Peace in God's Government

Steve Dalrymple

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon – 2013

Earlier this summer I was at work and it was around 5:30 in the evening when I decided to take a short break. Whenever I take a break I normally check my church email account to see if there is any church related business that I needed to take care of. On that particular day I received a rather disturbing email – it just about brought me to a state of panic. About that time I received a call from my wife Patti, she wanted to know if I would be working much later that evening and I mentioned that I was originally planning on it but after receiving the email that I had received I decided to come home early, there was just no way that I could stay at work and concentrate. I mentioned that I had received this disturbing email from Ron. She said, "Ron who?" I said, "Well, Ron Weinland!" Well, this sort of took her aback of course and she asked what it said. I said, "He wants me to prepare a Feast of Tabernacles sermon!" With that, she made a comment - after almost 40 years of marriage you just about know what the other person's going to say even before they say it, and this time she took the words right out of my mouth – they were, "Oh no!" With that I turned off my computer and I left the office.

As I walked to my car I began praying. You know how sometimes you pray to God and then other times you have those heart-wrenching prayers? Well, this was definitely one of those heart-wrenching prayer moments – there was fear, there was panic, there were thoughts of, "Why me?". Then, after praying a while longer and letting God know all of these thoughts I came to this conclusion, "I cannot do this. I have nothing of value to give to God's people, especially at the Feast of Tabernacles." Once I came to this conclusion it was amazing, I was at peace. At that particular moment I already knew the title of this Feast sermon, Peace in God's Government.

Turn with me to Genesis 1:1...that's Genesis 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; as Mr. Weinland has explained this verse before, a better or more correct translation of this is – And the earth became without form and void... And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Then God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. We know that this particular event took place approximately 6,000 years ago when God refashioned the earth and began to execute the most awesome part of His plan, the creation of Elohim, the God Family, His Family. However, have you ever thought of the original beginning?

If there was a scripture recorded in the Bible concerning that particular moment in time it would probably read something like this, 'In the beginning was God.' That's it, nothing else; life, other than God, spiritual or physical did not exist. There was not an angelic realm, there was no physical life, there was no earth, the universe did not exist, there wasn't any light, sound could not be heard because sound did not yet exist. Our minds cannot even begin to grasp such a thing. There was only God...and that wasn't even the beginning.

Turn to Hebrews 7:1...Hebrews 7:1 – For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation... Who is this speaking of? Melchizedek. He was, as it goes on to say, King of righteousness... And what is a king? The definition of a 'king' is 'a person or being that is preeminent or prominent above others, superior or surpassing all'.

...continuing on... and after that also King of Salem, which is, the King of peace; Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life. So who was Melchizedek? By interpretation, by the knowledge of Truth #42 that God gave at the Feast of Tabernacles in 2005, God the Father is Yahweh Elohim – Melchizedek was the physical manifestation of God Himself. There is only one who can surpass all righteousness. There is only one Almighty God, and He alone has eternally existed. There is no other that is without descent. Our minds cannot fathom how God has eternally existed but we know it, we believe it, just as sure as we are sitting here today.

So if we truly grasp what was recorded in Hebrews 7:3 when it states that God does not have beginning of days, this means that there is no beginning as we understand beginnings. Now, that is enough to blow your mind!

During this expanse in time there was peace. And why was there peace? There was peace because there wasn't any type of conflict because there was nothing to conflict with. We have no clue as to how long this state of nothingness or lack of physical creation lasted. Was it a short time? Was it a million years? ...a billion years? ...or was it even longer? One thing that we know for sure is that God is a patient God; He planned out every aspect of His physical and spiritual creation to an absolute state of perfection. He had purpose in everything that He did from the beginning. He had a plan to create a family, His family. He wanted and still wants to share with us in awesome ways that we cannot fully grasp. There was and is nothing that is left undone.

And then, at some point in time, God decided that it was time to create the angelic realm. He was ready to begin sharing something incredible with others. It was at that moment in time that God's Government was established. And what is government? According to the dictionary 'government' is 'direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states'. It goes on to say that 'government is necessary to the existence of a civilized society'. Up until the moment that God created other beings there was no need for government. Once other beings came into existence, out of necessity government had to be implemented to maintain peace.

Turn to Ezekiel 28:12...Ezekiel 28:12. This scripture is speaking of Lucifer, an archangel who later became Satan. Let's begin in the middle of verse 12 – You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You have been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz, the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set you so: you were on the holy mountain of God; Lucifer held a high position in God's Government.

Continues on... you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, God described Lucifer as perfect in his ways. One of the Hebrew definitions for the word 'perfect' is 'complete or entirely in accord with truth and fact'. Lucifer and the entire angelic realm were entirely in accord with, they were in agreement with the truth that God had taught them. At that moment in time they were at one with God. God set law in motion, He set parameters for each and every member of the angelic realm, they knew what God expected of and from them and they were happy to live within God's government. There was peace.

Throughout the years that proceeded, God continued to teach, He continued to share and to reveal more and more to them, and then at one point in time the original Genesis 1 took place. In the beginning, (Genesis 1:1), the beginning of God's physical creation, God created the heavens and the earth. He created the entire universe with an awesome plan in mind, and God said, Let there be light, and there was light, and God saw the light, that it was good.

Can you imagine going from a complete state of physical nothingness to witnessing the creation of the earth? ...of the universe? ...of everything? We look at pictures that were taken by the Hubble Telescope and we stand in awe of the beauty. We see the Milky Way Galaxy filled with innumerable stars that are so beautiful. And beyond the Milky Way Galaxy there is an entire universe. God saw the light, that it was good. God created the light! Most of us can't even understand what light is let alone grasp that it travels at 186,200 miles per second. We just flip the switch and there is light, and it's good, but as that light travels it will travel approximately 6 trillion miles in a year. That's one light year. How awesome to think that some of the stars that we see in these pictures are billions of light years away, but as we look at these incredible images we are still only looking at a small picture. We are still only seeing a small piece of the puzzle.

Can you imagine being a part of being in the actual middle of the creation as it took place? The angels were, they witnessed it all.

Job 38:4; turn to Job 38:4 – this account is when God confronted Job after his trial and began asking him questions. God says, Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened, or who laid the cornerstone thereof? When the morning stars sang together and all the sons, the entire angelic realm of God, shouted for joy? There was great excitement in the angelic realm, and God's teaching and sharing, He had told them that this event was going to occur. The angels witnessed the awesome power and ability of God as He created everything from nothing right in front of their eyes. They shouted for joy! God's ultimate plan had begun.

But then something changed. God revealed to them additional information, additional truth; He revealed His ultimate purpose or plan. He revealed that He was going to create His Family, out of dirt of all things. Yes, His Family would be created as earthly beings that are weak, incapable, and so lacking in comparison to the ability of the angels, and then on top of it these beings will become kings and priests and they, not the angels, would share in the ruling of the universe. And then there was probably dialogue that began, "How could this be? God had never spoken to the angels concerning this. This was never a part of the plan that He had shared with them." Some of the angels became extremely upset. They may have even voiced their displeasure to God.

Turn back to Hebrews 1. That's Hebrews 1:5; this set of scriptures here is almost like a dialogue between God and the angels. And God said, "For unto which of you," speaking to the angels, "have I ever said at any time, You are My Son, this day have I begotten You? Or have I ever said, I will be to you as a Father, and you shall be to Me as a Son?"

In verse 13 – "Did I ever say to you at any time, sit on My right hand until I make Your enemies My footstool?"

Back to verse 6 – "However, when I bring the first begotten into the world, all of you shall worship Him."

And in verse 14 – "You shall all be ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs to salvation."

God revealed that they were to play a pivotal role in helping to achieve this plan. They were created to minister to, to help, not to rule. Up until that point in time God had only shared the present truth with them, and then it happened....

Turn back to Ezekiel 28:12 - Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD; You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. As mentioned before, this scripture is about Lucifer. You have been in the garden of Eden, of God; he witnessed its creation, he was there when it happened. ...every precious stone was your covering, the sardius, topaz, the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and the gold: the workmanship of your tabrets and of your pipes were prepared in the in the day that You were created. You are the anointed cherub that covers; and I have set you so: you were upon the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till...till? ...till iniquity was found in you. By the multitude of your merchandise they have filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I will cast you out as a profane out of the mountain, out of the government of God: and I will destroy you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: Lucifer had become corrupt because of his own reasoning. He was lifted up - pride entered in - he was better than what God had created him for, so he thought. As time went on the dialogue, the discord began being spread between him and the angels that leant an ear. Any being that would stop and listen, any being that would give ear was affected. Bitterness and unbelief set in. There was no turning back, Lucifer had become Satan, the demonic world had now come into existence, and with that absolute peace in the universe had ended. They had forgotten the peace that was experienced within God's government, the joy, the excitement that they had experienced for so long was gone; it was if it had never existed. This all happened because they had let sin into their lives. It happened because God's plan did not go as they had imagined that it would go.

Brethren, in the introduction to the sermon I made the comment that as I was praying that I came to the conclusion that I cannot give a sermon, and then I had peace. How can that be? It's because of God's Government. If you believe there is a God and you know that the God, that God the Father is the head of all things, we then know that Jesus Christ sits on the right hand of God and He is over, He is in charge of the Church, and as the leader of God's Church He then directs the Church through His apostle, through His leadership. If there is a directive given and you understand government, then you  know where the directive originated from; it originated from God the Father and Jesus Christ.

I know that this is God's Church! There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind and I will tell you why... I began attending God's Church, which was in the Worldwide Church of God approximately 47 years ago. I was around ten years old. Even at that young age I knew that this was God's Church. In 1974 I was 18 years old, and the truth about the Day of Pentecost and when it should be observed was given to the Church. My father, who was a baptized member of God's Church, flew into Cincinnati and told me that he had great news, he was leaving the Church. He then apologized for bringing me into that church, as he put it.

You know, it's absolutely amazing when someone comes to know God's truth and are first introduced to God's Church, it is the Church! But it does not take long after they walk away, after they say, "I've had enough," and it always comes back to where it is that church.

I could not believe what I was hearing. So the next Sabbath I counselled with a minister after services about what my father had told me. Then I became even more flabbergasted – the minister said the most shocking thing to me – he told me that my father was right! He advised me to leave the Church also. Little did I know that this was his last day in God's church and he also had become corrupt because of his own reasoning. Needless to say, my head was spinning, and at that time Patti and I were engaged to be married. I let her know what my father and a minister had said and she mentioned that she fully understood and she would support me in whatever decision that I would make. She then let me know one crucial element – if I chose to leave the Church, the wedding was off. I love that woman! I had the answer that I was looking for. There is nothing like a little helpful nudge to get you to think straight. Then in 1976 I was baptized. Throughout the years that followed I thought that I was doing great. I went to church on Saturday, attended the Feast of Tabernacles, tithed, and didn't eat pork. What more could you ask for? And as I look back now, I was so far from doing okay. Then the unimaginable happened, the Apostasy. Right before my very eyes the foundation of my beliefs were being ripped out of the Church! How was it possible that this could happen in God's Church? I could not listen to this new doctrine anymore so I left the Worldwide Church of God. I knew that it was no longer the Church of God. I tried other organizations which claimed to be God's Church but there was nothing there either.

John 10:27 states – My sheep hear My voice, talking about Jesus Christ, and I know them and they follow Me, He says. The voice of Jesus Christ was not there, they were simply another place to go on Saturday. Little did I know, but the voice of Jesus Christ did not exist at that time in any church, everyone had been spewed out of God's mouth. There was not an individual – especially an organization – that God was pleased with. I became even more disenchanted with religion and I actually came to the point where I said, "I would never have anything to do with organized religion ever again." After a few years, though, I did start attending 'the Church of God – PKG' regularly, in January of 2001, only because my son asked me to. I had no intention of taking it any farther. I had no interest in a church. Little did I know that God had other things planned for me.

Then in June of 2001 a strange thing happened; I woke up early in the morning and God began revealing the real me to me. It was one thing after another. As the day went on I became extremely distraught, but it didn't end there, God continued to run my nose in a great dose of myself up until around midnight. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I had never seen myself in this way before and I saw that I was downright disgusting! I had thought that I was doing fine up until that day. I then left the house around 1:00am and I drove all night long – it was decision time. I had to change. I had to commit to God or it was time to end it all there. That night I came to deeply understand that the problem was not with religion, the problem was me. Even though I attended God's church for many years, that experience there was my ultimate calling – I know that this is God's Church because I know where I was awakened, I know where I was called, and then to top it all off God has allowed me to share in such awesome truths that He has continued to reveal to the Church. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them and they follow Me."

I'd like to quote from an email that Mr. Weinland gave dated June 26, and he states:

"As I wrote this series, there are several things that I have come to far more deeply appreciate and understand (as you will as well). One of these concerns the importance of the truths God has given us that set us apart in such a powerful way as His true Church. I've often encouraged the Church to review the 57 Truths. Reviewing these truths and becoming more fully grounded in them cannot be emphasized enough. God has laid them out for His Church, even in order, count, and timing, let alone for the purpose they serve and teach. God did not just randomly reveal these truths, just as He did not randomly create the galaxies. Everything is for a purpose and time – by design."

The angels did not have a calling, but they were given an opportunity to fulfill a great part in God's plan from the day of their creation. Unfortunately one-third of them forgot what they were given. They forgot what they shared it. They rebelled and turned against God. Brethren, I have seen massive casualties in God's Church throughout the years. I have experienced multiple family members, close friends and many acquaintances that have left God, that have left His Church...some as recently as just a few month ago. Every one of them share one thing in common – they forgot their calling. They let down and did the same thing as the demonic world did, they became corrupt because of their own reasoning. Not a good thing to do.

I'm going to let you in on something. Throughout my years in God's Church, God has never come down to me and asked me my opinion as to how He should carry out His plan. I know that's hard to believe, but there is a good reason for that. Turn to Isaiah 58... or 55, Isaiah 55:8 – God says, For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways, says the Eternal. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. God knows what is best for our spiritual growth and He knows the best time to reveal every aspect of His plan. Who are we to question the Great God of the universe? Brethren, do you remember your calling? No one can be a part of God's Church, no one can come to Jesus, who is the Head of God's Church, unless God the Father draws him or her. That is the only way to know or understand truth. Once again, do you remember your calling? What did you receive?

Number 1 -  you received a personal invitation from the Great God of the universe to become a part of His Family. You were offered the gift of eternal life and you did nothing to receive it.

Number 2 – You received the truth for the first time in your life. Can you grasp how great of an opportunity that has extended to you?

And then, brethren, there are currently around 7.1 billion people that inherit this earth at this moment in time...and number 3 – God chose you above all others. He chose you and has given you a ground floor opportunity to share in the ushering in of His Government on this earth in just a short while. He chose you to be a part of His Government. He chose you to pave the way in establishing peace in His Government.

In the not too distant future man's inability to rule himself, his inability to control himself will result in WWIII. Death and destruction will be worldwide. It will happen because all of mankind is corrupt in their reasoning. This corruption in mankind is the product of Satan's doing. We will come to the brink of self-annihilation. If God does not intervene there will be no life left on this earth. Throughout time man has witnessed and experienced many wars. War is so prolific now that it is not even shocking to us. We hear of wars and rumours of wars but how much does it really affect us? The wars are somewhere else, they are not at our backdoor. Unfortunately, we as a people have grown accustomed to other people's wars. However, not so far back in history the entirety of mankind was engulfed in WWII.

WWII was the deadliest conflict in human history. Over 60,000,000 people were killed. 60 million people is unthinkable, however, that is nothing in comparison to what lies ahead. It is prophesied that over 6 billion people will die in WWIII. At the end of WWII photographers captured pictures throughout much of the world; pictures on the mainland of the United States showed jubilation, praise, and much celebration – the world was not on our doorstep, on our mainland soil. But the stark contrast, pictures taken in other parts of the world showing devastation and then survivors were much different. The pictures that stand out most in my mind are of those people that were liberated from the concentration camps, those that escaped the Holocaust. If you have ever seen such pictures, almost all of them have one thing in common, the looks on people's faces – just blank stares. There was no jubilation. There was no celebration. The Holocaust survivors had lost everything; their livelihood, everything that they had worked for an obtained was gone. There was no home – they lost mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, and children. Some lost everyone they knew. On a daily basis death was hanging over their head. Most, if not all, had lost hope. The war was over but where do you go, what do you do now?

This time, when WWIII is finally over, when God the Father and Jesus Christ intervene just in the nick of time to stop the utter annihilation of all life on earth, there will be no jubilation in the United States. The vast majority of mankind will be in the same state, the same mindset as the Holocaust survivors. They will have lost everything, death will be expected, hope will be lost, mankind will be brought so low. Mankind will be humbled. The few out of 7.1 billion people left will have one thing in common, just blank stares. Jesus Christ will have returned and stopped the annihilation but there will be much work to do to rebuild.

Brethren, we are currently keeping, celebrating, the Feast of Tabernacles in peace. We have been blessed with the knowledge of God's truth. We have been blessed to know that there is life, there is hope, there is peace after WWIII.

The Feast of Tabernacles is outlined in God's plan, coincides with or connects with the Millennium that is soon coming to this earth. This Millennial period establishes God's Government, God's Kingdom on this earth for a thousand years. This one thousand year period is when Jesus Christ and the 144,000 specially called out ones, those whom God has given the gift of eternal life to for the previous 6,000 years will reign in God's Government on earth. They are God's Family. They are the ones that put their hands to the plow and they never looked back. The Millennial period is not the Kingdom of God – God's Family is the Kingdom of God. It is this Family that will establish peace and God's Government. This Feast of Tabernacles pictures/represents what we so look forward to, God's Government coming to and reigning on this earth.

Turn to Isaiah 2:2...that's Isaiah 2:2 – And it shall come to pass in the last days, that's the period of time that we're living in right now. We're living at the end of the 6,000 years that God has allotted man to self-rule himself. During this 6,000 year period we, mankind, have utterly failed. We want peace, we want happiness, but mankind does everything that is the antithesis of obtaining it. We, of and by ourselves, are incapable of achieving peace without God's help. God's way of life is so simple. God says, "This is My way, walk you in it." He gives us the outline for peace, all we have to do is do it. But doing it goes against our very nature. The plan is there, all we have to do is accept it, but human nature will not allow us to do it without God's help.

Continuing on in verse 2 – And it shall come to pass in the last day that the Mountain of the Eternal's House, that 'mountain' is the Kingdom of God, the Government of God. ...the Mountain of the Eternal's House shall be established in the top of the mountains, God's Government will be on top of, it will rule over all nations and peoples of the entire earth, and that Government shall be exalted above the hills; the hills are the smaller nations, and all nations shall flow unto it.

Verse 3 - And many shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the Mountain of the Eternal, what a beautiful picture! Those that survive WWIII and are left without hope will be offered what you have already been offered. Those that are left alive will receive a calling from God the Father. For the first time in their life their minds will be open to truth and they will slowly begin to change, they will seek peace in God's Government. They will see a Government that is free from corruption, free from oppression, and they will come to understand who the true Jesus Christ is. They will come to know and understand who the 144,000 are. The 144,000 were human just like them but they are now a part of God's Family and they are helping to establish peace in God's Government.

Turn to Isaiah 9:6...Isaiah 9:6 – Says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; this is a prophetic scripture announcing or proclaiming Jesus Christ – and the Government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting father, the Prince of Peace. This verse is about the time mentioned in Isaiah 2, the time when God's Government will be established on this earth. This is the second coming of Jesus Christ, the Government will be upon His shoulders, He will be in charge. The names given are describing Him, provide an order or understanding of how this will be accomplished.

The word 'Wonderful', this is a word meaning 'excellent or great', a synonym of 'wonderful' is 'miraculous'. Out of all humans that have ever or will ever exist there will be none as excellent or great as Jesus Christ. His very existence is miraculous. The Almighty God is His Father. His life, His example that He set for us to follow is nothing short of miraculous. He is the epitome of perfection – sin free. He is and will be the ultimate role model that everyone will look up to.

'Counsellor' – a word that means 'to give counsel, to advise, one who guides'. God has given everything to Christ. You have been given to Him, all of mankind will be given to Him. God's way of life comes through Jesus Christ; He is the Head of God's Church, God's only Church - it is through Christ that we are counselled on how to live, we are advised and guided each and every Sabbath, each and every Holy Day. If we heed to this counselling we are guided each and every day through God's spirit living within us. It is through Christ that all of mankind will be counselled in the way of peace.

'Mighty God' – the English translation in scripture states, 'the Mighty God', but it is not 'the'. The original Hebrew is just 'strong God, mighty God'. Jesus Christ isn't the Almighty GOD who has eternally existed, but He is a mighty God. Jesus Christ is God. He is part of the Family of Elohim, but He is not GOD Almighty. Jesus Christ will have all power to rule mankind. He will establish God's Government on this earth because He is a mighty God. Peace will be established within God's Government.

‘Everlasting father’ Jesus is not the Father, Elohim. This word used for father in Isaiah is indeed most often translated as father and carries that distinct definition. But there is also another usage of the term in Hebrew that simply means the “chief one” or the “principal one” and in such instances where it is used in scripture, the context is about the chief one or the principal one as the “head of a household” in a family or tribe of people, and never means “father” in such a context. That is the usage that is being applied to Christ.

In the New Testament Jesus Christ is referred to in a similar manner as the first (chief or principal) of the firstfruits. He is also similarly referred to as the “head” of the Church or household of God. This is what the name in Isaiah is in reference to as Jesus Christ is the everlasting head of God's Family of all those begotten by God in human life, but only God Almighty who has begotten His Family is to ever be referred to as the Father.

And 'Prince of Peace' – how beautiful, peace, the elusive dream that man has been so searching for, however, for 6,000 years it has eluded mankind. No matter how hard mankind has tried he has utterly failed. Jesus Christ will be the Prince of Peace. He will be the ruler, the leader, the chief of peace. Peace will be established.

Back to Isaiah 9:7 – back to Isaiah 9:7 - 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 forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Let's continue on now in Isaiah 2:3 - And many people shall go and say, 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: these people, these survivors will be given the outline for peace, and after what they experienced, when God says, "This is My way, walk you in it," they will have a great reminder, or should I say, a great incentive to want to do so. They will want to be a part of God's Family. They will say, "Let us go up to the Mountain of the Eternal, to the Kingdom of God." It all begins with the Feast of Tabernacles.

How will these people be taught of His ways? The same way as you and I have been, are being, and will continue to be taught. They will go through the same process as everyone that God has previously called during the 6,000 year period. They will be baptized and receive the impregnation of God's holy spirit; each and every Sabbath, each and every Holy Day, each and every Feast of Tabernacles they will be taught about God's way of life by God's Family. They will come to understand that the only way to peace is through God's Government, and as time goes on they will have to repent and change. There will be choices to make just as we have choices to make. If they yield to God's spirit, if they make a diligent effort to listen, to repent and change, they will come to understand that the problems of the past that brought about WWIII, the problems of the past that they experienced all of their lives, the reason that peace did not exist was not everyone else's problem alone...just as I came to see after the Apostasy the problem was me, they will also come to understand that the problem lies within themselves.

Turn to James 4:1 – From whence comes wars and fighting's among you? The word 'war' has multiple meanings. It literally means 'to war', but it also means 'to dispute, strife and quarrel'. The end result of actual war begins with disputes, strife and quarrels. From whence comes wars and fighting's among you? Come they not hence even of your own lusts that war in your members? The problem is sin. The problems, the conflicts in all human relationships, yours and mine also, are not everyone else's fault. There is an old statement, 'It takes two to tango'. Throughout the lives of everyone in the future, they will have to prove whether they want what God is offering them or not.

Back to Isaiah 2:3 - ... and we will walk in His paths: How awesome! In the Millennium, God's Government will establish the path. The choice will be simple. There will only be one path, which is God's path. No matter where you go there will only be one religion – God's. There will only be one Government – God's. There will only be one economy – God's. The whole world, no matter where you are, will function or operate in unison. There won't be any more division, there will be no alternate ways of doing things. ...and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion will go forth the law: the law, God's law, will originate from Mount Zion, which is the Mountain of God, God's government. For the first time mankind will finally be taught God's law, God's way of life. There will be no other religion teaching that God's law, God's way to peace is done away with. Satan will not be around to deceive or mislead during the Millennial period. Mankind will come to understand that God's law, God's Government, is the only way which leads to peace.

Continuing on in verse 3 - ...and the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: the word, God's word, God's way of life will emanate from Jerusalem. There will be some people that will joyfully accept what God is offering them, however, there will be others that won't be so excited at first. The truth about Jesus Christ? The Truth in general will be so foreign to them that they will not want to accept it. Even though they will see the fruit of others living God's way of life their stubbornness will keep them from accepting what is right in front of their eyes. But as time goes on they will learn. Some will learn the hard way; the punishment, the lack of blessings will get their attention. It may take a while but those that live on will come to see that there is only one way that is acceptable, and that is God's way. Jesus Christ and those who are a part of God's Kingdom, the 144,000 will see to it – a repeat of the previous 6,000 years of come as you are, do as you please, will not be tolerated.

Micah 4:3; turn to Micah 4:3 – And He, Jesus Christ, shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. There will be peace in God's Government. There will be peace on this earth.

We are at the end of 6,000 years of man's self-rule, 6,000 years of utter failure resulting in so much misery. We are so close to the triumphant return of Jesus Christ, so close to peace. Until that time comes we have the blessing that comes from being called of God. Right now we have the blessing of keeping or celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles.

As I mentioned before, the Feast of Tabernacles as outlined in God's plan coincides with or connects with the Millennium that is soon coming to this earth. The Feast of Tabernacles is a unique opportunity for us to experience a foretaste of the Millennial period. The Feast offers us an opportunity to practice God's Government, to experience peace in God's Government. And how do we practice God's Government? Through right living, through right relationships. We practice God's Government by living by every word, every precept, every law of God. God's way is the way of all right living that produces the only true peace that exists in right relationships.

Throughout your years in God's Church, whether it's one, ten, forty-seven for me, or some of you even longer, God has shown us the way. He's taught us the way to peace, it's up to us to do it. This Feast we have a short time to get away from the normal pulls and pressures of our everyday lives. We have eight days to spend with people of like minds – eight days to spend with God's chosen called out people. We get to experience a peace unlike any other time of the year. How great of a blessing to be here!

This Feast, will you experience Feast? Are you experiencing peace? Will you allow others to experience peace? If not, you need to ask yourself a question: Where did I go wrong? Where did I step outside of God's Government?

And in conclusion, brethren, we are at a most pivotal time in the history of man. God's Kingdom, the return of Jesus Christ is knocking at the door. For the first time every living being will have the opportunity to experience peace. Once again – do you remember your calling? What did you receive? You received a personal invitation from the Great God of the universe to become a part of His Family. You were offered the gift of eternal life and you did nothing to receive it. It's the greatest gift that you will ever receive. Will you ever turn it down?

And number two, you received the Truth for the first time in your life. Can you grasp how great of an opportunity that is extended to you? Never forget the peace that comes from knowing the truth, the peace that comes from living the truth. Will you ever turn your back on it?

And then, brethren, as I mentioned before, there are currently around 7.1 billion people that inhabit this earth at this moment in time. God chose you above all others. He chose you and has given you a ground floor opportunity to share in the ushering in of His Government on this earth in just a short while. He chose you to be a part of His Government. He chose you to pave the way in establishing peace in His Government - will you sell your opportunity short?

One final scripture in Luke 9:62...Luke 9:62 – And Jesus said, No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God. When you committed yourself to God, when you were baptized, you did put your hand to the plow. Are you fit for God's Kingdom? Are you fit to live on into the soon coming Millennial reign of Jesus Christ and the 144,000? The answer is, yes, you are. Yes, IF - now that's a big word – IF you continue to repent, IF you continue to change, IF you continue to follow God.

Brethren, Satan and the demonic world became corrupt because of their own reasoning. How many has God offered this opportunity to and they also became corrupt in their own reasoning? I know of many, and if you've been in the environs of God's Church for any length of time so have you. What an absolute shame! What an absolute shame to be offered this way of life, to be offered this opportunity and to ever turn it down. There is no turning back for God's people; there is only one way to go, and that is forward...forward into God's Kingdom, forward into peace – peace in God's Government.

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