Prophetic Meaning of the Fall Holy Days

Prophetic Meaning of the Fall Holy Days

What Are The Major Bible Resurrections?

1. What is a resurrection, anyway? Isaiah 26:19-21. Matthew 9:18-26. Luke 7:12-15. John 11:39-45. Isaiah 26:19-21, “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead. Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.” This passage is a direct reference to the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ, the time of the tribulation (World War III) and the 1^st resurrection of the saints to immortality. Matthew 9:18-26, “While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. And behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.” Luke 7:12-15, “Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.” John 11:39-45, “Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.”

The 1^st Resurrection,

The Feast of Trumpets

1. The 1^st Resurrection is at Jesus Christ's 2^nd coming. Does it occur at the 7^th Trumpet blast? Revelation 11:15-18; 1 Corinthians 15:49-56; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; Revelation 19:8-21; Zechariah 14:1-15; Revelation 20:4,6. Revelation 11:15-18, “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead [Greek for “dead” is “nations”], that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” 1 Corinthians 15:49-56, “And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruption must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [dead], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep [are dead] in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep [dead]. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Next event, we and the Lord are now in the air. Where do we go from there? Revelation 19:7-21, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. [cf. John 1:1-14] And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [this is us, the saints, now the army of God on flying white horses!] And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit upon them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Zechariah 14:1-15, “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished [raped]; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord [remember where he and we are at this moment, in the air, on supernatural white horses] go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee [speaking to the Jews remaining in Jerusalem at that time] to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. [cf. Joel 2:1-2] And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinter sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. [cf. Ezekiel 47:1-12] And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. [This happened to people a little distance from Heroshima when struck by the intense light of the atomic fireball. Jesus glows today brighter than the sun, cf. Revelation 1:13-18. So will we after the 1^st resurrection to immortality, cf. Daniel 12:1-3.] And it shall come to pass in that day, that a tumult from the Lord shall be among them; and they shall lay every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah [the Jews] shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague.” Revelation 20:4, 5b, 6, “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…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 reign with him a thousand years.”

2. If all this occurs at the 7^th Trumpet blast, what Holy Day symbolizes the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ? Revelation 11:15-18; Leviticus 23:24-25. Numbers 10:1-2,9. Revelation 11:15-18, “And the seventh angel sounded; and their were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead [Greek: “nations”], that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Leviticus 23:24-25, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation. Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. [Use of trumpets in Israel, cf. Numbers 10:1-10, one was the sounding an alarm for war.] Messianic Jewish believers and many Christian believers understand this Holy Day symbolizes the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ. Jews believe it symbolizes the coming of the Messiah. Numbers 10:1-2, 9. “The Lord said to Moses: ‘Make two trumpets of hammered silver, and use them for calling the community together and for having the camps set out….When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies.” So you can see, the very use of the trumpet blast in Revelation 15 fits the symbolism for the Feast of Trumpets and the proper use of the trumpets during time of battle and war.

The Day of Atonement

3. What is one of the meanings of the Day of Atonement? Leviticus 23:27-31; Leviticus 16:1-34; Revelation 20:1-3. Leviticus 23:27-31, “Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls [fast], and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God. For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from his people. And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people. Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even to even, shall ye celebrate your sabbbath.” This next set of verses explains what the Day of Atonement was all about. It is explained in terms the Hebrews would understand, in terms of the sacrificial system, which pointed to Christ. But even in those terms, something strange is commanded here. I will explain more after. Leviticus 16:1-16, 20-22, 26, 29- 31, “And the Lord spake unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the Lord, and died; and the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark: that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering. He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with a linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired: these are the holy garments; therefore shall he wash his flesh in water, and so put them on. And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for [to represent] the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat [Azazel (i.e. to represent Satan)] And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord’s lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat in the wilderness. And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: and he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: and he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: and he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering [representing Christ], that is for the people, and bring the blood within the vail, and do with the blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: and he shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness….And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: and Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: and the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness….And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp….And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you. For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord. And it shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever.”

Now it’s fairly easy to see that the goat that is killed represents the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. But what about the “scapegoat”? It continues to live, it never dies, but is banished into the wilderness after having all the sins of Israel placed on it’s head. Who is responsible for deceiving this world, and inspiring the world to sin? Revelation 12:9, “And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world….” Satan’s ultimate fate is to be banished from mankind, God and all the resurrected saints. Wasn’t the goat banished in a similar manner? Let’s read Revelation 20:1-3, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

4. We see that Satan is locked up for the 1,000 year Millennium. Then he is "loosed" for a short time just after the Millennium and just before the 2^nd Resurrection. Revelation 20:7-10. Revelation 20:7-10, “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about [i.e. Jerusalem], and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are [were cast, they’re dead], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” As we can see, it is Satan (and his demons) that are cast away into hell-fire forever. This is a prophecy that completely fulfills the type of sacrifice with the two goats in Leviticus 16, on the Day of Atonement. So the Day of Atonement represents two things, the atoning sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, and the Devil having the sins of the whole world placed on his head, and then he is banished. How appropriate. So we have seen in Revelation, in chronological order, that Jesus Christ returns and puts an end to WWIII, (Rev. 19), and then Satan is locked away (Revelation 20:1-3). What comes after Satan is locked away by that strong angel?

The Millennium, Feast of Tabernacles

1. What is the Millennium and when does it occur? Revelation 20:4,6 (it occurs after the event of Revelation 20:1-3). Ezekiel 36:1-36. Jeremiah 31:1-14. Does the world now come into the new covenant? Jeremiah 31:31-33. Revelation 20:4, 5b, 6, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon 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….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.” The first half of Ezekiel 36 describes a condition we find the nation of Israel in, where they have become an occupied country, downtrodden militarily, and where it appears the Arabs have the upper hand and can do what they more or less please within the land of Israel. But then from verse 6, a change takes place, a change that could only be brought about by Jesus Christ’s 2^nd coming. The land is set free. Israel as a land and nation starts to prosper under the gentle reign of Jesus Christ and the saints. That is what this prophecy is about. Some say this prophecy represents Israel today, after its re-establishment in 1948, but the Israeli’s are not filled with God’s Holy Spirit at this time, which verse 27 prophecies, so this prophecy is yet for the future. Ezekiel 36:1-36, “Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: Therefore, ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God to the mountains and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes, and to the cities that are forsaken, which became a prey and derision to the residue of the heathen that are round about; therefore thus saith the Lord God; Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the heathen, and against all Idumea, which have appointed my land into their possession with the joy of all their heart, with despiteful minds, to cast it out for a prey. [Verse 6] Prophesy therefore concerning the land of Israel, and say unto the mountains, and to the hills, to the rivers, and to the valleys, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my fury, because ye have borne the shame of the heathen: therefore thus saith the Lord God; I have lifted up mine hand, Surely the heathen that are about you, shall bear their shame. But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown: and I will multiply men upon you, all the house of Israel, even all of it: and the cities shall be inhabited and the wastes shall be builded: and I will multiply upon you man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates, and will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men. Thus saith the Lord God; Because they say unto you, Thou land devourest up men, and hast bereaved thy nations; therefore thou shalt devour men no more, neither bereave thy nations any more, saith the Lord God. Neither will I cause men to hear in thee the shame of the heathen any more, neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more, neither shalt thou cause thy nations to fall any more, saith the Lord God. Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own way and by their doings: their way was before me as the uncleanness of a removed woman. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them for the blood that they had shed upon the land, and for their idols wherewith they had polluted it: and I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.” Comment: The 10 northern tribes of Israel were conquered and deported by the Assyrian Empire in 721BC. All 10 tribes were taken and deported to the shores of the Caspian Sea. Read 2 Kings 17:5-24. Those 10 tribes never returned to the land, and were historically lost from view. They’re out there somewhere, and this 36^th chapter of Ezekiel prophecies that all of Israel will return to the land. That includes these 10 tribes, who must have become nations by now. They will be part of this regathering, I’m sure. After this Assyrian captivity and deportation, three tribes remained, Judah, Levi and part of Benjamin, who became known as the House of Judah, and today are the Jews. They were conquered, captured and deported by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, but then returned to the land of Israel 70 years later. Then the Romans conquered the Jewish nation, and in two massive wars, 70AD and 135 AD, totally dispersed the Jewish nation to the four winds. Only since 1948 have some of the Jews returned and re-established the Jewish nation in the land of Israel. But they don’t have the Holy Spirit yet, because they haven’t accepted Yeshua haMeshiach as their savior yet. They will at his return. So this prophecy continues to show the conditions of Israel after that momentous event. We pick up now where we left off, in verse 20. “And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the Lord, and are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, wither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” Comment: Now these next three verses show this whole prophecy is for the future. This has not happened yet, except for maybe half a million Messianic Jewish believers. But they do not make up the whole nation of Israel, and most of those believers live outside of Israel. So now, verses 25-27, three very critical verses which show this is for the future. “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers: and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel. Thus saith the Lord God; In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Jeremiah 31:1-14, “At the same time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people. Thus saith the Lord, The people which were left of the sword found grace in the wilderness; even Israel, when I went to cause him to rest. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Again I will build thee, and thou shalt be built, O virgin of Israel: thou shalt again be adorned with thy tabrets, and shalt go forth in the dances of them that make merry. Thou shalt yet plant vines upon the mountains of Samaria: the planters shall plant, and shall eat them as common things. For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. For thus saith the Lord: Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations: publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel.” Comment: What follows is an interesting statement. Assyria was the “north country” when the 10 northern tribes of Israel were captured. After Nebuchadnezzar’s father had conquered Assyria, a large group of them under one of their generals migrated up the Danube into northwestern Europe, what is today Germany. So this “north country” is probably Germany, who just like their forbears, likes to conquer and deport people during major wars. This prophecy indicates these tribes of Israel are now being released from this “north country.” Let’s continue in verse 8. “Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the coasts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, the woman with child and her that travaileth with child together: a great company shall return thither. They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Comment: Ephraim is one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel that was deported by the Assyrians, as recorded in 2 Kings 17. “Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together: for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow. And I will satiate the soul of the priests with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord.”

2. Is God's Holy Spirit given to people who live in the Millennium? Ezekiel 36:25-27. Ezekiel 36:25-27, “Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

3. Is the Feast of Tabernacles enforced on the whole world? Does this show it symbolizes the Millennial rule of Jesus Christ? Zechariah 14:16-19. Zechariah 14:16-19, “And it shall come to pass, that every one that 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. 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. 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. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.” What just occurred before verses 16-19 in Zechariah 14? Where do we find the Feast of Tabernacles commanded besides Zechariah 14:16-19. Leviticus 23:34-44. Leviticus 23:34-44, “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord. On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: 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 [grain] offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: Beside 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. Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall 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 [temporary dwellings] 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.” As you saw in Zechariah 14:16-19 the Feast of Tabernacles is commanded and its observance is enforced for the whole world (right after Jesus Christ’s return). If we have seen that the Feast of Trumpets prophetically represents the 2^nd coming of Jesus Christ, and Atonement as the putting away of Satan and his demons, then it would stand to reason, the Feast of Tabernacles prophetically represents what the Jews term as The World to Come, and as another called it, The World Tomorrow. That is what both the Jews believe (although they haven’t yet accepted Jesus or Yeshua as being the Messiah), and what the Messianic Jewish believers believe, as well as most pre-millennial Christians believe.

4. What will the Millennium be like? Isaiah 35:1-10; Isaiah 11:3-16; Ezekiel 47:1-12. Will the oceans be healed? How many fish will there be? (same verses). Isaiah 35:1-10, “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and 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. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; 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 will flee away.” Isaiah 11:3b-16, “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, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. 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.” Now it looks back to the battle of Armageddon, verses 11-16. “And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria [Germany], and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. [this seems to indicate that Israel and Judah, the House of Israel and the House of Judah are two separate peoples.] The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west; they shall spoil them of the east together: they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab; and the children of Ammon shall obey them. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea; and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river [the Nile], and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.” The land of Israel gets a new river system, which will create an inland sea full of fish from Lake Galilee to the southern shores of the Dead Sea, as well as healing the oceans of the world! Ezekiel 47:1-12, “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. [i.e. this “house” is the millennial Kingdom temple] Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits [about 1,500 feet or a quarter mile], and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ancles. Again he measured a thousand [a half mile], and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand [three quarters of a mile], and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand [a mile from the river’s origin at the temple]; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink [river bank] of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, withersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: [margin: “two rivers”, cf. Zechariah 14:8, “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea (i.e. the Dead Sea, and then south down into the Red Sea and then the Indian Ocean) and half to the western sea (that is the Mediterranean Sea), in summer and in winter.”] and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live wither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many. But the miry places [swamps and marshes] thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat [i.e. fruit trees], whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thererof for medicine.”

5. Will God's Law, God's Word, be taught to the whole world? Isaiah 2:2-4. Isaiah 2:2-4, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain [“mountain”, symbolic term for “nation” or “kingdom”] of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills “hills”, lesser nations]; and all nations shall flow unto it. 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, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

The Last Great Day of the Feast,

What Does It Represent?

The 2^nd Resurrection,

Heaven or Hell? Or “the choice is yours”?

Many Christian denominations teach that if anyone dies, having not accepted Jesus Christ in their normal lifetimes, they go to ever-burning hellfire and spend eternity there. Recently many denominations, not liking this harsh scenario, couch it in the wording of “eternal separation from God.” Is this what the Bible teaches? Or is this teaching in gross error and not what the Bible teaches at all?

Let’s find out, because many of our loved ones have died “without having accepted Jesus Christ into their lives” (if we are honest with ourselves). This is a critical question. Many well-meaning evangelicals unmercifully slam people with this teaching, and I think something finally needs to be done about it, said about it. So here goes…brace yourself…

1. The 2^nd Resurrection is for all the "unsaved dead":

When does it occur?

Revelation 20:5, 11-13; (remember, Revelation 20:4 and 6 were about the 1^st resurrection to immortality at the 2^nd coming of Jesus. Verse 5 is sandwiched in-between verses 4 & 6.) Revelation 20:5, 11-13, “But the rest of the dead [i.e. this is talking about those not resurrected in the 1^st resurrection to immortality, but everyone else who has died throughout man’s history] lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” Verses 11-13 are now about “the rest of the dead.” “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works.” Now the book of life being opened is another way of saying all these dead were brought back to life. The Bible teaches clearly that there are only two resurrections. John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:1-3, Revelation 20:4-6, 11-13 and 1 Corinthians 15:49-54 and I Thessalonians 4:13-17. Let’s read these, so we get this point. Then I will reveal something astounding. Revelation 20:4-6, 11-13, “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. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. 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.” Verses 11-13, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [Hades: the grave, six feet under, not Gehenna fire] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” Now some of those works may be the past “works” of their lives, but when a person is held accountable for his actions is when he knows better, so, as we shall see, the works they’ll really be judged for is the ones they have from the time they are resurrected. Let’s read on. How many major resurrections did Jesus say there would be? John 5:28-29, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” [damnation: Greek: krisis, decision…] When something is undecided, you can have a period of judgment where you “decide”. A resurrection of “decision” would indicate something isn’t decided yet. So we have two resurrections predicted by Jesus, one to immortality, one to a period of “decision”. Keep that in mind. Daniel 12:1-3, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble [WWIII], such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everylasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise [teachers] shall shine as the brightness of the firmament [heavens, stars]; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” So we see Daniel was told to prophesy about two resurrections as well. Revelation gives the timing, and shows that those two major resurrections are 1,000 years apart, whereas Daniel wasn’t shown that. This fact doesn’t make the Bible inconsistent. And we have already read 1 Corinthians 15:49-56, which shows the 1^st resurrection to immortality. But the main point here is that the Bible only predicts two major resurrections, not three, not one. Count them---two.

Since we have just read that the Bible only teaches that two major resurrections occur, and the 2^nd resurrection is back to physical life, physical existence, so if we can see a major physical resurrection prophecied anywhere else in the Bible, it must refer to this 2^nd resurrection—filling in the details of what Revelation 20:5, 11-13 have prophecied about. Want to look at those “details”? Turn to Ezekiel 37:1-14. Ezekiel 37:1-14, “The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of dry bones. And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came upon them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.”(verses 1-11.) At this point this massive number of people being resurrected think their hope is lost, that they’re about to get tossed into hell-fire. Look next at what God tells Ezekiel to tell them. “Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall now that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall have put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.”

Is the Holy Spirit given to these people? Ezekiel 37:14. “and shall put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you I your own land…” First, to be placed “in your own land” would indicate that these people are going to have a period of time to live their lives out. Right? Also, when God’s Holy Spirit was placed on the disciples in Acts 2 what happened? Read Acts 2:1-43, the Church started, and those within it were granted salvation, leading to eternal life. see http://www.unityinchrist.com/history2/index4.htm

5. Does the whole "unsaved world" come up at the 2^nd Resurrection, not just Israel? Ezekiel 16:55; Revelation 20:5, 11-13. Ezekiel 16:55, “When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.” Now we all know what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. Don’t we? They were fried, blasted by the Lord (read Genesis 18-19). So Sodom returning to her former estate is nothing less than these Gentiles being resurrected back to life, in the 2^nd resurrection. God is no respecter of persons, as James said in James 2:9, where he said respect of persons is sin. If God resurrects all of Israel back to physical life, to have their chance for salvation, he has to do it for everyone else too, or else he’s sinning. James 2:9, “But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin…” Now if all these billions of people have the Holy Spirit placed within them and are offered salvation, at the end of this time-period for their salvation there will have to be a point where those who qualify are changed to spirit composition, just as those in the 1^st resurrection have been. God hasn’t given us all the details, just remember that verse in James we just read. What he has done for us, he will have to do for all the others. 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Imagine planet earth with 50 to 100 billion human beings resurrected back to life. Blows your mind, doesn’t it? Now all of you who have had a family member die, someone you know didn’t die in the Lord. They’re not in ever-burning hell! They’re awaiting their chance for salvation. You’re not saved yet? Why wait 1,000 years, go for it now. Surprise your loved ones by meeting them when they come up, meeting them glowing like a star, showing them what they could become. Or you can wait. God’s not pushy, he never forces himself on anyone.

6. Will everyone be "with it" spiritually, born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, at the end of the Millenium? Revelation 20:7-10, “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, God and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. [Who is tormented day and night? Satan, the devil, by the context of the sentence.] Will they come up in the 2^nd Resurrection? Revelation 20:5a, “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished….”; So we have those that really weren’t with it spiritually, deceived by Satan, and then devoured by fire from heaven by God. There are only two resurrections, so when do they come up? John 5:28-29, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [damnation, Greek, Krisis: “decision”].” Now here’s an interesting concept that came to me as I meditated on this Scriptural passage, while I was praying about it. The Millennial rule of Jesus and the saints goes on for 1,000 years, and salvation is offered to all those alive or born during this period of time. Satan and the demons are not around to deceive them. Then at the end, God releases Satan and the demons. Those that did not accept salvation are instantly deceived and under Satan’s influence, and they try to attack Jerusalem. They are burned up by God, who sends fire down on them. They are then resurrected back to physical life in the time period of the 2^nd Resurrection, ready to teach and explain the extreme importance of drinking at the well of salvation. What we find in the entire prophecied scenario of the 1,000 year reign of Jesus, including the fiery end of non-believers at the end is exactly what will occur during the probable 100 year time-span of the 2^nd Resurrection. All of unsaved humanity will be resurrected back to physical life for this 100 year span of time. At the end, all who have not accepted Jesus into their lives and lived under the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit will be burned up as God burns up earth and the heaven, just before the new heavens and new earth appear. But, here’s the kicker. God has designed the plan so that it would take a totally brain-dead idiot to not accept salvation and the indwelling Holy Spirit during this 100 year time-span. Do you think it is possible that God may have designed his complete plan of salvation so that everybody may actually accept Christ and be born into the spirit Kingdom of God, living eternally forever? Let’s read 2 Peter 3:9 again. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” I think most of us, even if we have understood the doctrine of the 2^nd Resurrection properly, have not fully understood the depth of what the Lord was saying through Peter here. So we see a pattern in the Millennial time-period that is repeated in the 2^nd Resurrection period of time, sort of a type-antitype, or repeat pattern. I never noticed this before.

Think about this, meditate on it: God created Adam and Eve on a planet where Satan the devil resides (Genesis 3), along with one third of the angels that Satan had deceived, who are now demons (Revelation 12:1-3). Satan has the world deceived (Revelation 12:9). Bottom line, mankind lives and for his whole existence has lived on a planet infested with demons, with Satan as their king. God, regardless of how many Christians there may be on earth, is NOT calling all to repentance right now, nor have the great majority of all those that have lived accepted Jesus Christ into their lives. All who have lived, have lived in a world of hatred, countless wars, political unrest, and unhappiness. The real history of mankind is full of all these things. Life is not really a happy experience for most, but a mixture of ‘good and evil’, where evil tends to predominate. Imagine all that have ever lived (estimated at 50 to 100 billion), all coming up into a world that has been refashioned into a glorious “Garden of Eden” (Isaiah 11:6-11), and now each individual being given the Holy Spirit, and each individual placed in his own land, a land flowing with milk and honey. Broken relationships, and past hatreds of peoples and nations will then have to be healed, over time. Without a doubt, the hurts between the 6,000,000 Jews the Nazi’s killed, won’t go away immediately, but actual repentance and forgiveness must occur between each individual. Everyone who has ever wronged, murdered, raped or injured anyone else will have to go and seek their forgiveness, and those injured, murdered, and raped will have to extend forgiveness to those seeking it. It will be only by the power of God’s Holy Spirit that this will be possible. It will be a time of healing and learning. The accurate teaching of the real history of mankind will be more important at this time than in any time before, so all of mankind can get a clear picture of the difference between living in Satan’s world, and now God’s world. So “the books” being opened along with “the book of life” in Revelation 20:11-13 more than likely is referring to a very comprehensive set of history books. (Who said history wasn’t important?) Then the active choice between spiritual life and death, God’s way and Satan’s way, is for each individual to make. And don’t forget, God says he will place his Holy Spirit in all these individuals, so as my daughter told me when I explained all this, “that choice is a no-brainer, dad.” Remember 2^nd Peter 3:9, God wants them all saved. I have come to a unique understanding lately, due to Calvary Chapel sermon I transcribed in 1^st John. It’s about how we should love others. I projected the lessons given in that expository sermon on 1^st John 4:28-5:3 into the time-period of the 2^nd resurrection, and suddenly saw how everyone who ever harmed, maimed, or killed anyone is going to have to make up with that person or persons, and that person or persons are going to have to learn to love and forgive that other person, and become friends with them. The whole entire Plan of God will wrap itself up when all that are going to accomplish this spiritual feat have accomplished that. I saw a similar event which truly bordered on the spiritual on the history channel once, when they interviewed a bunch of American and Japanese sailors and airmen who had either been in Pearl Harbor or the Japanese airmen that had bombed Pearl Harbor. Almost every single man in the special had met his Japanese counterpart in the battle, and they had not only forgiven each other, but become fast friends. Fuchida, one of the most famous airmen has become a born-again Christian. There was only one man in the whole group who couldn’t bring himself to forgive the Japanese (he had been a sailor on the Arizona when it was hit and had suffered burns over 70 percent of his body and somehow lived). You see, the whole redemptive Plan of God is an educational plan as well. All mankind gets a first-hand education first, about Satan’s way of life, which leads to death. Then everyone will end up learning about God’s way of life, which leads to life. Simple as that. But the whole plan isn’t finished during the Church Age, as many Christians have erroneously believed and taught. It will end up being about 7,000 years long. That’s God’s Plan, when all the Scriptures are taken into account. What a beautiful plan. Painful, yes, but beautiful. For the next questions and list of verses, why don’t you look up the verses and get the answers for yourself.

7. How long may the time period of life go on after these people are resurrected? Isaiah 65:20-25.

8. At the end of this time period what happens to all who weren't "changed" to spirit composition? Revelation 20:14-15. This is truly hell, Gehenna fire. All those left physically alive at this point are burned up, they die, cease to exist. No ever-burning hell-fire to torment unsaved “souls”. That’s Satan’s fate, not the fate of unrepentant mankind. God is both just and merciful. Boy does Satan hate the truth.

9. How do we know all the "unsaved dead" resurrected in Revelation 20:11-13 don't go immediately into the "lake of fire" described in the next two verses of Revelation 20 (verses 14-15)? Ezekiel 37:12-14.

10. What happens after the "lake of fire", when the heavens and earth are set ablaze and melted down? Revelation 21:1-17.

11. Does man go to heaven, or does heaven come to earth? Same verses. Where is the new Headquarters for the Universe? (Revelation 21:1-17.)

12. How many major or big resurrections does the Bible predict or prophecy? Daniel 12:1-3; John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:4-6, 11-13.

13. How do we know the 2^nd Resurrection is back to physical life, not eternal life? Ezekiel 37:1-14. Remember, the Jews take all the other prophecies in the Old Testament literally, and not figuratively. So to take Ezekiel 37:1-14 out of the whole Old Testament and say you’re going to interpret is figuratively is pure interpretive nonsense.

The Jews say this massive resurrection back to physical existence prophecied in Ezekiel 37:1-14 occurs at the return of the Messiah because Ezekiel 37:15-29 is a prophecy of the Messiah's great coming to rule the world and it is in the same chapter as the resurrection Scriptures. Why do we know this is wrong? Revelation 20:4,6; 5, 11-13; John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:49-54. (hint: there are only two big resurrections, and the first is to immortality [1 Cor. 15:49-54]. Also the first is at the time of the Messiah's great coming to rule the world.)

The Lord prophecies through Joel

The prophetic meaning of the fall Holy Days, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles are clearly laid out in the book of Joel, chapter 2. I use the NIV for ease of reading.

The Feast of Trumpets

Joel 2:1-11, “Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand---a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountains a large and mighty army comes, such as never was of old nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste---nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountain tops, like crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of them, nations are in anguish; every face turns pale. [Sounds like Jesus’ supernatural army following him on white supernatural horses, cf. Rev. 19:1-21.] They charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking ranks. They rush upon the city; they run along the wall. The climb into the houses; like thieves they enter through the windows. Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord thunders at the head of his army [this is the army of God, Jesus]; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?”

Now tie this in with Zechariah 12:1-9, “This is the word of the Lord concerning Israel. The Lord, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: ‘I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves. On that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with madness,’ declares the Lord. ‘I will keep a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses of the nations. Then the leaders of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong, because the Lord Almighty is their God.’ On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among the sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater than that of Judah. On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord going before them., On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.” [cf. Be sure to read Zechariah 14:1-15]

The Day of Atonement

Joel 2:12-17, “‘now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.’ Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing---grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God. Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber. Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare your people, O Lord. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”

Now tie these verses, 12-17 with Zechariah 12:10-14, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. [The Jews in Jerusalem and Judea recognize Jesus, Yeshua for who he really is, their Messiah, the Christ, Anointed One. What do they do now? Read on.] On that day the weeping in Jerusalem will be great, like the weeping of Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. The land will mourn each clan by itself, with their wives by themselves: the clan of the house of David and their wives, the clan of the house of Nathan and their wives, the clan of the house of Levi and their wives, the clan of Shimei and their wives, and all the rest of the clans and their wives.” At this point, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ covers all of Israel and the whole world eventually, a true symbol of the Day of Atonement.

The Feast of Tabernacles

Joel 2:18-28, “Then the Lord will be jealous for his land [cf. Ezekiel 36] and take pity on his people. The Lord replied to them: ‘I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully; never again will I make you an object of scorn to the nations. I will drive the northern army far from you, pushing it into a parched and barren land, with its front columns going into the eastern sea [Dead Sea] and those in the rear into the western sea [Mediterranean Sea]. And its stench [i.e. stench of dead bodies] will go up; its smell will rise.’ Surely he has done great things. Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things. Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten---the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm---my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”

Zechariah 14:16-19, “Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.”

This ends this study about the symbolic meaning of the Fall Holy Days, as embraced by the Sabbatarian Churches of God. Most Messianic Jewish believers believe everything presented here up to but not including the 2nd Resurrection/Last Great Day portion of this study.