

Now let’s understand something concerning the Sabbath rest. Christ did not fulfill the Sabbath for anybody. And that is the first step into leaving the Word of God. And that’s what so many have done. “Christ has fulfilled it for us.” No! If you enter into His rest there remains Sabbath-keeping for the people of God. Now who are the people of God, just the Jews? No, the Gentiles are too, because Paul in Ephesians 2 told the Gentiles that in past time they were uncircumcised in the flesh and without God. But now they are near to God and they are the people of God. So when it says the “people of God” here, that is Jew and Gentile. All who have the Holy Spirit of God, they are to have Sabbath-keeping, meaning all the holy days of God, which we just read. This first day of the Feast of Tabernacles is what? A Sabbath. Yes. Now that becomes crystal clear, doesn’t it?

“For he that is entered into his rest [through Sabbath-keeping], he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (vs. 10). Now there’s another meaning to this also, not only Sabbath-keeping. Sabbath-keeping is not your works. Loving God is not your works. Those are the works which come from God. So you have ceasing your labor to enter to keep the Sabbath. You have ceasing from doing your own works by Christ in you performing those spiritual things so that you are truly in the rest of Christ. And that’s what it means with that. “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest [in Sabbath-keeping, and into the millennium - the restitution of all things], lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” (vs. 10-11). So that’s pretty powerful. Now Christ is the one Who’s going to do this.

Let’s go back to Isaiah 9 and let’s see, as Peter said, that has been prophesied by all the prophets. And Isaiah, perhaps, gave more prophecies concerning the coming kingdom of God and the millennial reign of Jesus Christ than any of the other prophets. And we will spend quite a bit of time in the book of Isaiah today.

Now let’s pick it up here, Isaiah 9:6. “For unto us a child is born,…” Now then this begins to show the whole plan of God, doesn’t it? “…Unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder:…”, because He only is holy and true and righteous. So you see, the government of God is Christ in you. That is the true government of God. And I hope you understand that with the booklet that we sent out, “Is the Government of God The Ministry?” No, it’s not. The government rests on Christ. Who is the head of the Church? Jesus Christ. Who should we look to in everything that we do? Jesus Christ and His word, and His gospel. “…And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor [now these are all names of God], The mighty God [or, the Almighty God as it could read], The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Now Jesus is going to be the everlasting Father when the Bride and Christ, during the millennium, start bringing children into the kingdom of God. And in that time then He’s going to be the everlasting Father. “Of the increase of His government and peace [if you shall enter into His rest, you see] there shall be no end,…” (Isa. 9:6-7). So once God starts it, it is going to be finished. And it will never stop. It will increase throughout all eternity. And brethren, we’re going to have a great and a wonderful part in that. So we need to understand and realize how great that is, the part that God is going to give us. So Christ is the one Who is going to bring the government of God to this earth.

We know in Zechariah 14… Let’s turn there because this is very profound. This ties in with the other scriptures that we have already seen that we are going to live and reign with Christ a thousand years. And we are going to, after the marriage and after the seven last plagues have been poured out, as we saw on the Feast of Trumpets, that we are going to return to this earth with Christ. Now notice when that happens, verse 9. “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and His name one.” And all of the nations are then going to start keeping the Feast of Tabernacles, verse 16. “And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all [not just some, but all] the nations which came 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” (Zech. 14:9, 16). Now this doesn’t mean all people of all nations will come to Jerusalem. There are going to be representatives from all nations there keeping the feast there while the rest of them keep the feast in their own countries. And so it’s going to be quite a thing that God is going to do, that God is going to perform. He’s going to make sure that it’s going to be done.

“And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.” So God is going to, as we’re going to see, He’s going to have to rebuke nations afar off. He’s going to have to bring them into subjection to Him. And we’re all going to be part of that. “And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the LORD will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” So that’s how important the Feast of Tabernacles is going to be during the millennium, because the whole Feast of Tabernacles during the millennium pictures the fulfillment of the thousand year period. And it will continue. Every year is ticking off one year from the thousand going right on down until the thousand years will be finished. “This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles” (vs. 17-19). And so Christ is going to be King. He’s going to enforce those things. We are going to have our part with it.

Now who is going to be there in the tabernacle? Well let’s go back here to Psalm 15. Let’s see the qualifications and then let’s see how that ties in with something that Isaiah spoke of, showing who’s going to be there. Psalm 15, let’s go back there. Psalm 15:1, “LORD, who shall abide [or that is, dwell] in Thy tabernacle?…” Now that’s going to be those of us who are in the first resurrection. “…Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill?” Then he gives the qualifications. “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.” So this is showing that you have to have the love of God. “In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent, He that doeth these things shall never be moved” (Psa. 15:1-5).

Now let’s continue on and go back to the book of Isaiah. Let’s come to Isaiah 33:15. Now I want you to notice how similar these words are describing who’s going to be on God’s holy hill. “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure. Thine eyes shall see the king in His beauty; they shall behold the land that is very far off” (Isa. 33:15-17). And so, that’s who’s going to be there, and that’s us brethren. Notice the things that we have to do. Notice the things that we have to understand and realize and live by on a day to day basis.

Now let’s come down here to Isaiah 14 and let’s see that this is the whole purpose of God. The whole purpose that God is working out right now is coming right down to the fulfilling of Trumpets and Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles. And we are going to have a marvelous part in that. Remember this here in Isaiah 14:24. “The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:…” And no one is going to go against God. You see, God will build on no man’s foundation. The millennium is not going to be built on any foundation of this world, but on Christ and on God the Father, and on the saints. He has purposed it. It’s gone out of His mouth. It is going to be done.

Now verse 25, “…I will break the Assyrian in My land, and upon My mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.” And that’s all necessary with the Feast of Trumpets leading up to the Day of Atonement and then the Feast of Tabernacles. “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” (vs. 25-27). None. So we are absolutely sure in what we are doing, brethren. Absolutely sure in following God. And if we come to God in the right way, with the right heart, with the right mind, with a right attitude, and all of these things and love God, and know that His way is great and the best that there can ever be. Yes, we’re going to have our sufferings and difficulties in this life as we go along, that’s true. But that’s all to mold us and to shape us, and to bring us into the right reality of how we can serve as kings and priests.

Now let’s come to Jeremiah 31, and let’s see what we are going to do. Because you see the New Covenant that God makes with Israel and with Judah is not the covenant that we have today. The covenant that we have today is a New Covenant, but not the New Covenant with Israel and Judah, except those few who have been called as the firstfruits. And then it goes to all the Gentiles. But now when Christ returns, and He’s going to have a New Covenant with Israel.

Let’s pick it up right here, Jeremiah 31:31. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD,…” Now when God says something, if it’s gone out of His mouth it’s going to be. “…That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:…” (Jer. 31:31-32). So He’s going to make this New Covenant. Israel is going to be restored. Judah is going to be restored. All the nations of the world will be restored and brought to their own places.

Verse 33, “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people.” And we will be right there as kings and priests with Christ helping them. We are going to teach them. See, right here, Jeremiah (verse) 34 it says, “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (vs. 33-34).

Now they’re going to be taught in a unique way. Let’s go to Isaiah 30. Going to be taught in a unique way and we’re going to be the ones who will be teaching them. Now let’s come here to Isaiah 30:18. “And therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious unto you [fulfill it in His time plan], and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.” And then the whole world is going to be waiting for God. Not going out and doing their own thing and going their own way and conniving their own schemes and plans and things. No. Not having their own idols invisible in their heart, as we covered last night. No, they’re all going to know God.

“For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee. And though the LORD give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction [that is, in time past, yet now it’s going to be different], yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:…” The people are going to see us brethren. We are going to be apparent to them. Think of that. “…And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it,…” So it’s not going to be every man teaching his neighbor. They’re going to know the Lord and we’re going to be teaching them, and we’re going to be showing them how to walk, how to live their lives. “…This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, [they’re going to smash all their idols, they’re going to get rid of]…the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence” (vs. 19-22). So there isn’t going to be anymore of that. What a first part of the millennium that’s going to begin. The first thing we’re going to do is make sure that every idol, every sculpture that has ever been made that [are] depicting of God, or gods, or demons, or dragons, or Satan - they’re all going to be smashed, whether they be stone, or silver, or gold, or wood, whatever it may be. And this world is going to be in such an upheaval that it’s going to destroy the greatest part of them, but those will be searched out and destroyed just like it says here. They will be no more.

Now let’s come here to Isaiah 49. Let’s see what else is going to happen. The millennium is going to be a great and a marvelous thing, brethren, when we really understand it. So let’s hope that we can catch the vision. Let’s hope that this will really inspire us when we see what God is going to do, and how He’s going to do it, and the way He’s going to do it, and that we have part in it.

Isaiah 49:1, “Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb;…” Now this is talking about Jesus. This is talking about the one Who’s going to be King, and Who’s going to do all of these things, and of which we are going to have a part in. “…From the bowels of my mother hath He made mention of my name.” Yes, the angel told Mary what to call Him before He was even born. “And He hath made my mouth like a sharp sword;…” And that’s what it says back there in Revelation 19, doesn’t it? That out of His mouth, as He’s coming to this earth, as a sharp two-edged sword, which is the Word of God accomplishing the Word of God in battle. “…In the shadow of His hand hath He hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in His quiver hath He hid me; and said unto me, Thou art My servant, O Israel,…” So Christ at this point personified all Israel, “…in whom I will be glorified” (Isa. 49:1-3).

Now let’s come down here to verse 5. “And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be His servant, to bring Jacob again to him, Though Israel be…gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.” Now it says “not gathered” there in the King James, but it should read “Though Israel be gathered”. Verse 6. “And He said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel:…”, the restitution of all things, and Peter said Christ was going to do that. “…I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.” And that could be only be talking about Jesus Christ. None other. “Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and His Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nation[s] abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee” (vs. 5-7). And so then we are going to bring this tremendous, wonderful salvation of God.

Notice verse 8, “Thus saith the LORD, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee:…” And that’s what it’s going to be in the millennium - a day of salvation. “…I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; that thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be exalted. Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim. Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted” (vs. 8-13). So that’s a tremendous thing. And we are going to have all part in doing that, brethren, to make this happen. And that should just really excite us and thrill us, and give us the real vision and knowledge and understanding that we need to have.

Now let’s come here to Micah 5. And this shows also what else we are going to be doing. I tell you, it’s amazing. When you start putting all these prophecies together, when you start understanding what God has done, what He has preserved in His word. Micah 5:4. We are going to serve the world. We are going to bless the world. We are going to help them in every way. Notice verse 4, “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.” And that’s talking about Christ, Who shall be King in that day. Exalted above all. And we, right there with Him brethren. I want you to get this picture. I want you to get this vision. I want you to understand the great and marvelous purpose of the millennium and the thousand year reign that we will have part in to serve with Jesus Christ. To serve the world. To undo every wrong, and to make the things that are wrong right. To bring them back to the way that God wants it in the restitution of all things.

Part 2

So let’s continue on brethren, and let’s see what else we can learn about the millennium, and how it’s going to be, and what Christ is going to do, and how we’re going to have a part in that, and all the tremendous things. Let’s continue right here in the book of Isaiah. Let’s come to Isaiah 32:15. And this is Israel talking to God, coming out of all their troubles and difficulties. And when the peace is going to be given and the restoration of all things, as there in Acts 3.

Let’s begin here, Isaiah 32:15. “Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high,…” Just like the day of Pentecost right? Yes. “…And the wilderness be a fruitful field,…”, which is going to happen. It says in another place that the desert is going to bloom with the rose, and it’s going to be fantastic brethren. When the peace and the power, and the Spirit of God, and the cleansing waters coming out of Jerusalem go to all the earth to heal all the earth, what a tremendous thing that’s going to be. “…And the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; [enter into His rest], and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” No more restless spirits. No more people going around wondering, “Well, why am I born? Where am I going?” No, they’re all going to know and we’re going to teach them. And isn’t that something? Righteousness brings quietness and assurance forever. “And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings,…” (Isa. 32:15-18). See, now we’re dwelling in booths, as it were. Now we’re dwelling in, even in our bodies, Paul likens them to the tabernacle that we have on earth, you see. So even that is also included in there.

Now let’s come over here to chapter 33 and verse 5, and let’s see what it’s going to be. “The LORD is exalted; for He dwelleth on high: He hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness. And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of [your] salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure” (Isa. 33:5-6). Quite different from what we have today. Right now we have so called unprecedented prosperity, but we’re tweaking closer, and closer, and closer all the time to collapse. During the millennium there will be no collapse. During the millennium there will be no cycles of economics ups and downs because it’s going to be all run God’s way. There is going to be instituted the seventh year land sabbath and the jubilee. And those were given by God to guarantee a stable and continuous food supply, number one. And a stable and continuing economy that would not be based upon debt as we have it today. And so that’s going to happen. It’s guaranteed right here.

Now let’s continue on. Let’s go Isaiah 2. Let’s see what Christ is going to have to do. And let’s understand that right at the first of the millennium there may be some other battles and wars that go on. There may be some people who are going to say, “Well, I don’t know about this thing. You see our leaders in the past told us that this was an invasion from outer space and stay away from them, they’re going to kill you. We don’t know about that.” There will be some people who say, “Hurray, boy this is great. This is marvelous. We want to know about this. We want to know about God. This has to be God. We heard those three angels saying that Christ is coming. We saw the seven last plagues poured out. We saw the last battle. This has got to be God.”

So let’s see it right here, Isaiah 2:1. “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house [that is His kingdom, His government] shall be established in the top of the mountains,…” All other governments, which will be under us as kings and priests, will be under Christ. And so it’s going to be a perfect set-up. It’s not going to be based on a hierarchy, though there will be order and there will be greater and lesser teachers and priests and kings, and things like this. But it will be a family relationship because that’s what we are going to teach them. “…And shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it” (Isa. 2:1-2). They are going to come to Jerusalem to learn the right way.

“And 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,…” Now just think how profound that is going to be, that we are going to have to teach all these heathen nations. And remember at the end time, Satan worship and Satan as the god of this world, with the beast and the false prophet and all of those things that have gone on, plus all the history of all the paganism down through the generations that these people have been recipient of up to that time, imagine what it’s going to be to teach them. And they are going to have to learn, “This is the way, walk in it. Don’t go to the right, and don’t go to the left. No, you don’t go back and get that old Buddhist bell because it sounds nice. No, you don’t go out and cut down a fir tree at Christmastime anymore. There is no Christmas to be observed.” We will teach them His ways. “…And we will walk in His paths:…” And what did Jesus say? “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” And that’s what they are going to be walking in because Christ will be here as King. Christ will be here as the exalted ruler. And we will be here to help Him and assist Him and teach. What a wonderful thing that’s going to be brethren. Satan will be gone. No more of that kind of evil around - absolutely gone forever.

Now notice, “…For out of Zion shall go forth the law [and the law has to come first], and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.” When that goes out, notice, “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:…” So there are going to be these small wars and skirmishes going on. But you know, they’re going to be no match for God. No match for the saints. Notice, “…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.” Beginning with the children. And there will be right child rearing. And it will be loving. And it will be stable. And it will be good. Not like it is today. We are rearing a generation of absolute - I don’t even have the word to express it. But children that are growing up that never spend time with other people. They interface with machines and games and toys and computers, and hardly ever spend any time with their mothers and fathers because they have to run off to school. And when they come home they are babysat by the television, and they sit down and eat in front of the television, and they run off and play their games and they go to bed and they don’t have to interface with anyone. Be different then. No more of that. There will be wholesome families. They aren’t going to learn war anymore. And there will be no more war in the families. Father’s going to be the head, the wife is going to submit, and all the children will obey, and we’ll teach them all of God’s way of love, that that’s the way that God ordained. And then they will be able to have right minds, and right emotions, and right lives that they will find love, and stability, and happiness, and knowledge, and understanding. No more curse. No more of the polluted society that we have here anymore.     “O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD” (vs. 3-5). So it’s going to be something. That’s what we’re going to do - walk in the light of the Lord.

Now let’s go to Isaiah 61 and see what we are going to be doing. Brethren this is really exciting when you understand it and the opportunities that are held out to you. And don’t say, “Well what can I do, I’m just a widow?” Or, “What can I do, I’m just an old person?” Look, when you are resurrected, you can be guaranteed by the Word of God, that you’re not going to be in that condition at all. You’re going to have a new body. You’re going to have a new mind. You’re going to have new abilities. You’re going to have the Holy Spirit filling every fiber of your being. And so we’re going to be able to bring to this world the great and marvelous things. Notice what we’re going to do.

Here, Isaiah 61:1, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me: because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek;…” Now this is prophecy of Jesus’ ministry, but now let’s carry it through with the prophecy of His ministry into the millennium, and the prophecy of His ministry that we share in. “…He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,…” And boy believe me, when the millennium begins, there are going to be many brokenhearted. Many people who have mental problems and disorders because of all of the difficulties, and problems, and wars, and horror, and terror, and killings, and volcanoes, and earthquakes. And it’s going to be something to take these people - they will just be all shaken. We need to bind them up. “…Proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year for the LORD,…”, which when the millennium begins that’s the beginning of it. The acceptable year of the Lord. “…And the day of vengeance of our God [we will have already passed]; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise of the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolation, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD:…” That’s us brethren. Priests of the Lord. “…Men shall call you the Ministers of our God:…” (Isa. 61:1-6).

Now here’s part of the inheritance that God is going to give us. Here is part of what God is going to provide for us because we will be in the same status as the Levites were. The people will bring of their tithes to us and we will tithe to Christ out of that. So when it says here, “…Ye shall eat of the riches of the Gentiles,…” Now we can, at that time do it, because we will be spirit beings and we will not be corrupted by it. “…And in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.” And that’s what we’re going to bring. The double blessings of God, the everlasting joy of God. “For I the LORD love judgment,…” And that’s what we are going bring, as I brought last year - judge righteous judgment. “…I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth,…” And we’re going to be the directors. Christ is going to direct us, and we will direct them. “…And I will make an everlasting covenant with them” (vs. 6-8). Brethren, they’re going to come into the kingdom of God. They are going to be brought in as the millennium progresses. We’ll see that.

“And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed” (vs. 9). And that’s what they’re going to do when they see us, and then when they see physical Israel, now prospering under Jesus Christ and the saints. And that’s going to reach out to the whole world, and all the nations are going to learn and know from them.

Now notice verse 10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,…” Yes, and just consider what kind of clothes we are going to be wearing, that Christ is preparing for us, so that when we’re resurrected from the dead with glorified bodies we’re also going to have glorified garments, and garments of salvation. “…He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” That’s how God is going to treat us. What a fantastic and marvelous thing.

Now Isaiah 60:16, just across the page. “Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.” God says, “For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron: I will also make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isa. 60:16-18). That is marvelous, brethren. And that’s exactly what it’s going to be.

Now it says down here in verse 21, “Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the LORD will hasten it in his time” (vs. 21-22). So God is going to do it. And brethren, the most exiting thing about it is that we have a part. You have a part of that inheritance, and if you endure to the end and are resurrected from the dead or are changed in the moment of the twinkling of an eye when Christ returns, you will be part. Now that’s the purpose that God has proposed. That is absolutely magnificent.

Now let’s go back to Isaiah 11 and see what’s going to happen to the earth. There’s going to be a mammoth restoration of this earth. It is going to be something. Now let’s pick it up here in Isaiah 11:1. “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:…” This is talking about Christ’s first coming. Now this also applies to the first and the second coming because this is what He is going to do when He returns to the earth. Now notice, there are these seven things, these seven spirits that all are brought into focus into Christ. Let’s read it. “…And 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; and 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: but 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,…”, as we saw there back in Isaiah 2, in order to subdue the nations that they will come under the rule of the kingdom of God so that they will learn war no more. “…And with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked.” Now there are not going to be wicked around at all. “And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins” (Isa. 11:1-5).

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,…” Now there’s going to be a total change in the nature of human beings, and in the nature of animals. Now can you picture a wolf lying down with a lamb? Now what are we told in the New Testament concerning false prophets? They are ravening wolves that come to you in sheep’s clothing. But now, here we have, that’s all done away. There are no more false prophets brethren. They are all gone. Not going to be trusted to men anymore. It’s going to be the resurrected glorified sons and daughters of God as kings and priests and teachers. We’re going to be doing it and God is going to change the whole environment, the whole nature of animals. That will really be something. This one I can understand - the wolf being with the lamb. “…And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;…” Now if you watch any of the things on the Discovery Channel, or some of these nature things they always show the leopard up in a tree. And the leopard goes down and it gets it’s little kid of the impala or whatever it may be. Takes it back up in the tree, lays it up there and merrily eats it at his good old time. Now notice, “…and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them” (vs. 6). Now this is the greatest toy replacement program we will ever have. We’re going to replace all these dumb toys, and all these war making toys with animals. And the children will learn from animals. And the children will understand life. The children will understand difficulty. The children will understand how to treat the animals, take care of them, be responsible. And all of those things will build into the children character, and development so that as they grow then they are going to be able to understand about God, and understand about His way, so that when they come into adulthood they are going to have a marvelous life ahead of them in joy, and goodness, and blessing, and everything right, and everything good, and everything fine. Yes, it’s going to be something.

Now notice, this is another one. Verse 7, “And the cow and the bear shall feed;…” Now feed together. Now I’ve seen television documentaries where bears go out and eat grass, but not like the cow out there in the pasture. You know, if there’s a grizzly bear out there eating and there’s a cow somewhere nearby, the grizzly bear’s going to forget about the grass and going to eat the cow. But now it’s going to be different. “…Their young ones shall lie down together:…” That also means whatever, probably play together. Who knows? “…And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.” Now that’s going to require some other things that’s going to have to be done to eat straw like an ox. Maybe even the teeth will have to be changed.

Now let’s continue on here and see. This is the one that’s hard for me to understand because I personally, as you know, I don’t like snakes at all. When it says that there will be enmity between her seed and your seed, as far as human beings go, that is true. I know the kids always liked to go to see the reptile house. And they had these big glass cages with all the snakes in it. And they had a five foot walkway. Well, I was on the outside of the five foot walkway. And they said, “Oh Dad, come look at this.” And they got their nose right up there in front of it. And I never will forget the time that they said, “Oh Dad, come and see this.” And here… it just absolutely blew my mind. Here was this Palestinian Viper. You know, you hear of in the New Testament that Christ calls them a generation of vipers, and so did John the Baptist. Well do you know what a Palestinian Viper is like? It’s about six feet long. It’s body is about this big around, and it’s got a head about like this. Can you imagine that thing standing up and biting you? And so when I read this, that “…the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den” (vs. 8). I’m going to have to wait to be a spirit being to fully comprehend this. I tell you, this is hard for me to grasp. But I know it’s true and I know it’s going to happen because the Word of God says so.

Now verse 9, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain:…” No more murders, no more crime, no more theft, no more robberies, no more break-ins, no more hurting. “…For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” Now can you imagine that? Today it’s almost the exact opposite for the earth is so full of the knowledge of Satan and secularism and profane knowledge that there’s hardly any knowledge of God. And so bad that Jesus said that when He returns will He find faith on the earth? Now that’s quite something to contemplate compared to this, isn’t it? Yes, this is going to be something. “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” (vs. 9-10). Just like we read over there in Hebrews 4. We need to labor to enter into that rest. And that’s what it’s talking about here.

Ok, let’s continue on here. Let’s go to Amos 9. We are going to have so much food, and it’s going to be so fresh, and it’s going to be so good, and everyone is going to be sitting under his own fig tree. Here let’s go to Micah 4 because it talks about everyone sitting under his own fig tree. Micah 4, and let’s overlap it with Isaiah 2. Micah 4:3, “And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.” It’s going to happen. “For all people will walk every one in the name of his god,…” And when it says that, that’s referring to you and to me, because we are going to be given a new name, and we’re going to have authority and responsibility to teach the people the love of God and they are going to pray to us. And they will walk in the name of their gods. This has nothing to do with the false gods that are in the world today. Now notice, “…and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever” (Micah 4:3-5). And that we will, because we will have the name of Christ upon us and we will have our new name.

Now let’s come to Amos 9. Let’s pick it up here Amos 9:11 and let’s see how this fulfills all the scriptures. Verse 11, “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen [down], and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by My name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt” (Amos 9:11-13). It’s just going to flow with so many things. You talk about a prosperous economy, because a prosperous economy is always based upon agriculture. We will have the best and the cheapest food supply possible, and we will have the finest of everything for all people. And I’m sure that even though we will be resurrected and glorified beings and will be able to have the power, just like Christ did to tone down that glory, to appear to people as though we are the same as they are, and to sit down with them and to eat with them and enjoy the things that they have, and to partake of these things, and to be with them on their feast days. Boy, that’s going to be something. I mean, think about that. Think about how great that is going to be. If we had something like this today, boy we could have milk for a penny, and whatever. You know, and bunches of grapes and carrots and all the good things. That’s why during the Feast of Tabernacles we are given the blessing of being able to partake in all of the good things that God has created.

Now let’s continue on. Let’s go here to Isaiah 33:20. “Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down [because it will be a permanent dwelling]; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us” (Isa. 33:20-22). So that all shows what’s going to be happening during the millennium.

Now let’s come over here to Isaiah 35. And there’s going to be a special highway. There’s going to be something that will take place brethren, that is going to be absolutely marvelous. And we are going to see that there will be peace among all nations. And we won’t have to worry about all of the intrigue, and all of the things that go on today. Look how they are desperately trying, right now, to bring peace in the area of Jerusalem. And it just seems to continually evade them. The reason it does is because it’s not of God and they are trying to work it out their ways. And that is all going to collapse. But in the millennium it’s going to change.

Let’s see. Let’s pick it up here. Verse 3, “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees [help them, raise them up]. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance [well, He’s already come], even God with a recompence; He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,…” Do you understand what that’s going to be. I wonder how many blind people there are going to be, and we go up to them and heal them. We lay hands on them and pray for them, and ask God to open up their eyes that they may see. Can you imagine the joy of a blind person seeing for the very first time? That is going to be marvelous brethren. “…The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes” (Isa. 35:3-7).

“And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness;…” Now I don’t know if this is a special highway that we will take when we walk up to Jerusalem. I don’t know. I’ve often thought of that - The way of holiness. But that’s the whole way of God, isn’t it? It’s going to be named after the way of God. “…The unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it 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). And brethren, that is our work. What I’ve read to you here is your future job description, and what you’re going to be doing working with God, working with Jesus Christ, working to bring these things about.

Now let’s go to Isaiah 19 and let’s see what else is going to happen. Now let’s go to Isaiah 19 and see a phenominal prophecy that’s going to happen to Egypt. Now remember, Egypt and Babylon during this age have been the durge, as well as the Assyrians. And they have been used to punish the people of God. And we have been told, “Don’t go back into the way of Egypt.” And where did God redeem Israel to begin with in the first place? Out of Egypt, out of bondage, and out all of the difficulties that they were in. Look what’s going to happen here.

Let’s pick it up in Isaiah 19:19. “In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt,…” Now that’s going to be a phenominal thing indeed, because no one there worships the true Lord. Most of them are Muslim and they believe in Allah, which is a false god. “…And a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.” so they can see it when they go on their way up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. “And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a saviour,…” Now I don’t know who He’s going to send to save them. I don’t know if it’s going to be one of the apostles resurrected, or if it’s going to be one of the great men that God has used down through the ages to go down there and be a savior to them. “…And a great one, and He shall deliver them. And the LORD shall be know to Egypt,…” Now that’s going to be phenominal. They’re going to know God. “…And the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it” (Isa. 19:19-21).

Now true to the prophecy of Isaiah 14, now notice, if they don’t go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. “And the LORD shall smite Egypt: He shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and He shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria [all the way through the holy land], and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians.” So they’re all going to serve God. “In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land:…” (vs. 22-24). Now can you imagine what that is going to be like? God is using this to show that these are going to be the three leading nations in the millennium. And God is going to deal with them directly and use them, and they are going to help and assist. And it’s going to be something the way that it’s going to be done.

Now, continuing on here. “…Even a blessing in the midst of the land: whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people,…” Now do you comprehend the great difference that it will be in the millennium with this one statement. Has God ever called the Egyptians His people? No, but in that day they will be His people. “…And Assyria the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance” (vs. 24-25).

And so brethren, that’s what the millennium is going to be like. There are going to be vast tremendous changes. And every year it will grow and increase because of the increase of His government there will be no end. There will be greater peace, greater understanding. And the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the seas cover the earth. That’s why it’s so good sometimes, if you can, go keep a Feast of Tabernacles where you are close to the ocean, where you can go out and you can look at the ocean. And if you look at it carefully and stand down on the sand close to where the waves are coming in and you can look out and you actually can see that the water is higher than you out there. And if you look carefully you can see the slight curve of the earth. And that’s why the water is higher out there. But it comes in and just like God has said, it stops right at the ocean-side. But think of all the oceans of the world. Combine that together and that’s how the knowledge is going to cover the earth - the knowledge of God. And we are going to have a part in it. That’s why it says, “Blessed and holy is the one that has part in the first resurrection. For they shall be priests of God and kings of God, and shall rule with Christ a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6, paraphrased). And that is the meaning of this first holy day of the Feast of Tabernacles.