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Sermon: Everlasting to
Everlasting
by Chris Cumming – Last Great Day
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MP3-Feast 2020
Where does it state that we are to keep this day?
Leviticus 23:34-36
34 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.
35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile
work therein.
36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD: on
the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer
an offering made by fire unto the LORD: it is a solemn assembly; and ye
shall do no servile work therein.
Where else in the Bible is this day made reference to?
Nehemiah 8:17-18
17 And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the
captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of
Jeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done
so. And there was very great gladness.
18 Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the
book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the
eighth day was a solemn assembly, according unto the manner.
What does Garner Ted Armstrong say about this day in the booklet, “God’s
Seasonal Plan”?
“The Last Great Day typifies the ‘Great White Throne Judgment’ of the
20th chapter of Revelation.
“This
final annual holy day signifies the completion of God's plan, the last
great general resurrection and the final destruction of the incorrigibly
wicked, and leads directly from the Great White Throne Judgment in
Revelation 20 to the ‘new heavens and new earth’ of the last two
chapters of your Bible.”
Much has been preached on this day and throughout the year on the
resurrections and the Great White Throne Judgment, so on this Great Day
I want to focus on the latter end of Mr. Armstrong’s stated meaning of
this day. This can best be accomplished by sharing with you one of our
letters from the Letter Answering Department.
SUBJECT: The Kingdom and Eternal Life
QUESTIONS: What will we be doing for eternity in the Kingdom of God?
ANSWER:
A very good question. Eternal life is where
we go from our moment of judgment or that moment we are changed to
spirit beings and enter the Family of God.
It would be somewhat impossible to fully understand or comprehend what
one does for ever and ever and ever.
I was thinking the other day..
After the first Billion years then what?
After 10 Trillion years what will God have planned to keep me
interested?
What does one do after a "google" years (1
followed by 100 zeros)?
Actually in the Kingdom of God there is no time as we know it. Only
physical creation is dependent upon time. Therefore it is hard for
humans to think of any existence where there is no time. Try it.
We do know that there is a Kingdom of God. We read in Revelation 21 and
22 of a new heavens and new earth.
We see a New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. Based on the
scripture, it has been figured that this New Jerusalem is 1,500 miles by
1,500 miles by 1,500 miles high. From here, God, the Father will rule
the universe which is the Kingdom of God. We (all
people that have ever lived and accepted the absolute truth of God)
will be Spirit beings and be a part of that Kingdom.
Psalm 90:2
Before the mountains were brought forth, or
ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to
everlasting, thou art God.
Note:
God shows that there is an everlasting, eternal existence.
Daniel 4:3
How great are his signs! and how mighty are
his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is
from generation to generation.
Note:
Here God shows that His kingdom is everlasting.
Isaiah 64:4
For since the beginning of the world men
have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O
God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.
Note:
Man cannot imagine what God has in store for us. Maybe this is part of
the principle of Faith. We must have faith in what God has in store.
Maybe if we knew, it would be far easier to obey Him and wait for that
Kingdom but God wants to see what you will do with just the promise of
His word.
1 Corinthians
2:9-12 …a repeat of Isaiah 64:4
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen,
nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by
his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of
God.
11 For what man knoweth the things of a
man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God
knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of
the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things
that are freely given to us of God.
Note:
A New Testament repeat of the previous verse [Isaiah 64:4]. Clearly
when we are Spiritual, we will know.
1 Corinthians
13:12-13
12 For now we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as
also I am known.
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity,
these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Note:
We can only use our imagination based on God's Spirit in us now.
We can get a feeling but we will not fully grasp it until we are there.
Notice verse 13; the principles of faith and hope (for
that coming Kingdom) are noted.
This hope of the Kingdom SAVES us. Notice
Romans 8:24
For we are saved by hope: but hope that is
seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
Notice what Paul said:
Titus 1:1-2
[see
Lesson]
1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to
the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is
after godliness;
2 In hope of eternal
life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Note: This hope of eternal life is
part of what saves us. We have hope in eternal life because we believe
in a God that cannot lie.
Following is a list of Kingdom of God subject areas in which we will all
be involved. These based on the content of and scope of the Word of God.
1] Relationships. With God, Christ, the angelic realm and with
each other.
2] Learning. We will never stop learning.
3] Spiritual growth and increase. For ourselves, the Family and
the entire Universe.
4] Creation. God never stops creating. We will witness this for
eternity and give God praise.
5] Responsibility and Position. God has plans for each one of us.
6] Celebration. For one thing, we will continue to keep the Holy
Days and the Feast of Tabernacles.
7] Exploration and Experiencing. God has a Universe He wants to
show and share with us.
Let us take a look at each of these.
1] Relationships. With God, Christ, the angelic realm and with
each other.
Mark 12:29-31
...when the scribe asked Jesus which is the first
commandment of all.
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O
Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the
first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
1 Corinthians 10:24
Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
The
meaning here is referring to anything and everything that pertains to
his comfort, usefulness, happiness, or salvation.
Imagine 100 billion individuals applying this as spirit beings.
Philippians 1:9-10
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in
knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be
sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2] Learning. We will never stop learning.
Proverbs 1:5
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of
understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
Isaiah
11:9 [and see Habakkuk 2:14 which says the same
thing]
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.
As the
commentary says: "The earth shall be full of a correct under-standing of
the existence, perfections, plans, and claims of God; and shall be
disposed to yield to those claims - thus producing universal peace."
Jeremiah 31:34
...the
first part
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:
3] Spiritual growth and increase. For ourselves, the Family and
the entire Universe.
Colossians 1:9-10
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to
pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge
of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Matthew
5:6 says...
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for
they shall be filled.
Isaiah 9:7
...a favorite of
Garner Ted Armstrong
Of the
increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal
of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Clearly these scriptures are speaking to the here and now as well as to
eternity in the Kingdom of God. 1 Peter 1:12 talks about angels
desiring to learn more. Surely we will never cease in our desire to
learn, grow and increase.
4] Creation. God never stops creating. We will witness this for
eternity and give God praise.
I have just one verse on this element:
Isaiah 40:28
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the
LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is
weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
Notice the John Gill commentary on this:
...that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the
earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? --- or, "the God of the world";
that has made it, and upholds it, and governs it, and judges righteously
in it; who is from everlasting to everlasting, unchangeably the same;
whose name alone is Jehovah, the self-existent and all comprehending
Being, the Maker and Former of all things; who has not only created the
earth, and the foundations of it, but even the extremities of the earth.
~John Gill
Be absolutely sure that creation will never cease and neither will His
upholding of it. We will spend eternity as witness to the on-going
creation of God. We will see more about this in a moment.
5] Responsibility and Position. God has plans for each one of us.
John 14:2-3
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would
have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and
receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
We know
this word, "mansions" to be properly translated, "offices" or positions
of responsibility.
Revelation 5:10
says...
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on
the earth.
Luke 19:17
...parable of the
Talents
And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been
faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Revelation 2:26
says…
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I
give power over the nations:
Daniel 7:18
says...
But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the
kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.
So from everlasting to everlasting, we will have and execute offices and
positions for God the Father and Jesus Christ.
6] Celebration.
For one thing, we will continue to keep the Holy Days and the Feast of
Tabernacles.
Zechariah 14:16
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of 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.
And what is the number one admonition and encouragement we preach about
the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day? Rejoice.
Revelation 19:7-9
7 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.
8 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.
9 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.
Clearly this will be a celebration.
Psalm 100:1-5
1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not
we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with
praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth
to all generations.
7] Exploration and Experiencing. God has a Universe He wants to
show and share with us.
Romans 1:20 states that if we wish to know more about the unseen God, we
need only look at the things that are seen.
First I
want to show you the awesomeness of God, followed by sharing with you
just a bit of what He has prepared for us out there in the Universe.
For each of these two areas I will present some facts and figures that
may, at first, seem a little overwhelming but each set of figures will
lead to a conclusion you can grasp and hold in excitement and faith for
that great day.
The Awesomeness of God
I believe I can demonstrate the glory of God by talking to you about
“warp speed.” I know that a number of you out there are “Star Trek”
fans and are familiar with warp speed. “Warp Speed” is the concept of
traveling at speeds greater than the speed of light.
Warp speed ranges from 1-10.
Warp 1 is the speed of light.
Warp 5 is 214 times the speed of light.
Warp 9 is just over 1,500 times the speed of light.
After Warp 9 the scale is in fractions such as 9.2, 9.9, 9.99 and
9.9999.
Warp 9.2 is 1,650 times the speed of light
Warp 9.9 is just over 3,000 times the speed of light
Warp 9.99 is 8,000 times the speed of light and…
Warp 9.9999 is 200,000 times the speed of light.
The mind can barely imagine a spaceship going 200,000 times the speed of
light, but wrap your mind around this fact: Such a ship, despite its
speed, could never leave the Milky Way galaxy to visit the next closest
galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy itself is 50,000 light years across with
200 billion stars and countless planets. It would be all one could do
to just explore this galaxy.
If one attempted to reach the next closest galaxy at Warp 9.2 [1,650
times light speed] it would take 1,200 years to get there.
It would take 655 years at Warp 9.9 [3,000
times light speed] and 253 years at Warp 9.99 [8,000
times the speed of light]
Does this not show you the limits set on mankind and, at the same time
the great glory of Almighty God?
What God Has Prepared Out There
Thanks to the Hubble Telescope and a number of other astronomers,
mankind has created a star map that goes out 18 Billion light years in
all directions. A light year is the distance light travels in one year
or 6 Trillion miles. [Note: Actually 14 Billion light years
http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/]
Just what has science found and laid out on this huge star map? Let me
give you a couple of terms to help you grasp all this:
Galaxy: a system of stars containing billions and even trillions
of stars.
Clusters: groups of galaxies. A cluster can contain anywhere
from 50 to 1,000 galaxies.
Supercluster: A large concentration of galaxies and/or galaxy
clusters. A supercluster could contain as much as 1,000 clusters or, to
use a round number 50,000 galaxies.
So you have a single galaxy or a Cluster of 1,000 galaxies or a
Supercluster with as many as 50,000 galaxies.
Here is what we have in the Visible Universe:
We have 10 million Superclusters.
We have in all those Superclusters some 350 billion galaxies.
We have 30 billion trillion stars.
We have 300 billion trillion to 950 billion trillion planets.
Now here is the zinger to all this and something that you can
contemplate till that great day.
Imagine you are viewing the lower 48 states from space. You can see
from California to Maine and from top of Minnesota to the bottom of
Texas. Now imagine it covered in one huge sheet of clean, white butcher
paper.
Now come down to the middle of the state of Kansas. Take a straight pin
and poke a hole in the paper. All that I described to you, out there in
the visible Universe, with its 30 billion trillion stars and 950 billion
trillion planets resides within the confines of that hole you made in
the butcher paper. The Universe goes out in all directions for eternity
and never ends.
So when you wonder what we might be doing for eternity in the Kingdom of
God, begin by meditating on the neighborhood in which it will take
place. The Universe is God’s neighborhood. God, Himself, will set up
His headquarters right here on earth and rule this endless Universe from
New Jerusalem.
Let us conclude with two scriptures.
Psalm 31:19
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou has laid up for them that fear
thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the
sons of men.
And now the words that you and I are waiting to hear from God, our
Father:
Matthew 25:34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of
my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world.
Imagine: You and I will know this from Everlasting to Everlasting!
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