Nothing Compares

Wayne Matthews

October 22, 2016

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon - 2016

Welcome, everybody, to the Feast of Tabernacles.

We are here to listen to God and to come to understand more about what God requires of us. We are also here to rejoice, to learn to rejoice, to rejoice about the things that God has given us, the way He has provided for us both physically and spiritually.

The title of today's sermon is Nothing Compares.

Now, the title of the sermon really is covering an aspect about nothing compares to what God is offering those who have been called into a relationship with Him. Now at this time, it's us; it applies to us. But there is nothing compared to what God has offered mankind. He doesn't know it yet but God's plan of salvation for mankind is an incredible thing that just can't be compared to anything physical in this world.

Now, we see these seven annual Holy Days. They provide us the plan of God. Through those seven annual Holy Days we see God's plan. Now, nothing can be compared to this plan, what God has sacrificed, what God has given us, and the final outcome for mankind to be changed to enter Elohim. There is nothing that can be compared with what God has planned for mankind. If we see the true value of what God is offering – now, this applies to us now and it will apply to people in the Millennium, and it'll apply to people in the Hundred Years. We will strive now (and future people will strive) to change the way we think, the way we think naturally. We have been called now to see the need to have a right priority in life.

In the Millennium it will be preached that God must be first no matter what, and God must be first in everyone's life. Now, it will be easier for them than it is today under this present evil age. But the Millennium still has its challenges because of the natural carnal mind, because of what we really are. This putting God first and putting His ways first is something that a person must choose. We've been given the opportunity now to choose. In the Millennium mankind will be given that same opportunity to choose. Now, it is their choice. Now they have a choice in this. And in the Hundred Years the same principle will apply; it is an individual's choice whether or not they're going to put God and His ways first.

Let's start this sermon by looking at Matthew 13:44—Again, the Kingdom of Heaven (the Kingdom of God) is like hidden treasure in a field, which a man found and hid. A person has now found this. He sees it's great value. And, because it's not his property, he has now hidden it. He's reburied it again. Well, this is similar to this hidden treasure, which is about the knowledge of the truth. A calling is a hidden treasure. We find it in the sense that God calls us, because we can't find God, God opens our mind, He gives us the sight to see. We don't "see" anything without God giving it to us first through a calling. ...and for joy over it, over this knowledge of the truth, over this way of life, he goes and sells all, this ability for a choice to be made. A person must make a choice. "Sell all," which is about setting a new priority, willing to give up everything of self for God. ...sells all that he has, so he sells everything that he owns, and buys that field. He invests in the field. He buys it because he wants the treasure there.

The Kingdom of God is the same. What God is offering to us, well, it can't be compared to anything physical because we have to be willing to give up everything we have because we "see" the treasure, we see the hidden treasure, we "see" what God is offering. And nothing can be compared with what God is offering. Now, what we see now and what people will see in the Millennium and the Hundred Years, this same parable will be preached, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a hidden treasure." It's about what we're willing to sacrifice, to give up of ourselves. Sell everything so that we can buy or invest in another way of life. We can invest in the truth. We can invest in God's way of life. Now, that's what's going to be preached and mankind's going to have the same choice.

Verse 45—Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, "beautiful pearl" is like God's truth, God's way of life, who, when he has found one pearl of great price, it's so valuable, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. Now, we have to buy it. We have to buy it by this way we invest. We have to give up everything for God's way of life. We have to give up everything for God, which is about this sacrificing self and willing to give up everything of our self.

The Millennium will be exactly the same. People will have exactly the same choice. They're going to be given the opportunity to "see" the truth, which is going to come through a calling. Over time people will grow up in the Church, but it still requires God to open their mind to "see" spiritually, to be able to see the truth. Then they're going to have to make this priority about seeing that there is nothing, absolutely nothing physical that is worth hanging on to, that nothing compares to what God is offering. We see all the physical around us and it's a wonder. It's a wonderful blessing to be able to have access to what God has created. Well, that in itself is a great joy and it's a great blessing. We have to be willing to give up everything of our own selfishness. What we are naturally has to be gotten rid of. We have to be able to get rid of it through a choice. Now, God does that when He calls a person and they then begin to see this Kingdom of God, this hidden treasure, this truth that God has. He gives knowledge of His way of life, and therefore, a person must then give up everything. Now, nothing can be compared with a calling.

We can look at all these different things that go on in the world and they all look exciting and it's all physical. But really, what can be compared with the Eternal God of the universe, the Creator of all things if He then decides to call an individual and give them the opportunity for true life in Elohim? Well, what is it that could be compared to that? Well, the truth is that if we really "see," there is nothing that can be compared to that calling. Nothing! And God's way of life, what can be compared to it? Nothing. There is nothing compared to living love, living in peace, living in unity. There's nothing can be compared to it. But the natural carnal mind and the way the natural carnal mind is, it draws back to its own selfishness because that's the way we're created. Well, the choice that we have is to be willing to sell all, or to give up everything of ourselves, of our selfishness for God's way of life.

Matthew 6:19. What it's referring to is about this way of living now with the world under Satan's system. But in the Millennium people will still have a system and it will be based on God's way of life, and God will be teaching, and people will still have a choice to listen. They still have this choice about what priority they're going to set in life. And this parable will still apply to the Millennium and the Hundred Years. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, which is about this focus or priority that people have to have. It has to be established within a person. It's either a physical focus and not seeing spiritually or a spiritual focus, and in seeing this spiritual focus the physical is second. But, the physical still is important, but the spiritual dominates the physical. The priority is if it's spiritual in nature, it's the way we live our life to others, that's what's more important, this priority. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, which is this total physical focus thinking that it's all of some value when the reality is it's not of any value if we haven't got God involved in our life. ...where moth and rust destroy, because it's about a person having these wrong values and the physical will pass. The "moth and rust will destroy," which is they'll be gotten rid of, they'll be in decay. Where the spiritual will not decay if we're focused on this relationship with God and with mankind. ...where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, because it's all temporary, it's going. ...but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, which is this spiritual focus which must be in our minds, which we must have.

People in the Millennium are going to have the same issue in life. Although we have this rule of Satan now and Satan dominates this system, when the Millennium comes Jesus Christ will rule and the 144,000 will rule, but mankind still has a choice to listen. They still have to make this priority. They can lay up for themselves treasures on this earth, which is this physical focus, and their thinking will still be dominated by physical. It'll be easier in the Millennium, but a choice will still have to be made. "But lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven," which is this spiritual focus to "see" what is really valuable, which is the spiritual.

...where neither moth nor rust destroys or where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart (your emotions or your thinking) will also be. So where we spend our time, where we focus our energies is what our treasure is, what we value the most. What do we value the most? Well, the natural carnal mind values itself. It values its own opinions. They're things it values. We have to see clearly that this treasure of selfishness is of no value and it will decay and it will be gotten rid of. Whereas our focus, our treasure, what we value the most is this relationship with God, and therefore, God must be first.

Now, in saying that it doesn't mean to say that we don't focus on a physical aspect of life. We have to. We have to still earn an income. We have to still have relationships within families. And we still have to have things go on in our life, like work, etc... God's not saying that we shouldn't focus on those things. What we should do is involve God in those things.

Yes, we will have to have a job. Well, in that job we involve God in it. We tell God about what's going on in our life. We involve God in our decision and we use God's spirit in how we treat others in those physical focuses, in those relationships. So these are the things that are important to God. It's about what we really want in life. Well, what we want in life. We can desire the physical things – there's nothing wrong with those things – but if God is not in the picture, if God is not involved in those things then we have a problem, because our treasure is simply without God. We're focused on selfishness. We're focused on taking to self.

What Christ is saying here is where our treasure is, what we focus our time on is where our thinking is. We can still have these physical things go on in our life, as people will in the Millennium and the Hundred Years, but the priority, the focus will be about what we value the most. We value the most our relationship with God. We value the most our calling and what God requires of us, and therefore, we have a right priority.

Verse 22—The lamp of the body is the eye. This is referring to where a direction of a person goes with their thinking. "The lamp," or the direction, or the inner thinking of a person, "is about the eye." So the eye shows you where you're to go. Well, this is referring to intent. If, therefore, your eye is good, which is clear. If our intent and motive is to put God first and to monitor self and to bring it into check so that we can build others up, so that we can have this right relationship with God and right relationships with one another, "If our eye is good," if it's clear on a spiritual level, your whole body will be full of light, which is God living and dwelling in us. "If, therefore, your eye," your intent, "is good," which is clear, "your whole body will be full of light," full of righteousness because it's motivated by God's holy spirit. If our motive and intent is about God's way of life, God is first, God's spirit in us and we use God's spirit and we yield to God's holy spirit, we'll be full of light.

But, which is the opposite, if your eye is bad, which is the motive and intent is about selfishness, your whole body will be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light that is in you is darkness, which is our motive is wrong and God's not involved in it, how great is that darkness! What's really happening is that our selfishness and our pride have dominated our life and that's what's taken over our life.

Continuing on in verse 24—No one can serve two masters. We're either in the light or in the darkness. Our motive and intent is with we're trying to strive to yield to God or we're yielding to our own selfishness. ...for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches/treasures. So our zeal must be for God. God must be first. We can't serve our selfishness and serve God at the same time. We're either hating one and fighting against it or we're loving the one and yielding to it. We're either for God, serving God, or we're after riches, which is the same thing as being selfish. We're looking after our selves. God must be first. No matter what happens in our life God must be first.

This same priority must be set by those in the Millennium and in the Hundred Years. No one in the Millennium or in the Hundred Years can serve two masters. Their motive and intent is either physical focus or spiritual focus. We focus on the spiritual, but we still have the physical to deal with. But everything that goes on in the physical life has a priority already set, and that is we strive to yield to God. We strive on the spiritual focus. We're either going to love ourselves or we're going to love God. Or else, we're going to be loyal to the one. We're going to be loyal to God or we're going to be loyal to ourselves. And if we despise ourselves we will be loyal to God because that's what we have to come to see. We have to despise our selfishness. We have to desire to get rid of it.

Well, this same focus is going to take place in the future. Nobody in the future can serve God and riches. They're going to have to decide which priority they're going to do. And that's a choice they're going to have to face. Now, when they look at this and they compare the two, when we compare what God is offering, well, nothing compares to what God is offering. There is nothing. We can't just sit back and say, “Oh, no, I think that the physical is going to be more important.” Well, if we've got clear eyes to "see," if we can actually see spiritually it doesn't take long to see that there is absolutely nothing in this physical life that should outweigh or can outweigh what God is offering. God is offering peace and happiness in Elohim forever versus death, no consciousness ever again. Well, what can be compared to those two? There is no comparison.

But God designed it that the natural mind would have a natural physical focus and naturally look after itself, self first. Well, that's the choice that we have to make. It's the choice that everyone in mankind that is given that opportunity is going to have to make. They're going to have to set a right priority. But it is their choice to what they choose. It's their choice who they want to serve. They're either going to serve self or serve God. That's the choice they have.

When we have clear eyes there is nothing to be compared with what God has on offer for mankind if they are willing to listen, if they're willing to humble themselves and take up the fight and learn to hate and despise their own selfishness.

Matthew 12:33—Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. Well, this is referring to people. Jesus Christ is using an analogy here where "the tree," being a fruit tree, it's either going to bear good fruit or it's going to bear bad fruit. These things can be seen by God with a person's intent. "Either make the tree," individual choices that a person makes, "good and it's fruit good," what will be borne will be through the power of God's holy spirit, "or else make the tree bad," which is leaving the natural mind as it is in its own selfishness, "and what it will bear will be bad fruit," which is selfishness, which is sin. "For the tree is known by what it bears," by what it gives, if it's good fruit or bad fruit. We're exactly the same. We're either going to be bearing one thing or bearing another.

Jesus Christ speaking, Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, which is their motive and intent, speak good things? Well, anything that they would speak that would perceive to be good was actually based on an evil intent, which is a bad motive, which is about selfishness. Well, if a person is motivated by God's holy spirit they'll bear righteousness. They'll bear right fruit, whereas if they're motivated by selfishness they'll bear bad fruit. "...being evil speak good things." Well, it can't. They can't do that because God's not involved. So they could only speak evil because their motive is evil. These things sometimes can sound good in the world but the motive behind it is driven by selfishness and pride.

For out of the abundance of the heart, out of the mind, out of what we think, the mouth speaks. So it reveals an attitude. Whenever we see that we speak things that are deceptive, if we go back into our minds we will see that there is deception in our thinking, that we're protecting self, that there is pride involved. Now, this can come out in the way we respond to situations or we respond to people. Our attitudes reveal what's really going on within our thinking.

Verse 35—A good man out of the good treasure of his heart, which is his mind, brings forth good things. God is involved. God's spirit is involved. Because only God is good, and therefore, any good that comes from us has to be motivated by God's holy spirit, has to come through God, because God is good. But we have to yield to what God is doing in our life. ...and an evil man, which is this selfish natural proud-filled person, of an evil treasure brings forth evil things. So, "an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things," which is this natural mind. It's all it can do. Now, it can give the appearance of good, but in actual fact it's motive and intent is actually evil.

But I say to you that for every idle word a man speaks, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. Now, this day of judgment, as we know, is coming on mankind in the Hundred Years. But there is a time of judgment if we are called. The moment we are called we have to address ourselves, our selfishness. During the Hundred Years mankind will be given that opportunity to judge themselves. Now, if they don't judge themselves, well, there is a final judgment. Well, we judge ourselves. Now, the way that we get through this judgment is through repentance. "Every idle word," so everything that we think, everything that we say, "we give an account to God," and what we do is we go before Him and we repent. So during the Hundred Years that will take place. During the Millennium this is going to take place.

Verse 37—For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Well, we're justified based on our repentance, because we're going to God and we're revealing and admitting of the idle words that we've said, things that are wrong, things that are incorrect, the way we've thought. Well, we can be justified by repentance, because the moment we go to God and repent we are forgiven of that sin, therefore, we're justified. "And by your words you will be condemned." By not repenting of the idle word, by not repenting of the thoughts, well, we are going to be condemned because we refuse to repent, and there is a penalty to be paid.

There is nothing physical that can be compared with what God is offering His called out ones, whether it's now, whether it's during the Hundred Years, or whether it's during the thousand years. How can we compare something physical, which is temporary, with something spiritual that is permanent. We have to be quite deluded to think that the physical is more important than the spiritual. One's temporary. One's permanent.

If we do not see the real value of what God is offering us we are short-sighted and spiritually weak. Now, if we are short-sighted and spiritually weak, we will set wrong priorities in life. We won't put God first; we won't put the spiritual first.

During the Millennium exactly the same priority is going to have to be set. If people do not see the real value of what God is offering them, they are then spiritually weak and they are short-sighted.

Matthew 16:24—Then Jesus said to his disciples, If anyone desires to come after me, which is about having this spiritual focus, let him deny himself, which means everyone has to fight themselves. They have to fight their selfishness, and take up his stake, and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life, which is looking at it on a physical level, will lose it, because they're not spiritually focused. So if we strive to save our physical life by having this physical focus we will lose our life – not just physically, but spiritually. ...and whoever loses his life, which is now to sacrifice ourselves now to get rid of the pride and selfishness in us, to be in the battle for the rest of our life. And if we do it, for my sake, Christ's sake, will find it. Spirit life will be given to them.

Verse 26—For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, totally physically focused, ends up with a lot of wealth, has everything that he has sought to have, and he has all of that, and loses his own life, spiritually? What's the point of it all? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? What would he do? Well, mankind has the capacity to simply focus on self because of pride, whereas, really what that will gain him is death. So really it's a wrong focus. Now, this is simply saying we have to have a right focus. If we focus on the spiritual we will gain our life. If we focus on the spiritual we will gain our life, we'll be given life everlasting with Jesus Christ and we will have access to God the Father all the time.

Mankind is going to be able to compare three time periods. And they are: The first 6,000 years of man's self-rule under Satan, because during the Hundred Years everyone is going to be able to compare that. They will have that access, or that opportunity to compare it. Then there is a period of 1,000-year rule of Jesus Christ and the 144,000, which we refer to the Millennium, the thousand years. Well, there is a comparison to take place as well. Some will have had life in the 6,000 years of mankind and they will live into this 1,000-year period, but they, too, will live and die. There is going to be a group of people that will not have known much about the 6,000 years. There'll be knowledge, and it'll be preached, but that is no comparison to actually have lived in it, a period of rule under Satan. During that last period of a Hundred-years the majority – not all – will have lived under the rule of Satan. They will have had knowledge of what it was really like. So there are going to be lots of comparisons to have been made.

Isaiah 2:1—The word of Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. This is really looking forward to a period of 6,000 years being ended and now going into the Millennium. And the Millennium, really, is about preparing for that last Hundred Years. Now it will come to pass in the latter days, which is at the end of 6,000 years of self-rule, under the rule of Satan, that the mountain of the Lord's house, which is talking about the return of Jesus Christ, shall be established on top of the mountains, over the top of all other governments. The return of Jesus Christ will see the removal of all of man's self-rule. And we're going to see one government, a government of peace.

Now, if we just looked at that aspect alone, about one government, having one government with one lot of laws, God's law being implemented in the world over a period of time we can see what that will bring. It will bring unity of mind. So this is what we are facing, which is just around the corner.

And shall be exalted above the hills, which is all the smaller governments, and all nations shall flow to it. So there will be a central government system. Everything will function under one government, the government of God. Therefore, a lot of the confusion that exists today will disappear. Many people shall come and then say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Eternal, to the house of the God of Jacob, which is talking about the Family of God, because a "house" is about a household, which is referring to a family. It's referring to a way of life. They want to go up to learn, to learn about God's way of life, because it's all coming out from Mt. Zion, which is the Kingdom of God, which is governed by Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords, and the 144,000.

Now, as we have heard, we understand now that man, even with God's spirit, can go against God, whereas the only way to have true government, the only way to have true unity is to have one mind. And that's what Jesus Christ and the 144,000 have. They're in one government. They have total unity. There's not people coming up with their own ideas about what is right and wrong and all the different rules and, yes, we can do this. Anything that can harm another person will need to be considered.

Now, there's a lot of change that's going to take place during this period of time, that once Jesus Christ sets up his government on earth, the government of God, God's government on this earth with the 144,000 there's going to be a lot of reorganization to take place. And that takes time. And that will be difficult for a lot of people. Mankind will have been humbled, and, yes, they will be willing to listen, but change is difficult. People are going to have to learn another way of thinking, another way of living.

Continuing on in verse 3—He, referring to God, will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths, because we're going to have to learn God's way of life, because it's about the household of God under Jesus Christ. And He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, the word of the Eternal from Jerusalem. Now, Jesus Christ will be speaking the words of God because He is the King of kings.

Verse 4—He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people. Now, this is referring to the fact that these things God does, but He does it all through Jesus Christ, because Jesus Christ is the King of kings. He represents the Kingdom of God on this earth and he is bringing all things into subjection to himself, then he will pass it all on to God the Father. All will be made subject to him. But it takes time. It takes 1,100 years. "He shall judge between nations," there's going to have to be correction that takes place, "and shall rebuke many people."

They shall beat their swords into plowshares, because this is about a way of thinking. It's not actually taking a physical sword and beating it into something so that you can plow with it, it's referring to a spiritual principle. It's about a motive of peace. It's a symbol of peace. Therefore, people's attitudes will change. They won't be learning war anymore. They'll be learning to be productive, to produce peace. ...and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, so there won't be war anymore because the attitude will change, neither shall they learn war anymore. So it's a complete change of thinking. It's a new way of life. It's a new education system. It's one way of life and it's all based on one government.

If we just stopped and looked for a moment about what we could compare with the Millennium versus what we have today, well, the first major thing is the fact that Satan is removed. Then, because Satan is removed there is no comparison between the two because Satan's system is based on selfishness and pride. It's about "the lust of the flesh, the pride of life," and the desires that are in mankind. Satan manipulates those things and actually strokes those things that are natural within mankind. Therefore, what's on the internet now will be totally overhauled and gotten rid of it because the vast majority...the vast majority of what is on the internet is deception and lies and filth. It's Satan's thinking. The amount of pornography, the amount of deception, the amount of get, the advertising systems, the way cars are sold, for example, involving nude women. All of those things, everything has to change. Everything on TV has to change. There is very little, very, very little on TV of much value. Because what is motivating these things is an industry driven by pride and vanity and selfishness. Advertising campaigns are completely going to change because the deception that is in advertising will be gotten rid of.

So we can see that once the internet is changed, in other words, all that's on it has to be revamped. To be honest, well nearly all of it's going to go. And everything that's on TV is going to have to be honest, well, therefore, nearly all of that's going to have to go. And the promoting of sin through magazines, through TV programs, all of that's got to go. The promoting of murder and revenge and selfishness, all of that's got to go, and we've got to see the truth and advertising campaigns that reveal the truth.

How can we compare God's way of life with man's way of life and Satan's system? There is no comparison, because one is honest, one is dishonest. One is righteous; one is not righteous. One is evil! So the comparison is going to be quite stark.

Well, as we move further into the Hundred Years there will be no comparison to the way of life. The selfishness and pride, the hate and the evil will be gone. Man will still have his selfishness that he's going to have to battle, but the implementation of one government, one religion. That one religion alone.... The deception that is in religion, that thousands of religions that exist today will be gone! God will get rid of them all. And during that thousand years a new education system that's going to be brought out about what is true religious activity. It's about this priority, God first. It's about the 10 Commandments. It's not about man's thinking and man's opinion and all the different religions and choosing from the Bible to set up a religion based on one or two words. All of that will go. The whole word of God will be taught.

But the big key to all of that is that with God's spirit it can be understood. So based on a calling, based on the fact that a person has access to God's spirit, and if they yield to it, they will "see" the truth because God will reveal the truth to them. They will see spiritually because God will enable it. Now, that's the big comparison!

Today mankind cannot "see" the truth. They can't listen to the truth. They can't hear the truth because they've not been given access to it. We're heading into a time where mankind will be given access to the truth if they will listen, if they will then make a choice; they then have that potential to have a relationship with God. Now, God has to open their mind to hear it. God has to open their mind so that they then make a right choice. And if they make that right choice God will honor His commitment. It's a matter of whether man will honor his commitment by being obedient to God. Because coming into a relationship with God requires obedience, and we have to commit to that obedience for the rest of our life, therefore, it becomes our choice.

Mankind in the Millennium is exactly the same as us, having access to God, having a relationship with God, and then committing to obeying the truth. What man now has to do is compare two ways of life. As they "see" their selfishness, as they "see" themselves, they then have to compare themselves with God. They have to make that comparison. And then they have to make a choice, "Do I want God's way of life and to live forever, or do I want my own way of life, my own selfish and stroke my own ego and pride and have everlasting death that will last forever. No life ever again." The choice would be ours. Well, the choice will be theirs. And in the Hundred Years, exactly the same choice, exactly the same principles, one government, one religion. It's going to be a lot easier but there's still battles that have to take place within the mind. And those battles will be because we're natural. Mankind has a natural way of thinking. And people will have their own ideas about what God means and they have their own ideas and own interpretations of things.

In the end they'll have to come to learn one main principle. That one principle is that God works a particular way and God reveals truth a particular way and no other way. Once they come to learn that they will then yield to God, because they'll see their selfishness and they'll know that God works a particular way. And God says, "I change not." And God will work a particular way. He will always work through His servants. He works through His Church. God works through Jesus Christ. He works through an apostle. That's how truth enters the Church. Well, that's what we have today. God will work a particular way. He'll work through Jesus Christ. He'll work through the 144,000. He'll work through a Church. And truth will come a particular way – from God the Father through Jesus Christ. That's the way God works.

Now, when mankind comes to see that, they then have the opportunity to discipline themselves. And when they think they see certain things they need to be very careful about what they think they see because it's a test of themselves. It's a test on them about whether they yield to God's government and they don't lift themselves up above God's government.

Mankind will face one main decision. It is, "Do I choose God or do I choose my own selfishness?" Because that is the final decision. Mankind, left to himself, left to his own selfishness or mankind yielding to the government to God, to God's way of life. We understand that the Last Great Day is a great act of mercy by God. Now, nothing can be compared with God's plan of salvation for mankind – absolutely nothing!

When we look at what man is offering, man offers that a person lives and maybe, in some religions, you can be transformed to be changed to an insect in another life, or you can come back as a dog or a cat, or you could die and you might go to heaven and float around in the clouds and look on the face of God forever, or you may die and you may go to an ever burning hell where you'll be burned by Satan and tortured by Satan. All of that garbage! What can be compared ... compared to what God is offering? God offers a choice. God offers us a choice. We can choose to have life forever with Him and be in peace and unity and happiness forever, or we can choose death where we'll have no consciousness ever again. Two clear choices without all the confusion, without all the garbage.

The real issue comes down to our selfishness. God requires that we choose to fight against our selfishness, to overcome it by the power of His holy spirit, because God has to do it. We have to learn to yield to it. God is the one who provides us spiritual sight. Everything comes from God. Anything spiritual comes from God. We can't do it of and by ourselves and we have the proof and evidence of it. If we look back in our own life to what we were before we were called... what we were before we were called. We were in our selfishness. Now, we should be able to see that.

In the Millennium people will see exactly the same. They'll be able to look back and "see" their selfishness, and then they know that they have to yield and be humble and to seek God, put God first. The Hundred Years will be the same. People will be able to "see," because God will enable it, to "see" what they were before they were called, before they were resurrected to this Hundred Year period. They'll be able to remember, they'll be able to "see" themselves. And therefore, in seeing that, they'll better see the comparison. "Ah, this is me, what I am naturally, and this is what God is and what God is offering." Now, they will have to make that choice. There is only one way to enter the Kingdom of God. There is only one way and it's the way God has outlined. We have to choose to fight ourselves.

The biggest danger for people in the future will be what the Church has already experienced. And the danger still exists for us! Exact same danger! During the Millennium, this same danger will apply. And during the Hundred Years the same danger will apply. Even though Satan isn't there during the thousand years and the Hundred Years, but there is still this huge danger and it's within us. It's built within us and we have to learn to recognize it and learn to fight against it.

Revelation 3:14. In times past there has been almost a perception that there was just a magic wand and everything will be fixed and everything is beautiful from day one as we go into the Millennium. But the truth of it is is that mankind is still mankind. Mankind still has his selfishness. He'll have access to God but he still has to make a choice. And in making that choice he then has, over time, a decision to make. And Revelation 3:14 starts this process of going through what the danger is for all of us – every one of us now, everyone in the future. This same danger applies, which is learning from one of the eras of God's Church.

Revelation 3:14—To the angel (messenger) of the Church of the Laodiceans write, These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, referring to Jesus Christ, the Origin/the Beginner of the creation of God. Because it's all through Jesus Christ who was faithful and was the true witness, that it is through Jesus Christ that the beginning of this creation, which is entering Elohim, was activated. So Jesus Christ is the beginner of the creation of God, because the way that God is created, which is entering Elohim, being God's, is only through Jesus Christ. So it's through this that we can enter Elohim. It's through Jesus Christ. He says (now this is Jesus Christ saying), I know your works, "I know your efforts." "I know your spiritual efforts." "I know your practices." "I know what priorities you have set in your life." "I know what you are comparing right now." "I know what you're comparing (in the future)." "I know your works." "I know you," is what he's saying, not in the sense of in good terms, but in the sense of a bad term. Because when God says, "I know you," a person becomes set. But Jesus Christ is saying, "I know your works. I know what you're really like," that you are neither cold nor hot, referring to a spiritual effort. When we're cold it's cold, like when it's cold, it's dead cold, it's obvious, nor hot, which is zeal, there's no zeal involved. We're lukewarm. We're in the middle. We're neither one or the other. If a person's cold they're putting in no effort at all, they're totally carnal. And if they're zealous, they're hot, they're putting in effort, and therefore, they're putting God first. They've got the priority.

But this group of people went through this process. They were neither one or the other. They were right in the middle. Sometimes they'd be a bit zealous and other times they weren't. They were just neither. They weren't either. They were just sort of in the middle, lukewarm. It's got a bad taste in the mouth.

I could wish you were cold or hot, one or the other – make a choice! So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold (dead spiritually) nor hot (not zealous for God), I will spew you/vomit you out of My mouth, which is to be cut off from the flow of God's holy spirit. This same thing will apply in the future, that people can become cold and people can remain hot, powered by God's holy spirit. But if they choose to be in the middle, lukewarm, God will withdraw His spirit from them.

Because you say, so how's this all happened? Because you say, I am rich and have become wealthy, talking about something spiritual. They're rich. They're living in a period where there is God the Father ruling through Jesus Christ and the 144,000 who are appearing, who are walking amongst them, and they have all this truth that they have been given and they think they're doing pretty well. "I have become rich and become wealthy," spiritually! ...and have need of nothing. They're very content where they are. There is no growth. There is no fighting against selfishness going on. Even though Satan is not there they still have human nature, which is dominated through desires, through wrong lusts, desires, satisfaction for self. Selfishness dominates the natural carnal mind. Well, they have need of nothing. They're doing pretty well. Everything's comfortable. There's peace. Things are going well. There's productivity. There's cooperation within families. But this person now has become self-reliant. They don't need anything. They're doing pretty well by themselves.

...and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked spiritually. Spiritually! Because they can't see themselves anymore.  I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, there's going to have to be tests and trials here. You're going to have to go through tests and trials so that we can be more spiritually active, to turn to God, to seek God in a relationship so that we can put God into our physical lives, to involve God in every aspect of our life. God first! ...that you may be rich. To be spiritually rich we're going to have to need trials now, which we're going through. And in the future people will have trials. There's no magic wand that there's no difficulties in life. There still will be difficulties in life and there still will be trials. Why? Because that's the way we grow. That's the way we become spiritually rich, is through a trial and then through that trial we turn to God and we involve God in our life.

Continuing on... and white garments, which is referring to righteousness, having God in us, that you may be clothed, with spiritual garments, that the shame of your nakedness, which is your own selfishness, may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see, which is about spiritual. So we need healing. We need to be anointed to be healed. Well, we need to be called to be healed. And through our life we have these trials and we have these difficulties and we have to always learn to turn to God to see the truth, to yield to God.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Repent from pride. We need to look at ourselves to compare ourselves with God's word. We have to be zealous in fighting ourselves. This will apply in the future. Mankind, even under God's government will still have to be careful not to become lukewarm, to become familiar, to become complacent, and therefore, take to self and relax, to relax spiritually because that's the biggest danger within mankind.

During the Hundred Years the same danger will apply. This very principle of Revelation, the lukewarm Church, the Laodicean era will apply to all mankind because it's natural within us just to let down. "I have all of this. God's government is in place. 144,000 are here. We have a church system. We have one government. We have one religion. We have one education system. We have all of this." Well, we can soon become very familiar with it, and Sabbaths just become a routine of life. But the zeal of God and the repentance that is required on an ongoing basis because of what we really are as humans is disappearing, and then we become complacent. We don't "see" ourselves anymore. We don't see ourselves on a spiritual level.

Well, God says, "Be zealous and repent!" Now, that message, "Be zealous and repent!" is going to go on from this day forward right through to the very end, the end of 100-years. Be zealous! We all have to learn to be zealous. During the Millennium the same thing will apply. People are going to have to learn to be zealous, not to take things for granted.

Verse 20—Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me, which is an incredible scripture, really because God desires a relationship with us. Jesus Christ desires a relationship. And Jesus Christ desires to love us. God desires to love us. God is desiring a relationship with us and all we have to do, "If anyone hears My voice," through Jesus Christ and the 144,000, "and opens the door" of the mind! We have to open ourselves up to be teachable. "I," Jesus Christ, "will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me." This is about spiritual food. But the key to having spiritual food, which is going to be available during the Thousand Years and the Hundred Years is, "If anyone hears my voice and opens the door." Because we can hear a voice, but we can leave the door closed. The messages that are given, we can hear the voice at the back of the door, but if we don't open the door, open our mind in humility, we will not receive Jesus Christ walking through the door, and therefore, we can't dine with him, we can't eat the spiritual food with him. We can hear the voice and leave the door closed! That is the danger for all mankind, leaving the door closed, not opening our minds to the truth, not opening our minds in humility but leaving ourselves in our own pride and our own selfishness thinking that we have everything and that we no longer need God or Jesus Christ in our life. We no longer need to be taught. We no longer need to listen.

Now, the day we think we don't need to be taught and there is no more growth to come to us or there's no more growth within ourselves to take place, we're then Laodicean. We are increased with goods; we're rich. We don't need anything! We don't need to overcome anything! Well, the moment that happens we then fall into this great trap, which is this one of self-reliance and pride. Cause that's all it is, it's simply pride.

Verse 21—To him who overcomes, overcomes their selfishness, overcomes this attitude. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me, this is spiritual, on my throne, which is this authority that will be given to the individual, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne, which is about spiritual authority that will be given. Now, this is directed towards the 144,000 in the main, but it can apply to those in the future. "To those who overcome I will grant to sit with me on my throne," which is to enter Elohim, "as Jesus Christ/as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne," which is about this family relationship that takes place.

Verse 22—He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the Churches.

We are not to be content with our spiritual condition. Lukewarm is this self-reliance and not seeing the need to have God involved in our life – to become complacent, to let down spiritually. Well, these things are going to be even more so taught during the future periods, because this is the greatest danger within mankind, this complacent attitude that is so easily developed within our thinking because we think that we're doing okay. When the reality is, that God tells us, to repent, to have zeal, to be hot for God, to put God first no matter what.

Now, there is nothing that can be compared with what God is and what God is offering to mankind because there's nothing comparing. Anything physical? It's all just irrelevant. What can we compare with what God is desiring for us to have? Life-everlasting in a relationship of peace and happiness and unity with God, one way of thinking, to be love. How can we compare anything with that? Well, the moment we think that it's not worth fighting for is the day we are deluded.

Romans 8:9. People in the future will come to "see" what we see, which is about our own mind, what it's really like. Verse 9—But you are not in the flesh but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. So the way we think will be different. We're not in the flesh, we're not thinking about putting self first, but we're in the spirit because we are repentant and we're thinking about what is right and wrong before God, and God's spirit lives and dwells in us. Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not his. We don't belong to God. The Logos, the Word of God must live and dwell in us.

Now, this applies to the future. Not everybody in the future is going to yield to God. Not everybody in the future is going to have God's spirit living and dwelling in them and being active. Some will make the choice to put the physical as a main priority and not put God first. Some will become Laodicean in their attitude and think they have everything, yet they're going to have to go through tests and trials (even during that period) so that they can come to "see" themselves.

Verse 10—And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit is life because of righteousness, which is we have God's thinking. But if the spirit of Him (God the Father) who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, which it does now for those that are called into this relationship with God and who are enduring and standing now. This will apply in the future. If the spirit of God the Father, who raised Christ from the dead dwells in them, He (God the Father) who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His spirit which dwells in you, or "by his spirit which dwells in you." Applies to people now. It applies to people in the thousand years because they will be raised from the dead and it'll apply to those at the end of the 100-Year period. "He will give life to their mortal bodies through (because they have) God's spirit which dwells in them." So that same principle applies.

Now, this will continue also. Therefore, brethren, because people will become "brethren" because they're part of the Body of Christ, we are debtors—not to the flesh, nor to live according to the flesh. Not about our own desires. We are to learn to fight against sin in our minds. We're to fight against ourselves. We don't owe it anything! People in the future are going to go through this very same scripture. "Brethren, we are not debtors to the flesh," we don't owe it anything, "to live according to the flesh," to live according to our own selfish desires, which they're going to have. They don't have Satan there, but they're still going to have selfish desires. They're still going to have to learn to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. It's something that has to be learned. It's a choice that has to be made.

Verse 13—For if you live according to the flesh, if you want to stay in your own selfishness, you will die. But by the spirit of God you put to death the deeds of the body, which are about the words and actions of the body, the natural selfishness. We have to be fighting ourselves. We have to learn to sacrifice ourselves. We have to choose to sacrifice ourselves. ...you will live. Talking about something spiritually. We will live spiritually. They will learn to fight against themselves by the power of God's holy spirit; make the choice, they, too, will live. For as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are sons of God. Now, there's going to be millions and billions, potential sons of God. They're going to be given that opportunity, the same one we have now. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage, which is about bringing us back to the natural carnal mind where we were held captive with our thinking and our prejudices, again to fear, because with fear there is no hope. Whereas we have hope of this change! ...but you received the spirit of adoption, because we have this relationship with God, by which we cry, Abba, Father. People in the future are going to do exactly the same thing. They're going to see these scriptures on a spiritual level.

The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, the spirit in man, that we are children of God. What an incredible scripture this is! "The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." We're children of God now. We're potential sons of God! We're adopted! We're in this adoption process. Because when we're fully adopted and we are changed to spirit we become sons of God – not just begotten, but born sons of God. Well, that's the future. Millions and billions of people will have that potential. The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, who has already inherited, if, and this is it, IF indeed we suffer... How do we suffer? By fighting our pride, by fighting ourselves. Just like people in the future, they're going to have to suffer. They're going to have to come to see themselves and fight against themselves. They're going to have to suffer physical life because there's a lot of suffering in physical life. Life will be easier during the next periods of time, but it's still not going to be easy because they have their natural carnal mind of selfishness. They still have pride. They still desire to look after self. That's just natural! That's who we are! So the battle now becomes easier because of the removal of Satan, but it's still going to be difficult, because fighting self is difficult. ...if indeed we suffer with him, that we might be glorified together, changed to spirit.

Going forward everybody is going to have to come to see the need to deny self, to fight pride, and to repent of sin.

Now we see here Paul just going on about this present evil age and about the sufferings, about what it's like under Satan. Well, people will still suffer going forward. It's different suffering. The trials will be different. But the temptation of pride will still be there, but they won't have that broadcasting where Satan is out there broadcasting and influencing and manipulating the natural carnal mind, because now without him there there still will be some suffering that goes on because the suffering is about these battles that have to take place in the mind. Satan is not there to influence it, but it's still there because pride will exist to the very end, selfishness will exist to the very end because that's the natural carnal mind.

Verse 18—For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Because nothing compares! Nothing compares with what God is offering. Nothing! The thinking of God just can't be compared with the natural carnal mind. There is no comparison. They're just so far apart! And to have the mind of God is an incredible benefit that we have access to now, incredible benefit. Paul is saying here no matter what happens in this present evil age there is nothing that can be compared with what God is going to offer, the glory that He's going to give – His thinking, His character that will be revealed in us. It's just incredible!

Romans 12:1. What will people have to do in the future? I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you yield your bodies a living sacrifice. They're going to have to learn to give up their own selfish desires. They're going to have to learn to yield to God, to deny self, because self will still exist. What do they have to do? ...give up your bodies, a living sacrifice, which is this focus on the interest of others, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world. Well, the world will be different, but there still will be tendencies and there still will be behaviors that aren't always right because not everybody in the future will be obeying God. So they're not to be conformed to what is wrong, but be transformed by the renewing, which is this change of thinking. We have to choose one way of life. It's either God's going to be first as our highest priority, or He's not. So there has to be this transformation by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove, that you may live it, what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God. A person's intent has to be changed – has to be changed from selfish motivation to Godly motivation. We have to learn to sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others. We have to serve God in obedience. They're the things that are going to have to be learned.

It still has to be implemented and there still has to be the human choice that has to be made. We can't just blend into what's going on. Because in the future people can just move into what is "safe." In other words, just live something, which is we can just live Sabbath keeping, because that's what everyone else is doing. We can live tithe giving. We can live the Holy Days, just go to them. But that doesn't mean to say that a person is being transformed because you can do all of those things for selfish reasons – to be seen by others or to get to the praises of others. Well, the future is that people have to learn to transform their motives – why they do what they do. We have to "see" ourselves – they're going to have to learn to "see" themselves – and to transform the way they think because they're going to have to change their intent. They'll have to learn to sacrifice to the benefit of others.

Verse 3—For I say, through the grace (mercy) given to me, that everyone who is among you, not to think himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Because God is the one who gives faith, and it is given by measure because God is the one who does righteousness in us. It's God that is good. Now, the ability to see the truth will be given to people, but they still have to now change the way they think. They're not to think highly of themselves, thinking they're something because of an education system or who they're related to or their position of service in the Church. All of those things are going to have to be fought because humility will be the key. We're not to think that we are better than anybody. This boils down to an individual relationship with God and Jesus Christ, therefore, that will be reflected on how we think about God's servants and how we think about God's people, one another. It's all about the way we think.

Now, we're to "think soberly," which is to have a sound mind about God's way of life. We have to learn to sacrifice ourselves for the benefit of others and not to think of ourselves as better or needing to be served or to get or to acquire to get things for ourselves. Exactly the same going forward! People are going to have to come to "see" themselves, to learn to sacrifice themselves and not to think of themselves as better because of some relationship or that they lived in the Millennium or they did something or they were once a king or they were once 'this' or once 'that,' they were once a movie star. Because when you get down to the truth of it all, many of those things are going to be frowned on because they are just riddled with pride. They are just demonstrating an outward sign of great pride because they took it to themselves of what they thought they were. Going forward people are going to learn to see themselves as God sees them.

Verse 4—For as we have many members in one body, because we have all these different parts, but all the members do not have the same function, because God has a different purpose for every individual. God has a purpose for all people that He calls because there's one Church and there's one body. There's only one Church and there's one body. Going forward there's going to be one Church, one body, and right to the very end there is one Church and one body made up of many people, many brethren that make up this one body. But not everybody has the same function. Some will have a different function because it's God's will in a person's life that is done. It's not our will but God's will be done.

Verse 5—so we, being many, are one body in Christ. Now the key there is "one body IN Christ," because we can be one body, we can be part of the Body, so-called, thinking we are, but we're not in Christ, we're not in unity with Christ. So, really, we're not one body at all, we're not in the Body at all, we're just demonstrating that we are, we're living out a role, we're acting out a role. Going forward, same issues are going to apply in life. There's only going to be one body and it will be IN Christ. There'll be others that won't want to be in Christ because of personal choices. ...and individually members of one another, because we're joined together, because we need each other. What joins us together is God's spirit. It's God's spirit that joins us together. It's God's spirit that makes the one Body. And being part of that one body we all have a different function, we all have a different relationship with God, and God is working with us for a different purpose. We don't always see it. We don't always understand it. But God is the one who does the works and God will do what God has planned, and He will achieve His plan.

Verse 6—Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, because we're all different and God is using us for different means. Now, we all have the same goal, which is to overcome our selfishness. But in that God gives different levels of faith. He gives it to us for a purpose, to help the Body, to benefit the Body, to benefit one another, to build one another up. Because it's about "one body fitly joined together."

If prophecy, if in inspired speaking, in proportion to our faith; or ministry, ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality, which is this sincerity that is there, genuinely motivated by God's spirit; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness, which is once we have given this mercy or this favor to someone we don't do it begrudgingly.

Verse 9—But let love be without hypocrisy. Because here we see there's not to be any pretense. It's not an act. We're not just acting out something for the benefit of selfishness. We are to love using God's holy spirit, but it's not done with insincerity. It's actually done with sincerity. We genuinely love one another. We genuinely love the brethren. Going forward exactly the same principles will apply. There will be various functions within the one body and no one is to lift themselves up thinking they're better than another person because of some human reasoning. No, we're all servants of God. We all have different roles and functions. But the key is to serve God in love, to love God. And the way we demonstrate our true love to God is to love what God has loved, which is the brethren. We love one another.

Let love be without acting, without insincerity, but to be sincere. Abhor, or to hate what is evil. We have to hate what is evil within ourselves. Cling to what is good. Cling to the truth. Hold on to the focus about God first. We're to hold on to it. Now, we'll only hang on to it if we see this comparison. Because nothing is comparable to what God is really offering us! We can be self-deluded about it, but the truth is, how can anyone compare what God is offering you and me right now, or what God is going to offer people in the future? How can we compare it? This physical life is just all temporary and is going. There's only one outcome that we really need to strive for, and that is to live forever in Elohim, in love, in the Family of God, to be of one mind in total unity.

And what God has planned for mankind in the future, and those in the Family of God who have entered Elohim, well, what God has for us.... Because He's lived forever and His plan goes beyond the 7,100 years of mankind – far beyond that! We're only seeing a very, very, very small portion of what God's plan is. This is God's plan for mankind now, but what has God got planned for His Family for eternity? Well, we can't even begin to comprehend what God has got planned. But He has a plan because God is detailed and He has plans for everything. He has a plan for you. He has a plan for me. He has a plan for those that live into the Millennium, and those born in the Millennium, and those that live during the Hundred Years. God has a plan and it will be achieved. Now the choice is ours whether or not we want to be part of it. And when we stand back and compare what we are to what God is, well, there is no comparison. We're selfish and inward. We don't sacrifice naturally. We just take to self. God is love. God is giving. God sacrifices.

Well, we should be able to see those two comparisons and we should be able to see ourselves versus God, and we should abhor or hate ourselves, which is to abhor or hate what is evil. Well, we by nature are evil. Our selfishness is evil. So we are to see that (God reveals it to us in His mercy), then we're to cling to what is good, what God shows us in the truth. What we see in the way of doctrines, what we see about God's way of life, we're to cling to it! We're to hold fast, hold on to what God is giving us, which is basically motivated around the truth.

Verse 10—Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, which is going to need humility to love one another. It needs God's spirit to love one another. ...in honor giving preference to one another; which is about this priority, it requires effort, and it talks about putting other’s needs first. That's what "our effort." Now it takes effort. It takes thinking to love the brethren. It's just not an automatic thing. We have to be consciously choosing to put others first.

Verse 11—not lacking in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Eternal; rejoicing in hope, the hope of salvation, patient in tribulation, in trials and tests that we have. We are to be patient towards one another, patient towards God knowing that God loves us and the reason we're going through this is that God wants us to see something, to make right choices. ...continuing steadfastly in prayer, which is to be constant in prayer, which is about involving God in everything physical. We're to involve God in our life. God is first. We involve God into what we're doing physically. So we can have a physical focus, as people in the future will have physical focus, but the key to it is to always involve God in it, which is "continuing steadfastly in prayer," involving God in our life. ...distributing to the needs of the saints, which is about being generous, given to hospitality, which is about fellowship and to love one another and to be hospitable, which is to accept who people are and what people are knowing they're all potential sons of God. Therefore, we will go out of our way and sacrifice for them.

Bless those who persecute you, because life will be difficult. Going forward, life isn't going to be just a magic wand and all going to be wonderful. Life is going to be difficult and there will be those that will persecute in the future. It won't last long, but it will happen. ...bless and do not curse. So it's the way we think.

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those that weep, which is all about an attitude, the way we see others and the way we see what God is doing with others, and we're not just focused on ourselves.

Verse 16—Be of the same mind towards one another. Do not set your mind on high things, which is about pride, but associate with the humble, members of the Body of Christ. Do not be wise in your own opinion. So, in other words, don't let pride get in the way. Fight against pride. Now, giving opinions is something that the world is full of. People want to ring up and give an opinion on radio and TV stations and that now ask, "What's your opinion?" "Give us your opinion." Well, the reality is our opinion is worthless unless it is in line with what God is saying.

Our opinion on, for example, murder, the way we see it and what we think should happen, well, as long as it aligns with God that's the right opinion. So we can have opinions as long as they are driven and motivated by God's holy spirit. We can have attitudes about things, which is fine if it's in line with the way God has an attitude toward things.

From this we can see there is a need to see ourselves. And that can only be done through the power of God's holy spirit. Do we see the difference between our thinking and God's thinking? That's exactly what's going to come to mankind in the future. They're going to have to come to see the difference between their own thinking and God's thinking. And they'll come to see there is no comparison between the two. One is love, being God's. One is selfishness, being the natural carnal mind. And the desire that God has is that we desire, we choose to take on His thinking.

If we don't see what we really are we're in trouble. If we do see what we are, we are heading in the right direction. The comparison in thinking must conclude with the following: We must see that God is right, that God is love – we must "see" that – and that we are wrong and that we are filled with selfishness. They're the conclusions that we must come to. We must come to see that our personal views and opinions are worthless unless they agree with God. We must come to understand and live God's government in our life. We have to learn to yield to God's government, yield to God's spirit.

The Millennium and the Hundred Years are about humans coming to "see" that they must yield, must choose to yield to God. If we are not under government we are not seeing the truth about our own selfishness or that God is working to achieve something in us, because God is working to achieve something in us, and it's about a change of thinking.

1 Corinthians 2:6—However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, which is about spiritual maturity, not just age, yet not the wisdom of this age, which is talking about the wisdom of mankind and what they think is wise, nor of the rulers of this age, which is talking about man's rulerships or rulers and princes and kings which thought they were wise, who are coming to nothing. Now, this is the key of understanding what we really are. Everything physical is coming to nothing. All the things of human reasoning, none of it is going to survive. It's all coming to nothing.

Paul is saying here, verse 7—But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which is the world can't hear it, but this wisdom is about God's mind... God's mind. It's a mystery to mankind, but it's not a mystery to us. Well, during the Hundred Years, during the thousand years exactly the same thing is going to apply. "We speak," it's going to be the 144,000 and others, "speak the mind of God," and it won't be a mystery to them.

Continuing on here with Paul speaking to the Corinthians: the hidden which God ordained before the ages for our glory. So it was there, this wisdom was there, but it was hidden from mankind all for a particular reason – for the glory of the Church. Going forward it's the same thing. It was hidden from them, but now it's going to be opened up to them. By the power of God's holy spirit those in these periods coming up ahead of us are going to "see" the mystery of God. The Wisdom of God is going to be revealed and it's going to be a glory to them. It's going to be a glory to them because they're going to have the mind of God living and dwelling in them. ...which none of the rulers of this age currently knew; for had they known, they would not have staked the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ. But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, now, this is talking about something spiritual, nor has entered into the heart (mind) of man (mankind) the things which God has prepared for those who love Him, those that are called.

Well, this is all going to change because eye will see and ear will hear and it will enter into the mind of man, in the mind of mankind "the things which God has prepared for those," them, "who love Him," those that are called. Now, to be called it requires something because we have to demonstrate our love of God. How do we demonstrate this love of God? How will they demonstrate their love of God? They will keep the Commandments. This is love – if we obey God. Mankind is going to have to come to learn to keep the 10 Commandments – all 10 of them – in spirit and truth.

The Hundred Year period is exactly the same. Their eyes will see, their ears will hear. It will enter into their heart (powered by God's holy spirit) the things which God the Father has prepared for them and for those that love Him. Because if they are not loving God at that time these things will not enter into their minds, because it requires God's holy spirit and if they're not keeping the commandments, they're cut off from God, they're cut off from the flow of God's holy spirit, they will not be able to hear or see. It's absolutely impossible, just like it is today. Mankind cannot hear and cannot see because they're not called to it. We're entering into a time where God is going to open their eyes to begin to "see" (some), and if they listen they then will be able to have enter into their minds the things which God has prepared for them. And that is: God has prepared for them the Millennium. This is such a wonderful time that we live in. How exciting is this that we're going to see all of this?

Verse 10—But God has revealed them, these mysteries, the truth, the hidden truth to us right now. He's going to reveal it to others going forward. ...by His spirit, because without God's holy spirit we see nothing spiritually. We can't stay in the truth. We can't stay in a relationship with God and one another without God's spirit. Absolutely impossible. We can't do it of and by ourselves. But God has revealed these things to us by His spirit, for the spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Which is true. It's only by human reasoning, human logic. Because of the spirit in man we see physical things. Even so no one, that's nobody knows the things of God except the spirit of God. We can only see spiritual things because God enables it.

Now, mankind going forward, this same thing is going to apply. They will have physical knowledge because "of the spirit of man that is in him," but they will have spiritual knowledge because the spirit of God is going to be made access to them. They'll be able to think and remember spiritual things because God's spirit lives and dwells in them. Now, that's the difference. That's the comparison: Human knowledge, spiritual knowledge; physical knowledge, spiritual knowledge; physical man, the spirit of God living and dwelling in a person that enables them to be in Elohim.

Verse 12—Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, the teachings of the world, but the spirit which is of/from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. All knowledge, spiritual knowledge, comes from God. All spiritual knowledge comes from God. Mankind often thinks they invent things, and they take it to themselves that they did it. No, God allowed them to think that way for a purpose. One person can be born and given the knowledge of a certain thing, that they can do the drawing and they can work it out and passes on and the next person takes it. They're given the intellect from God to be able to develop and invent it, whereas another person has no interest in that. Well, that knowledge came from God.

Spiritual knowledge – all spiritual knowledge comes from God as well. God's way of life, the way to understand God's way of life has to be given to us by God. God shares His thinking with us. Now, we are so blessed to have it. Going forward they're going to be so blessed to have the access to think like God.

Verse 13—These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the holy spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. It's all done by the power of God. God does it in us.

Verse 14—But the natural man does not receive the things of the spirit of God... It can't. It's absolutely impossible because God hasn't opened their eyes to "see" it. ...for they, these spiritual things, things of God, the way we live our life now, are foolishness to him. This is all going to change. During the periods coming up this is all going to change. The things of God won't be foolishness to them because God is going to open their minds.

Continuing on, verse 14 ...nor can he know them, it's just impossible now for them to "see" them, because they are spiritually discerned. Because God has to give it. To think spiritually it must be given by God. But he who is spiritual, which is what's going to be given to them. Going forward God's going to pour out His holy spirit. One of the great blessings of the Millennium and the Hundred Years is God's going to open the minds of mankind! This is just incredible to understand within our thinking now, that God is going to open up all of these billions of minds so that they can see spiritually? But He who is spiritual judges all things, which is discern things on a spiritual level. It has to be a gift from God. It requires God's holy spirit. So the big difference between now and the world, first 6,000 years, is the fact that God's spirit only exists in limited ways within a group of people – small ways. Going forward God is going to pour out His spirit on all mankind if they will listen and yield to Him and humble themselves. This is amazing! And they're going to be able to implement this scripture. They're going to be able to judge all things spiritually because they're going to look at things to discern them on a spiritual level.

...yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For, Who has known the mind of the Eternal, that he may instruct Him? But... Which is nobody, because nobody can instruct God. But we have the mind of Christ. We have access to God's thinking now, which is one of the mysteries of the ages right now. The mystery of the ages is the very mind of Christ, the mind of God. It's a mystery to mankind. They can't understand it. They can't follow it. They don't understand it. We see it.

Well, going forward this is the big difference, the comparison between two minds. There is the mind of man and the mind of God. They cannot be compared. They are so far apart as east is from the west. They just can't be compared! The mind of man is selfish and carnal. The mind of God is love, giving, and outgoing. Our choice is whether or not we're going to yield and listen to God. Mankind's choice going forward is, are they going to listen to God, they're going to yield and listen to God?

Well, in the end the choice is theirs. They're going to have to make a comparison. The comparison to physical versus spiritual, the comparison between staying with the natural mind of selfishness and/or choosing to have the mind of God. That's the choice. That is our choice and that is going to be their choice. The choice is theirs.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1