A Time of Choice

Wayne Matthews

September 24, 2018

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon - 2018

Welcome, everybody, to this Feast of Tabernacles for 2018.

If you’d like to turn to Leviticus 23, and we’ll start in verse 33 which is covering the Feast of Tabernacles. Leviticus 23:33—Then the LORD spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the children of Israel saying, the fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days to the Eternal. We understand and we’ve been given this information about the seven day week. We understand seven days that are in a week, and this is the day, the seventh day which is pointing to the Millennium, the 1,000 year rule of Christ and the 144,000.

So, the first 6,000 years is given to man to do whatever he wants to do based on his own thinking, his own opinions, his own views of what’s right and wrong. Well, this seventh day, which is we celebrate on a Sabbath, points to something. It points to this Millennial period, the 1,000 year reign of Christ.

Verse 35—On the first day there shall be a holy convocation, which is a gathering. You shall do no customary work on it. So there’s no work. It’s a time of rest. So we rest on the seventh day Sabbath because in the Millennium it’s a rest, and it’s a rest from the rule and the influence of Satan and the demons. So there’s a period where Satan’s removed and we move into that Millennial period, the 1,000 years, and mankind is given a rest. We’re here today resting on a Sabbath but it’s not really a rest for mankind because they’ve got the influence. We have to fight it. That’s part of our challenge.

And that’s what’s unique about those that are called during the first 6,000 years of mankind, because we have Satan and the demons influencing, whereas the future that’s going to be removed. Satan’s going to be removed, and the demons, therefore, mankind moves into a rest, a rest from that influence.

Verse 36—For seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the Eternal. On the eighth day, and that points to that last 100 years, at the end of the 1,000 years, you shall have a holy convocation. You shall offering an offering made by fire to the Eternal. It is a sacred assembly. So it’s separate. It’s a separate period of time. ...and you shall do no customary work on it. So again, there’s another 100 year period where there’s rest given to mankind, all of those that died during that 6,000 years. And then those that died that are going to be resurrected in that period back to physical life (during the thousand years), that die and haven’t been given the opportunity for life at that resurrection, they’ll be actually resurrected back to a physical life to continue the journey that they were on. There are some, I’m sure, that will not make the first period.

When you look at the beginning of the Millennium and that period you can understand that the majority of mankind, if you look out there now, they do not want God’s way. The way that man is and the way the thinking is they do not want God and what God has got to offer. Well, there’s coming a time where it’s going to be forced on them; that there is no other option but to force it on mankind, and it’s about the return of Christ.

Deuteronomy 16:13—You shall observe the Feast of Tabernacles seven days, after you have gathered from your threshing floor and from your winepress. Looking at something physical, well, we understand that is second tithe, and it’s over a time period that we would save this tithe so that we can celebrate and rejoice before God during this seven days.

And you shall rejoice in your Feast... So the important part of the Feast that we celebrate, these seven days that we celebrate, is the rejoicing. Now, if we happen to go to an organized venue and we don’t rejoice at what God has blessed us with, the ability to get there and the finances to get there, or the assistance that’s been given by God to a person to get there, and if we fail to rejoice physically and spiritually we’re not actually keeping the Feast. Because God commands, “You shall rejoice.” And that rejoicing was about dwelling in booths.

If you think about it, a person would set aside a time to sit down and meditate, to think about what God has blessed us with, and therefore, we should do the same. Make sure we allocate some time to sit back and think about all the blessings we have received, not just the physical things but the spiritual blessings that have been given to us.

And one of the greatest things that we can rejoice during this Feast is actually our calling and the gift of God’s holy spirit. Having those two things is just an incredible thing, yet alone for us, Chris and myself, an awakening. To go to sleep and then to be awakened, and then to be shown the truth again, to be able to see spiritually, it’s just... Well, it’s hard to talk about it because it’s just unique, it’s a rare thing. But what a blessing! So we can rejoice before God because we understand the truth. It’s a great blessing to understand the truth.

Well, 2nd tithe is a time to save according to God’s will for a purpose, and it’s about rejoicing, “rejoice in your Feast,” to be thankful and rest. So it’s a time of resting. It’s a time to separate ourselves from the world and to listen to God for the seven days – it’s actually eight in total with the Last Great Day – but to listen to God, to see what God has for us in this time.

...you and your son and your daughter; so it’s a family thing. Now, we are family. It’s a family thing that we are doing. We’re rejoicing together. And we would look out for one another during this time because anybody that is less fortunate than us, well, we can look after them, we can care for them, which is part of this rejoicing. ...you and your son and your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, the Levite, which is talking about the ministry, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. So it’s those less fortunate than the blessings we have. And there are a lot.

You may or may not know those that actually stay back and are given an opportunity to stay at home because of health or other reasons, the Church does remember them. The Church remembers them and tries to have some level of contact by giving something. Because just because a person’s home their desire is to be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. That’s their desire. Well, they can’t make it because of health or other reasons, well, that’s what God has allowed to happen to them.

Well, the Church, the ministry do remember them. Well, same for us. We should remember them. We can remember them in our prayers, and to think about them, what it’s like to be at home for that eight day period. It’s still a rejoicing but it’s not the same because of the fellowship. We have fellowship. And fellowship is about God’s spirit.

So this is about a spiritual family being together, begotten sons of God sharing. Isn’t it a beautiful thing, begotten sons of God, unique in this world of seven billion people, unique. So few unique people that God has called. We’re not special of and by ourselves. What makes us special is God’s holy spirit. The calling is what makes us special. Well, God wants us to rejoice, to rejoice in His way, what He’s doing with us. And we can rejoice for the fact that we have this potential now, we’ve started a journey.

Verse 15—Seven days you shall keep a sacred Feast to the Eternal your God in the place which the LORD chooses, and that’s done through His government, Church government, because the LORD your God will bless you... Now, if we do this God will bless us. He blesses us spiritually by giving us sermons. He blesses us spiritually by pouring out more of His spirit so that we can comprehend spiritual matters; because that’s the only way we can comprehend spiritual matters, is with God’s spirit. So He’ll bless us spiritually with the truth. The truth will be expounded about this Millennial rule. It’s a great thing to understand, that we know what’s coming. Mankind is not going to be given the opportunity today to understand. It’s coming in the future. But they don’t understand today; they’d say we’re all crazy. “What do you mean 1,000 year rule of Christ and the 144,000?” They don’t know about it. They don’t want to know about it, but it’s coming. But we know about it.

Now, just that knowledge alone is a great blessing, it’s a great thing, and it sets us free. It sets us free. Knowing that we are the Feast of Tabernacles is a freedom. We don’t want the world. We want nothing to do with the world. We want to be as a family rejoicing before God. It’s an exciting time.

...in all your produce and all the work of your hands, so that you shall surely rejoice. Physically and spiritually. So we save 2nd tithe for a spiritual purpose not just a physical one so that we can get to eight days of rejoicing. We save it for a spiritual reason. The motivation is we want to learn more about God’s way during these seven days of the Feast.

Now, to comprehend this sermon and its direction, this Feast sermon in particular, a person must spiritually understand and believe the 56th Truth, because where we’re going in this particular sermon is about good and evil. And unless we understand the 56th Truth we will not comprehend what this is really talking about. It’s about a choice between good and evil, and that’s what we’re in today, having to choose between good and evil, whereas the world is not in a situation where they can choose good. Because they don’t have God’s holy spirit. So they can’t comprehend that.

So truth 56, I’m going to read it: 56 (6) God created both good and evil, but to understand “how” is to understand why God gave beings, both human and angelic, independent free choice... And this is the key to the sermon, “independent free choice.”

You are here today because of a free choice. You’ve been given the opportunity by God but there was still a choice involved where we had to think, “I’m going here today for this meeting.” It’s a choice to come here. If we didn’t have God’s holy spirit why would you want to come here? You wouldn’t. You just wouldn’t. Because without God’s spirit we don’t make right choices, we can’t choose good.

So, in actual fact choosing to come here today is a good choice. We’ve made a good choice. Good and evil. And to stay home and say, “I don’t want to go today,” to make excuses (not because of health or whatever), make excuses, “I just don’t want to go and hear Wayne again,” would be an evil choice. It’s a choice between good and evil. So there are choices to be made.

“God’s way is the way of right living that produces only true peace that exists in right relationships.” So this free independent choice that’s been given to us (it’s a part from God Himself; it’s been given to us), is about a free choice. It’s about a free choice.

“By revealing (showing, teaching) “this way—the way of peace,” evil was created.” So God has revealed a way, and by revealing this way of good (which God is good, only God is good) automatically what is created (because of this choice) is evil, the choice that we have, the choice of, well, what do we want to do? Well, we understand what happened to Adam and Eve, and we’ll look at that.

“This happens because “in” those created, there existed the free choice to live a different way than the way of peace revealed by God.” So there was a choice involved.

“When any being in God’s creation chooses a different way of living than the way of peace that He (God) has shown (given), then “evil” is created.” One way to help understand this spiritual principle, this spiritual topic, is to look at it in the way of opposites. So we have good and because good is there and God reveals this to us, what good is, with God’s spirit, then evil is created because we have now choice to make. So we see good and we can see evil.

The world cannot see good, doesn’t understand good. I’m talking about the good of God, it just doesn’t see it. It can’t because it takes God’s holy spirit to see it.

Now, the way to consider this is opposites. Truth – good. Evil – error. Give (God’s way) – get. They’re complete opposites. So that’s how we can understand good and evil, they are opposites. Love versus hate. Light versus darkness. It’s the same type of thing but there is a choice involved, which one we want to do.

The title of today’s Feast sermon is A Time of Choice. Because the thousand year reign of Christ and the 144,000 is a time (1,000 years), where mankind is going to have the power to choose good. It’s a beautiful concept.

When you think about it man out there can’t choose good because they don’t have God’s spirit. We in the Body of Christ now can choose good or evil. It’s a choice. Well, they’re going to be given that time for 1,000 years to come to understand that they are living a life and experiencing evil that they have and that we experience evil by our choices, because we choose evil. Well, they’ll experience it during that thousand years but they have the power now, through the power of God’s holy spirit, to see good, to know what it is. We know what good is. It’s called truth. They don’t. That’s why if we talk to someone about truth, well, what we know, it’s stupidity to them because they can’t see. So there is no point. They can’t see, can’t understand, and can’t comprehend. It’s a spiritual matter.

The purpose of this sermon is to look at this 1,000 year period called the Millennium which is a time for millions to make a choice. They’re going to be able to now, by the power of God’s holy spirit given to them, they’re going to now have a choice – choose good or choose evil. And that’s us today – choose good/choose evil. Now, we often choose evil by nature. That’s just the way we are.

This is a time when mankind will be given the time and the experience of good and evil. They’ll experience God’s way because it’s going to be taught. So they’re going to experience it, “Ah, I can see it. I understand it.” But by nature the carnal mind of selfishness will still dominate like it does with us. So good and evil, God’s way or selfishness, fulfilling desires of the flesh.

We’ll start this topic by looking at Lucifer’s choice, the first choice of rebellion. So this is the entrance of evil. So we see good, God, only God is good because it all generates from Him. Well, now we have a being that’s going to choose an opposite way, the first rebellion, which is the first choice of evil. This is how evil was created, through a choice that Lucifer made.

Isaiah 14:12—How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, which is “light-bringer,” son of the morning! Now, he did not have God’s holy spirit but he was given the power of choice. So he was created a particular way that he thought a particular way, but in being created that way at some point he came to realize that, well, that he wanted something else. He chose something else, because there was a choice involved.

How are you cut down to the ground (earth), you who weakened the nations! How? By deception. Why? Because he had chosen another way. He had chosen evil.

If you’d like to hold your place there and just quickly turn to Jude 1:6—and the angels who did not keep, now, this is by a choice, because they were given a domain and they were given authority, but by choice they did not keep their proper domain, because of this choice. ...but left, or abandoned by rebellion, their own abode, their own dwelling place, where they dwelt. He (God) has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of that or the great day. Now, there is a day or a time when they will pay for their rebellion. The wages, what a person earns because of rebellion, is death. The wages of sin is death.

So Satan and the angels that rebelled by choice – it was a free moral choice – will pay the penalty just like every human that chooses to go against God willingly. Unpardonable sin – will not repent, they’re going to pay the penalty. So there’s a period of judgment, which, we know, the 100 years is a period of judgment. Well, the Church of God, we are under judgment now. It’s not a condemnation but it’s a judgment, determination of what we will choose. God is examining our minds, our hearts, searching our hearts to see what we will choose. And based on those choices there’s a reward, there’s a consequence.

Well, we understand that Lucifer (whose name was changed to Satan) made a choice, and a third of the angels made a choice so they have been judged. And that judgment, it says later in scripture, Satan has been judged. Well, the outcome of the judgment hasn’t been delivered yet and it’s called death, which we know to be... I think it’s the (I’ll get to it. There’s a truth at the end, 50 something, which we’ll get to), that it really is about, well, there is a day and a time where the judgment’s been made already but now there is the reward for that.

So we out of this can learn that every action has a consequence. If we’re choosing good there’s a consequence for good. It’s developing the mind of God. Or if we choose evil there’s a consequence, there’s a reward, something is going to be earned from it. And unless it’s repented, that choice of evil, if we repent of it, well, that’s fine. But if we don’t repent of it the consequence is death; what we earn from our choices is death because we refuse to repent.

We understand here in Isaiah 14:13—For you have said in your heart, in your inner thinking by a choice... You have said in your heart, in your inner thinking because of a choice, I will... That’s incredible. “I will.” This is really determined, “I will.” I will ascend into heaven, because he was based on the earth, I will exalt my throne, which God had given to him anyway. This authority was given to him but now he’s going beyond what he was allocated. I will exalt my throne above the stars (angels) of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north. “I will be like God,” is what he’s saying. “I want to be like God. I want to rule.”

Now, when you look at this, this is about what is it all about? And we’ll get to it. This is about good and evil. Only God is good, and therefore, the choice is, he’s saying, “Well, I want to determine what is good and evil. That’s what I want to do.” God has already determined what is good because He is good, and by giving choice to angels and to humans there is now the creation of evil. Well, he’s taking a different path. He says, “I want to determine that. What I think is good and evil, I want to do it.”

Well, we’re the same. Humans have the same thing. We determine what is good and evil. Naturally, that’s the way we are. We are all right in our own eyes so what we think is good, that’s what we think. We think that someone else is doing something we say, “Oh, that’s no good.” It’s just a determination. That’s our power, the power of choice.

Verse 14—I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be/become the Most High, in place of God. To become like God is deciding for self what is good and evil. That’s what it really is, “to become like God.” Because God is good, and He’s determined by this choice that He’s given to others that now there’s a creation of evil. Well, we turn around and we work out what’s good and evil.

A third of the angels chose selfishness. They didn’t want to stick to what God said was good, they wanted to choose their own way. And two-thirds of the angels stayed with God; the majority (I like to look at it), the majority stayed with God.

Matthew 19:17. This is Joshua the Christ, the Messiah, speaking to a young rich man. Matthew 19:17— So he (Joshua) said to him (the rich young man), Why do you call Me good? Which is a question, “Why do you call me good? No one is good, no one has perfect thinking, nobody but One. So here we should be able to see that there was never two beings in the God family, there was only one, because there is only one that’s good. That meant that if there was two the other one wasn’t good? Is that what’s being said?

Well, it says here, no one is good but One, that is, God (Yahweh Elohim). That’s where good comes. Because He is good, He is perfect thinking...perfect thinking.

But if you want to enter into life, which we all do, keep the commandments. Now, we understand that’s physical, that he’s talking spiritually, but this guy is listening and thinking this is physical, “Keep the commandments. Okay, do that.” Well, this is spiritual, a lot more to it...a lot more to it. Which we understand keeping the 10 Commandments in spirit and truth is totally different than just keeping the 10 Commandments, physical things; totally different because of our motive and intent.

Only God and His way of thinking is good. So there’s only one that can think good, and therefore, if there is good given, if there is any good in us it came from God, because there’s no good in us. And Christ, as we understand, had the mind of God, the Word of God, therefore, he could think good. But where did it come from? It came from God because there’s only one that can think good. So if we do any good on a spiritual level it came from God because only God is good and He can create it in us, which is what life is about.

Any being or any way that does not agree with God is against God, is evil. So any being that is against God’s way of good, the opposite is evil because they’re against God.

Now, there’s two parts to looking at the word “good.” Because everything God created was good, and therefore, people can say, “Oh, well, man was good.” No, this is a different “good.” It’s not about the nature of God as good, the way He thinks, this is about a plan that God had to create a family, therefore, everything He created was about Elohim, about a future family that He’s going to have. Therefore, He made things and He called them good. Plants were good. Fish were good. Man, Adam and Eve, were considered good by God because it was about a desire and a purpose that He had. He saw His plan being fulfilled, coming into fruition. Like the angels were created and God said they were good. Not that they were good as God is good, but this is a good thing because they were there for the servants of mankind to create Elohim. So they were to serve; they were servants of God.

So everything God created that came from His mind was good. The creation of spirit, the spirit realm, spirit beings, plus all the physical creation was from God’s mind and it states that God says it was good, because it came from His purpose to create Elohim.

Genesis 1:31—Then God saw everything that He made, and indeed it was very good. Now, this isn’t because, as we said, it wasn’t because it was God’s good but it’s good because of a purpose.

And it goes on in verse 31—So the morning and the evening were the sixth day. Mankind was not created with spiritual good in them. So we didn’t have this spiritual good of God’s thinking, but we were considered good because of God’s purpose. Verse 4 states, which is about the history of it all, that everything that God was doing was considered good because there was an outcome.

Genesis 2:8-9—And the LORD God planted a garden, which was an enclosure, eastward in Eden, and there He put a man whom He had formed. So we see Adam is put there. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant in the sight and good for food, the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So here we see this aspect of good and evil, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This tree, the tree is symbolic of God’s way of thinking – the tree of life – because it’s only through that that you can have life. And then you have the knowledge, another tree called the knowledge of good and evil. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is also symbolic of human reasoning or selfish thinking. These two trees are about personal choice.

Now, we understand that life is about choices, and therefore, we’ll be tested. So we in the Body of Christ who can see good, true good from God, God’s way of thinking, God’s way of living, well, we’re going to be tested by the truth, and therefore, we have to make a choice. Are we going to follow? Now, we all know thousands (I know thousands, basically), or hundreds that have chosen (or tens of tens), that have chosen another way. But they did make a choice not to follow God, not to believe God anymore. They made a choice.

God’s way has to be decided on. And that’s what the Millennium is about. The Millennium is about a decision, time to make a decision. And then you see the Last Great Day, the 100 years, this is it. It’s a final time of choice. Better make a choice because the end result of that choice is going to be given, whichever.

Well, we’re in a period now of making a choice, what we think. Now, the problem with us as humans, we decide for ourselves what we think is good and evil. It’s natural! That’s what everybody out there is doing.

Let’s look at the second rebellion that took place. We saw the first one which is Lucifer, now Satan, he made a choice. He chose evil. But there was good there to be chosen but he decided another way. Now, look at the second rebellion, Genesis 3:1-6—Now the serpent, living spirit being that he was, was more cunning than any beast of the field. Anything made in the spirit realm and anything made in the physical realm, well, he was more cunning because he was the pinnacle of a spiritual creation as a being. That God said, “I’ve made you this way and I’ve appointed you,” what an incredible thing. But he took it to himself.

Well, here we see that he is more cunning. Of course he is, he’s more powerful, and therefore, he can work out and trick a human, because, basically, we have a nature that’s easily deceived. Because he’s the great deceiver and we are easily deceived, as the world is.

...which the LORD God had made, and he (Satan) said to the woman, Has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree in the garden? Which was a question to her. Now, the natural mind, of course, is challenged, and therefore, it responds. And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the tree of the garden, which we consume, we can consume of this, in other words, what God has established as good. Which we do on a physical level; we consume what God has said is good. Something like a pig, we don’t consume because we understand why, because of our bodies, they’ll break down.

Verse 3—But the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said, You shall not eat nor shall you touch it lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. Now, what that really is saying is, “God’s lying to you. He’s a deceiver.” And nobody likes to be lied to. If somebody comes up and says to you, “This is the way,” and then someone says, “No, it’s not. He’s lying to you. He’s tricking you,” and you go, “Whoa!” Because we don’t want to be deceived, do we? Just by nature we do not want to be seen as dumb or stupid, just by nature, because of our pride. “Hang on a minute! Is God lying?!” Well, He’s not, but Satan here is saying, “Well, God’s lying to you. You can do whatever.”

Verse 5—And God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, so here we see Satan communicating, and you will be like God. What do you mean to be like God? How? ...knowing good and evil. So God knows what is good and evil. He is the determination. Well, here Satan is now testing Eve by saying, “Well, if you take of it, if you choose this way, you will be able to determine for yourself what you think is good and what you think is evil.” Now, we as all humans, as humans and even within the Church, have different degrees of what we think is good and what we think is evil just by nature.

Well, once we come into the Church, the Body of Christ, we are told by the power of God’s holy spirit, can be communicated to us, we know what is good. Only God is good. Everything outside of that, we make choices, we choose what we think is good and evil. Well, we are being educated by the power of God’s holy spirit connecting with our spirit what is good. So the only way to know it is by the power of God’s spirit.

So here it is that they were told that they could make up their own mind, determine and decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. That’s the test. So When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, a tree desirable to make one wise... Whew, going to be smart here, to understand what is right and what’s wrong, what’s good and evil. She made a choice based on human reasoning, which God knew this is what the outcome would be, the second rebellion. ...she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her and he ate. Both chose selfishness. Both!

Now, Adam could have turned around and said, “No, I’m not going to do it.” But he didn’t. And there’s lots of, probably, reasons why in his thinking he decided that. But in the end it’s a natural mind and they’re ruled by selfishness. Mankind is ruled by selfishness and we in the Body have been called to rule our selfishness and not be ruled by it, not be governed by it.

Genesis 3:22. We’re still looking at this second rebellion and what it’s really all about, because it’s about making choices. We see the first rebellion was a choice – to choose evil. The second one is the same, to choose evil against God’s way of thinking.

Genesis 3:22—Then the LORD God said, Behold, the man has become like Me—How?—to know good and evil. Now, that word “know” is “acquainted with.” Because if you really think about it Adam and Eve were acquainted with good. How? Because God was communicating to them, God was teaching them. They never had God’s holy spirit but God was communicating, therefore, they experienced a level of good. They knew a little bit about good. But they’ve chosen now, evil.

Now, this can apply to us, brethren, about lights to the world. Now, people in the world can have an experience of good by an interaction with you if we’re living good. So if we live good they don’t know it; they don’t know they’re experiencing a communication with good. No different than Adam and Eve experiencing a level of good. Not because of a spiritual matter but because they’re dealing with God. Well, when people deal with us, if we have God’s holy spirit and we’re living good, what are people experiencing? They’re experiencing a level of good from God (because only God is good), but they can experience it but they’re not sure what it is. They know you’re weird and you’re different, and you don’t lose your temper as much as other people and you don’t use bad language (so they look at these things), and you don’t over consume alcohol. So they’re experiencing a level of good but they have no idea what it is, no idea, because they’re more than likely taking it in their mind saying, “Well, you’re weird and you’re out of place. You don’t fit into the world.” Which is all good news. But that’s what they see. But they experience a level of good if God’s living in us, they’re experiencing God.

Only God knows what is good and what is evil. So here we see that man has become “like God” determining what is good and evil. He’s acquainted with it. So he knows it, but now he’s choosing a different path. That’s why mankind cannot come to see good and know what really is evil unless they are given God’s holy spirit. This is why the Millennium and the 100 years are different. There is no Satan to deceive, and therefore, they have access to God’s holy spirit, to God’s thinking. They now can experience good. Isn’t that incredible? We have the opportunity to experience good. They’re going to be given that time in that Millennial period.

Then and only then, with God’s holy spirit, can anyone start to see right and wrong, good and evil. So it’s a power that has been given to us so we know what’s good and what’s evil. We know stealing by intent is wrong. But mankind thinks, “No, you can lie a little bit, you can steal a little bit.”

I was reading an article the other day about how, you know, the checkout machines in Coles and Woolworths (which are grocery stores in Australia), where they have self-checkouts and you can put tomatoes on your scale and there are two types. Well, they’ve decided that they don’t sell any dear [expensive] tomatoes. But they’re all gone because the opportunity to steal is overpowering for the human nature; is that the tomatoes are only a dollar and there’s two dollars and they’ve got the two dollar ones and they put them on the scale and you can press a button. Choice. Good/honest or evil/dollar. Well, guess what the majority of mankind do? They choose the dear [expensive] tomatoes and press the cheap button and it weighs it and says, “Yep, you owe a dollar.” In the bag! That’s why you have checkout people trying to check things, to look to see what you’re doing. Well, it’s a common thing. And then they try to have scales that weigh things, and they thought that doesn’t work because there was different weights all the time so they turn them off and then the theft level goes up worse and worse. They don’t know how to control it because they’re dealing with human nature, because mankind cannot rule himself. He really can’t, because he will choose selfishness. It’s built in him.

Adam and Eve’s personal choice to determine for themselves what is right and what is wrong is still impacting all of mankind. It’s natural to decide for self what is good and evil. And we all do it without even recognizing it often. We actually have to be told what is good. And we’re going to look at a couple of examples.

For the last 6,000 years of man’s self-rule we see all of mankind making natural choices of self-interest because it’s just the way that it is. Politicians do things out of self-interest. It’s called being re-elected. That’s why they do it. Because they do polls and the poll says 80% of the population want this, and then they go this direction. I’m going to do that. But six months ago they were going to do that over there. Well, how’s that possible? Because they’re not interested in what’s right and wrong they just want the people’s vote to get re-elected because of the income. That’s their motive, true motive. Some of them may start out with a right motive – doesn’t take long for corruption to set in because of self-interest. Self-interest dominates everything.

Mankind works out for themselves what they think is good and evil. Now, there are nations that work these things out, what’s good and evil. For example, if you go to Thailand they’ve determined that trafficking drugs is evil, and they reckon the good thing is to put somebody to death. In Australia we’ve determined that trafficking drugs is you won’t put them to death, that’s “good.” So there are totally different concepts about what is good and what is evil.

So here in Victoria we have injecting rooms. But carrying drugs is illegal, but we’ve got a free room so that you can inject them. Now, confusion? Isn’t that confusion? So if you ever get caught carrying drugs you just say, “Look, I’m heading for the injection room.” They’re going to help you. They give you free needles, free medical, they’ll have an ambulance on standby ready for you just in case you did too much. It’s just insanity. But you see, this is that decision about what’s good and evil. Now, a lot of people would say the free injecting room with the free needles and all that is evil. Other people say, “No, no, this is good because now we can save them.” It’s just a self-determination. Abuse of self, they want to get involved and determine how they can “help” you (so called).

Since Adam and Eve mankind has determined for themselves what is good and evil. Now, an example: a man and a woman living together in a sexual relationship before marriage. Years ago that was considered evil. It really was. You just didn’t, or if you did it you didn’t tell anybody. But that was considered by society as evil. Now the justification is, the principle used, “It is best to try before you buy.” So, in other words, before you get married you best try out and see if it’s going to work, because if it doesn’t work, well, there’s nothing here in the law that’s going to trap you in it. Although now there is two years living together and it’s the same as being married. But you can see man’s thinking. So what’s good and evil? Once it was considered evil, now it’s a good thing, “try before you buy,” it’s a good thing to do that.

Another one is same sex marriage. This is justified in human reasoning because “love does not discriminate.” Now, once upon a time to be in a sexual relationship between two women or two men was considered evil. Nowadays you dare not speak against it. What God says is good they say is evil. And what they say is good God says is evil. It’s topsy turvy because mankind has done this. It’s determination of what’s right and wrong in our own eyes. So we can only see good if God gives us the ability to see good.

God’s view is irrelevant in this age, totally and utterly irrelevant. Nobody wants to speak about God. Listen to certain radio programs; God never comes into those talkback shows ever – ever, ever, ever, ever. And there can be one issue and I’ll tell you what, there’s 3,000 opinions about what should happen, but there’s never about God says or God this or God that. Never. Never mentioned.

There’s a statement that I’m going to read out of Extraordinary 4½ years, and this is part of what was written: “...we do not yet grasp the magnitude of what God’s Church experienced over that 4½ years,” which is Trumpets 2008 to Pentecost 2013, “but God is revealing just that to us. That time was difficult and a great struggle at times, especially in that last year,” which was Pentecost of 2012 to Pentecost of 2013, the Day of the Lord on a spiritual level. Now, if you lived through that you would understand that battle.

From personal experience I knew there was a period there that it was really difficult. There was a five month period in particular that was really, really difficult, that it was a difficult period to go through. And they were personal battles that each and every one of us had to go through. Many failed in that battle. Pentecost 2012 did not happen as perceived, therefore, they lost the battle. Because deep, deep down they didn’t believe this is God’s true Church.

Now, if something happens that we don’t comprehend within God’s Church there’s an easy answer – we’ll wait for God to reveal the answer. Because only God is good and God knows what He’s doing; He knows what’s going on. And this was a test. This was a test. 2012 ended up being a test. What will we choose? God’s way, which is good, stick with the truth, or leave and choose evil. Everybody that left God’s Church chose evil. Choice. Everybody that stayed chose good. This is God’s Church and doesn’t matter what happens in God’s Church, just continue on.

And there’s things bound to happen that we probably are going to be challenged with because it’s a test. What will we choose? This is God’s Church. God’s involved. We’ll wait on God. No matter happens, we’ll just wait. And that’s what we’re doing, true? We’re waiting. We just wait. We trust God. He knows what He’s doing. He’s creating Elohim through us. It’s a beautiful thing.

The world has no idea about Elohim and a family. To tell somebody that one day we will be God, we’ll be in the God family? “Crazy, crazy people.” And yet that’s one of the truths that God has revealed. That’s the purpose of life.

“That 4½ years was not designed by God to be easy, especially over that short time, with the level of difficulty increasing the farther we moved into that period of time. Through a highly sped-up process crammed into a shortened period of time, God’s Church has experienced a level of learning, testing, trying, molding, and change that has often taken a lifetime for others in the past to have experienced.”

There were many people I knew never had to go through this type of thing. It was a different era of time and it was a different way of thinking, totally different than what it is today and what we’ve gone through.

“That which we experience in God’s Church once we are called will either make us or break us, and that is by our own choices...” I think that is an incredible statement because life is about choice. People that left chose to leave because of what they determined as right and wrong, what they thought was good and evil, really, deep down. Because they turned around and said, “Well, this isn’t God’s Church,” and when you say this isn’t God’s Church what are you really saying? “This is deception. This is evil.” That’s what they’re saying. Now, they determined something else was good which is their own thinking...their own thinking.

I remember when somebody said to me once, period just before 2008, that in a work environment turned around and said, “Oh, Wayne, you’re just brainwashed.” Now, in actual fact it was... I felt like saying, “Yes! My brain needs washing! That’s the point.” They’re just not going to listen, are they? But, true, it’s great. My brain as a natural mind, as we understand it, it needs washing. It really does, because it’s evil. And I just said, “Oh well.” No use talking to them. What’s the point? If I had turned around and said, “Yes, this is fantastic,” they just think you’re even crazier than what they thought I was.

So, yep, it’s by these choices. But we keep choosing every day of our life, and we choose every Sabbath, we choose every Feast time. This Feast, we choose, we choose to be here. Wonderful things. We choose to listen to God. They’re choices. Don’t have to. We choose to pray. We choose to fast. All personal choices. It’s up to us. But God wants to know our choices.

“...that we must make in response to God’s offer to make (create) something truly great within us.” Because this transformation of the mind, this is exactly what happens that those who live in the Millennium, a transformation of the mind can now take place. Because those last 6,000 years are gone, Satan is removed, now we’re into a Millennial period of 1,000 years of transforming minds.

Now, we can only just imagine, because I’ve found out in life that you have to experience something, really, to fully grasp it. It’s like somebody who has got a broken arm or something, it’s, you say, “Ah, you know, it must be bad.” But unless you break your arm you really don’t know what it’s like. Or if you lose a loved one, lose a mother and father, when it happens you experience it, therefore, you know more, you have a different view of things. So you have to experience certain things to know them.

Well, the Millennium, I believe, is much the same. We think we know bits about the Millennium. We know about the change in weather where the weather is going to be better because Christ is going to intervene and change things and there’s going to be a new rotation. It all takes time. If we look at how long we’ve been in the Body of Christ and what we’ve learned, but we’ve still got a lot more to experience. Well, it’s the same for them. And as time goes on, year 200, 300, 400, 500, whatever it is, it’ll be different each time, but the testing will still take place. Different testing, but the testing must take place because God will search the heart to know what our choices will be, because this is about choices. We have to choose.

There is a transformation of the mind that’s going to take place in the Millennium. Now, there is all different degrees of that, some will continue more. But we shouldn’t be horrified to realize that some will give up on choosing good, choosing God’s way. We shouldn’t be shocked, because of the trials and test of life. And there’ll be others that will do well and there’s others that won’t do as well. It’s just the way life is. And God doesn’t control everything for us. We’re given choice. That’s what it’s all about, given this choice. There will be all types of different intense trials that will take place in the Millennium. We don’t understand them yet. We think, without Satan what could be the trial? Well, there’s lot of trials because we’ve got human nature, pride in particular. There’s going to be trials about pride, what we think we are and our opinion. All those things are going to be tested.

Continuing on: “There have been all kinds of intense trials and testing we have experienced throughout this period of time, but this is beautifully unique to God’s Church at this very end-time.” I’m going to end that statement there. But that is what it’s about; it’s the end-time. The molding and fashioning is being quickened up. It won’t be quickened up as much in the Millennium but people are going to have to learn about relationships. It’s a totally new way of thinking. Because what’s being built is wrong. Satan’s way and the world’s system is wrong. It’s actually evil. It’s all based on evil. It’s all based on deception.

We are soon to enter an incredible time period called the Millennium where personal choice will be the key to life. But there will be a different rulership, a different government, because we’re making choices now and most of our choices are going to be against what man thinks. Because, like, we’re Sabbath keepers. Well, there’s another group that are so called Sabbath keepers on a physical level. There’s a nation that call themselves of God and they mainly keep the Sabbath robotically. But the original, if you go back into scripture, why did they do it? Because they were fearful. They knew that if you break the Sabbath you go into captivity. So to avoid going into captivity and you want God on your side winning your battles, guess what? You better start keeping the Sabbath. So blow the sirens real early and real late because they fear for the wrong reason.

Well, God’s spirit with us is different. We respect God for different reason than they do. It’s not out of a fear of physical fear, “Oh, I’m going to be punished.” No, we want something, we desire something. We want a new way of life.

Revelation 20:1. So once we see this period where there’s a different government Satan and his demons will no longer be around to deceive. And that’s the main point then, “to deceive.” Because mankind is deceived; they don’t know it.

Revelation 20:1—Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit, place of endless constraint or restraint, and a great chain in his hand. This is symbolic. Doesn’t mean there’s an angel with a chain. It’s talking about, symbolic, how you restrain something. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years; and he cast him into a bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him—So what’s this seal about?—so that he should deceive the nations no more, because that’s the key point, deception. This world is deception. So anything we’re involved in in the world we should be looking out for deception. Because Satan wants to deceive us so that we will rebel against God. He wants us to choose evil so that we don’t choose good. And in the Body of Christ in particular it’s powerful what deception can come along. People can get carried away with all types of things.

Well, it is all about deception. And the deception here is not just the nations that he’s being deceiving, because they’re held in that, but us, more importantly us, begotten sons of God. It’s so important that we don’t become deceived by what Satan is doing, the trickery of it all. False doctrine is one of them. ...until the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a short time.

Verse 4—And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, it’s talking about the 144,000, and judgment... Now, the judgment, “to determine an outcome.” I think it’s a beautiful thing. When we read the word judgment. So we’re under judgment. Why? To determine an outcome that will be given. Now, that determination is what do we desire, what will we choose? Good or evil? That’s really as simple as it is. We have the power to choose good now so this choice is important.

So the 144,000 now are about determining an outcome for these people. Then I saw the life of those who were cut off for their witness to Joshua and for the word of God, (verse 5), who had not worshiped the beast, which is the system, the system of deception ...and had not received the mark in their foreheads, which is in their thinking, or on their hands, their actions. So being here today? We think differently; we don’t have the mark. We’re keeping the Sabbath – our actions; we don’t have the mark. Because we’re opposite to them. But everyone else out there is deceived and have the mark of the beast, which is a symbolic thing, which is in relation to the way we think, the way we act.

And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead, it’s talking about everybody else. So there’s a resurrection, the first resurrection. But everyone that’s died up until that period of time have to wait. They’ve got to wait a thousand years before another resurrection. ...they did not live again until the thousand years was finished, which is that second resurrection. So there’s a certain resurrection which is to life, physical, and there’s a resurrection to spirit. This is the first resurrection, talking about the 144,000 that are resurrected at the return of Christ.

Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection, because they’re going to be part of a Millennium as a spirit being. Which is an incredible thing! Not to be able to die. And you know, the greatest thing is this thinking, to only think good. There is no capacity to think evil because God’s power continually comes into them.

Over such the second death, which is what we all want to avoid, has no power. We can avoid the second death by making the choice to choose God, choose good. ...but they are priests of God... What do priests do? Serve. ...and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. This near future time period called the Millennium, which is what we’re celebrating at the Feast, this time period, a time of rest from Satan, is about a time of personal choice. This future time period is the Millennium, the thousand year reign of Christ and the 144,000 as spirit beings who only know good. Because in their mind that’s what they think. They only know good; that’s all they can think because of God in them.

So the main point is we as humans must come to know, see evil by the power of God’s holy spirit. Mankind out there cannot see good and evil. They have their own determination about it. Sometimes it lines up with God’s and sometimes it doesn’t, but overall it’s self-interest that takes over everything that they do. So these people, these humans must come to see good and evil, with the power of God’s holy spirit. We must see evil within our thinking, within our minds, and then choose to reject that evil, that selfishness, and choose good, choose God.

God will not control our choices. So we’re not going to be forced to choose good. We’re going to be shown it by the power of God’s holy spirit, but then we still have to work it out ourselves. And sometimes we win and sometimes we lose.

We must choose to control our selfishness. Now, when we look at the word “self-control” it’s about controlling self. Self, we know what “self” is, control. Now, people in the world would look at self-control and still make a judgment on what they think is right and wrong. But self-control. So what is self-control? Well, it’s controlling the desire that is within us. It’s there. We’ve got to control it.

Deuteronomy 30:1-20. Now, this is something that was written for physical Israel but has a spiritual principle which we as spiritual Israel can understand. Deuteronomy 30 will be preached and taught during the 100 years, during the Millennium, the thousand years. It will be taught because it is about this principle of choice.

Now, a lot of this is written to physical Israel. We can take components of this out as spiritual Israel. Deuteronomy 30:1-20—Now it shall come to pass when all these things come upon you, the blessings and the curse, which I have set before you... so this is during this 1,100 period, same principles are going to apply ...and you shall call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you. Because they’re outcasts. Now, although this is talking about physical Israel being taken into captivity the world is in captivity. So this is something physical that they said, “If you disobey God you’re going to go into captivity. And when you remember, ‘Oh, hang on a minute, I remember God’s ways and I wasn’t in slavery,’ well, you can come out of it.” Well, it’s no different. Physical Israel is in captivity today...in captivity. The only one that’s free is spiritual Israel. We’re free from this captivity, this bondage.

In the near future it will be where God places you. So there might be somewhere... Well, the whole world now, whether whatever nation they are, they’ve been placed there, because God placed the nations in various locations, and they’ll be coming back from that from the mind, a way of thinking. Selfishness has to be overcome.

...and you turn (return) to the LORD your God and obey His voice... Remember, they were thinking, “Ah, this is not working out well. I think I was better off when I was obeying God.” Well, God says He will intervene if we turn to Him, which is about repentance. ...according to all that I command you today, you and your children, which is generations, with all your heart. So it means having to turn. We must think differently. ...and with all your life. In other words, we’ve got to now implement something different. We’ve got to change the way we live, choose God’s way of life.

Verse 3—that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, from the captivity of their thinking because they’re all in captivity now. All of mankind is in captivity. Well, God is saying here, well, when the Millennium starts they have this opportunity to come out of that bondage, out of the deception that Satan has put on the world. ...and have compassion on you. God’s mercy. Because when you look at it, God’s love, the only reason there’s going to be a Millennium is because of God’s mercy, God’s compassion on mankind, because He wants to have a family. And this is the best process: 6,000 years of man’s self-rule so that they can experience evil. Because that’s all they can experience. They can experience evil. So after all this time and they’re resurrected to be in the 100 years, you can imagine it, “Ah, have experienced evil.” They’ll know it. And then they’re going to be shown good by the power of God’s holy spirit – make a choice.

Well, in the Millennium there’s going to be a lot that are going to live into that period. They will have experienced evil under this deception of Satan. Well, they’ve got choices to make. And as we go forward mankind born without Satan’s rule, it’s going to be even difficult for them. It’s different but it’s still difficult because of self, because of self-interest.

Well, God says He’ll have compassion on you, on them, and gather you again, which is to call you and open your mind to see spiritually by God’s holy spirit. So that’s what’s going to happen in the Millennium. ...from all the nations, that’s everyone. When? ...where the LORD your God has scattered you. Because the natural mind has been scattered all over this earth, but then they’re going to be given that freedom.

If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under the heaven, from where the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. So it doesn’t matter how far a person’s gone in their thinking as long as they’re not set against God there is a chance that God will bring them back and give them His spirit so that they can now make right choices. It does not matter where they have gone in their thinking other than definitely setting their mind God can and will forgive. And that’s what makes forgiveness such a beautiful thing. Repentance is such a beautiful thing.

They have had a life of choosing or determining what is good and evil just like Adam and Eve did; they wanted that power. Well, now they’re going to have the power to see good and then make a choice.

Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, the promised land. Well, what’s the promised land for us? It’s the Church. The spiritual promised land, this is it. And then there’s a future one, promised land, which is in Elohim. Spiritual food will be available. Just like on the physical level God said there’s going to be a land of plenty, you know, physically. There is a land of plenty now on this earth. It’s called the Body of Christ. And God feeds His Church spiritual food so that we can live, live good. ...and shall possess it.

So we will know the truth. They will know the truth. More truth will be revealed to those in the Millennium. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. More than Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. More truth. In the Millennium more than what has ever existed, more than what we have today. And I often think, “How much more could there be?” There’s a lot more! There’s so much we do not know, we do not comprehend. And part of the Millennium is part of that.

We do not really comprehend what it’s really going to be like. We’ve got an idea and we’ve got overviews. But people in it? When you think millions and millions of people keeping the Sabbath, all the stores closed on Friday night and Saturday? It’s just... Can we comprehend such a thing? We can’t because we haven’t lived it.

Verse 6—And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart, which is about the way of thinking, the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God, because that’s what has to happen. There has to be a change. There has to be a circumcision of the way we think, a change, the way we think so that we can obey God, with all your heart and with all your life, that you may live. The only way is by the power of God’s holy spirit to start to think differently.

Just hold your place in Deuteronomy and go to Romans because this topic has come up. It was a big issue with the Jewish nation at the time because the gentiles weren’t circumcised and the Jewish nation on the eighth day circumcised. That was... being uncircumcised as a Jew was... Just didn’t happen, basically. Well, here we have now God calling people from a gentile nation, those that weren’t Jewish and they’re all uncircumcised. So the Church at that time has got to deal with it, and here Paul deals with it because it needs to be addressed. “What do you mean you’re not circumcised?” And the Jews with their pride and vanity, “Well, I’m of God! Can’t you tell? I’m circumcised.” “Obviously you’re not of God because you’re not circumcised.” So it had to be dealt with.

Romans 2:28-29—For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, in other words, been circumcised, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. So in other words, it’s not physical. So God’s not really worried about this on a spiritual level because it’s now spiritual. Before it was physical; you had to be circumcised to be part of Israel. Now God says it doesn’t matter because it’s spiritual. It’s about what’s taking place in the mind. ...but he is a Jew, spiritually, who is one inwardly; in the thinking; and circumcision is that of the heart, of the mind, in the spirit, because now we have God’s spirit we monitor our intent, not of the letter, which is the physical exactness of it all by rituals and those things; whose praise/approval is not from men but from God. That’s the circumcision. We now look to please God whereas in times past we looked to please men. It was about credit to self but we looked to please others because we wanted our vanity or our pride to be lifted up. Well, that’s the change. Now everything we do is about pleasing God. We’re here today because we have chosen to please God. Circumcision of the mind – change is taking place. The motive behind our thinking is to please God.

1 Corinthians 7:18. Here we see it getting straight to the point again: Was anyone called while circumcised? Yep. Let him not become uncircumcised. Was anyone called while uncircumcised? Yep. Let him not be circumcised. Because it’s irrelevant. It’s not what the Church is about. It’s spiritual now in nature. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing; they’re irrelevant, it’s about obedience to God and spiritually. But keeping the commandments of God is what matters. So whether we’re circumcised or uncircumcised it’s about obedience to God in spirit and truth.

Life in the thousand years is about the circumcision of the heart. Life is about a spiritual matter, keeping the commandments of God. Now, if you just think about the beginning of the Millennium when we see all this death and destruction and such confusion, and there’s going to be cultures that don’t know God, that just don’t know God, don’t know much about it. Then someone’s going to turn up, one of the 144,000, and appear and say, “This is the way, walk in it.” Do you think that’s going to be easy for them? Really? When you’re used to worshipping cows or Buddha’s and all these other things that they...? This is not going to be that simple. Because not everybody is going to have the benefit of knowing a lot about God’s way, just not. We’re just so blessed.

Back to Deuteronomy 30. So the Millennium, the beginning of the Millennium is going to be quite difficult. It’s going to be quite confusing for people that have taken Friday’s off to worship Allah, if there’s many of them left. They’re such big changes. And someone turn up and say, “There’s only one God,” and they say, “Yeah, I know that.” This is... “No, never known God ever.” Never. It’s just from the thinking of man and all the other things and rituals that they go through, bowing down to the east.

I remember flying on an airline once and they had a room; I remember the airline had a room where you could go and pray in that room and in the room was a meter thing that pointed to Mecca so that you could turn around and face Mecca when you prayed. All going to be gotten rid of. All going to be gotten rid of. But there’s going to be people with minds that that’s the thing. And you say, “No, that’s not the way. You don’t do that. You don’t bow down and bang your head against walls and bang your head against the ground and bow down in big mass groups and sirens and things going, towers...” That’s all going.

All the Catholic Church, all that stuff and white robes and look and hold... It’s all going. But it’s all going to take a bit of time because it’s in people’s minds. And how long has it taken for us to transform our minds by God’s great power, His holy spirit? Takes years. And we’re only just started a journey. It takes years and years and years. There’s no just quick fix, “Oh, yeah. I know everything.” No, you have to experience life; you have to experience and make choices. That’s what it’s about.

Deuteronomy 30:7—Also the LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecute you. So anybody in the Millennium that now is turning towards God and trying to do the right thing, trying to choose good, because now they can see it, what it really is, “Ah, this is the way I’ve got to go,” and if there is anybody that’s resisting and fighting against them, which is like fighting against us, God says don’t worry about it, He’s going to intervene and they’re going to pay a price.

Now, do you think there’s going to be people that are going to resist God in the beginning of the Millennium? Scripture says there is and it just gives one, a nation of Egypt, but can you imagine when someone turns around and says, “I’m going to keep the Sabbath,” someone else is probably going to say, “Oh, I don’t think you should be doing that.” Grew up as a Catholic. Sunday, isn’t it? It’s all been changed. There’s no wand of the mind, this is about experiencing good and evil, having to reject the evil. Sunday worship is evil! Friday worship is evil! Monday worship is evil! They are actually evil because they come from the mind, not what God says, “Sabbath is good.”

They’re beautiful things aren’t they? They really are beautiful things. God says here He will defend those that are making the right choices.

Verse 8—And you will again obey the voice of the LORD and do all His commandments which I command you today. The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body... So there’s going to be more children. Well, God says that people are going to have children.

...there will be increase in your livestock, because a lot of the curses are taken away. Takes time but they’re taken away, removed, and then there’ll be great increase. ...and in the produce of the land for good. So it’s all going to be good. So now, see, the change in the weather, and there are scriptures about in the Millennium where you see when they go out to reap they better hurry up because the other crops going to have to be planted and it’s growing – like, you can’t keep up with it. The seasons have changed; the weather has changed.

So it’s going to be incredible wealth in the sense of physical wealth, vegetables that you can actually eat, without pesticides. Just marvelous things that we don’t know about yet. We think we know bits. No, when you look at the promised land and they said the grapes were this big, like have you ever seen a grape that big? We’re just not used to... We just don’t know those things. The productivity of what God created for Adam and Eve in the garden, what He placed there was incredible, but we’ve lost all that. Now we’re at the end of it all where everything we eat now is probably adding to cancers and all sorts of things because it’s just the way that it is, the chemicals are everywhere and we just consume too much of things.

Well, in the future the promised land will be like the Millennium. It’ll be redone so that everything is going to be prosperous. You know, people say they love brussel sprouts, you know, they’re that big and they’re that big. I still don’t like brussel sprouts that big, I’m not going to like them that big later. But if you can imagine, we have no comprehension that one piece of fruit can be a meal, basically, because it’s so beautiful and so nourishing to the body.

Well, this is what the Millennium is about, a change. No longer are those things of Satan and the deception of it all. And what he does and how he communicates now is all going to be taken away.

For the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers. Now, what’s that rejoicing really? God rejoices when He calls us because now He’s started a process about a transformation of the mind. Because that’s what’s the most important thing, the transformation of the mind. Now more are going to be given the opportunity. What a rejoicing to have millions and millions of people that are choosing good. Isn’t that incredible? Wouldn’t that be...? No different than a father when a child chooses one way or the other. You rejoice in your heart when your child (begotten sons of God) chooses good. There’s a rejoicing! And there’s a bit of a disappointment when they choose the wrong. You think, “A lot of work to do here. Continue to educate.” No different. Father has to educate, and that’s what the Church is about. That’s what the 144,000...that’s what Christ is about – educating.

Verse 10—if you obey the LORD your God, keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in the Book of the Law, which was referring to the first five books of the law. And it’s interesting, in that, the Sabbath and seven annual Holy Days are in the book of the law. Imagine that change! Having to tell everyone about the Sabbath and then the seven annual Holy Days and talking about Atonement. What a time for rejoicing. You’re not allowed to eat for 24 hours. Big shock to people because they fast now and drink water all day. It’s just totally different - new education system needed. ...and you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your life.

Verse 11—For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. It’s no big great mystery. The 10 Commandments and God’s way, Sabbath and Holy Days, no big mystery that—like the trinity where there’s three in one—that you can’t understand it. It’s not that mysterious. God’s way is not that mysterious because it’s about choices and motive and intent. It’s pretty straight forward once you’re given the sight to see.

“Nor is it afar off.” In other words, it’s not hidden away that you can’t find it. No, it’s available in God’s Church. It is not in heaven, miles away, that you should say, Who will ascend into heaven for us, in other words, who’s going to go up there and grab it, and bring it to us, that we may hear and do it? Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it? So God’s way is not going to be hidden because there’s going to be Christ and 144,000 and God’s Church communicating all around the world. So it’s not going to be hidden. It’s going to be open to all by the power of God’s holy spirit.

But the word, what is spoken by God, is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart (in your mind) that you may do it. So there’s action required. That action? Choice. You’ve learned one way now you’ve got to learn another; you’ve got to choose to control self.

See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. When you look at it, life and good, one way, choosing good, choosing God’s way — Or you want to choose evil? Consequence – death. So there is a choice for us. There’s coming a time where mankind during the Millennium will be given a choice, life and death or good and evil.

We are not to try to determine for our self like Lucifer (Satan), Adam and Eve did because it has already been determined by God Himself. God has determined what is good because He is good and there’s only one that has the power to know what is good and evil. We have to learn this by living life, a physical life.

Verse 16—in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments... This is exactly what’s going to be taught during the 100 years and the thousand years; exactly the same. This is what you’ve got to do. You have to make a choice that you’ll do this. You have to walk in it. Not everybody will choose it just because we’re natural. ...that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land in which you go to possess, which is the Millennium.

Verse 17—But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, you won’t listen to God, and you draw away, because of pride you draw back, you want to stay with evil, and worship other gods and serve them... Now, the biggest god is self so they choose to please self, choose evil and not choose to please God, not choosing good. ...I announce to you today that you will surely perish. Now, this is physical Israel, and yes, that’s what would happen. But we can look at this on a spiritual level. If we willingly and willfully desire to choose evil and we set our mind on it we will perish. It’s a guarantee. There’s no come back from that. It’s over. It’s finished; never to have life ever again. Exactly the same as what’s going to happen to Lucifer (Satan). He’s made a choice. He will perish, never to have life again.

I think it’s just beautiful the way God has a plan, because in the end there’s only good. There’s only good. Everything else is gotten rid of because it’s not needed. There’s a family that He’s created and it’s good. It’s going to be so exciting. Don’t know how exciting because I haven’t experienced it yet, but, you know, it is exciting even just to think about it and talk about it. It’s just exciting.

...you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in to possess. Well, this same thing God announced to those that come into the Church, come into the Body to be educated, begotten sons, that if you want to choose another way, well, you won’t possess, you can’t posses the truth. You can’t possess the things of God because you’ve got a mind that’s opposite to God, that fights God, resists God. Well, if you want to leave, best to leave, go your own way. But the end result is you shall surely perish. Unless there’s repentance involved somewhere along the line – many will be given an opportunity to live during that 100 years – well, they’ve still got to make a choice. But if they are so determined to set their way of their selfishness God says, “I guarantee you, you will perish.” It’s called the second death.

Verse 19—I call heaven and earth as witness today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing’s and cursing’s; therefore, choose life, choose good, choose that. That’s the choice that God is encouraging us to do. Because He wants a family. God does not have any joy or pleasure in seeing people choose wickedness.

Just like us, we don’t like to see our children, begotten children, choose something that’s going to hurt them. You just... It’s an agony. It’s, “Oh, no!” You want the good for them. You want to give them good. Well, that’s God. He wants to give good. But He’s saying here, “Choose.” ...therefore, choose life that both you and your descendants may live. And this is referring to a spirit life; choose life by choosing good in this physical life. What we get the knowledge of what if truly good and truly evil.

Verse 20—that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life. Now, the reality is that without God there is nothing. There’s nothing. Because if we just look at physical life and all that’s going on out there, there is nothing. Often you hear like... We know that they’re stupid things that people say, “Ah, well, I know, I can feel Mary (John) looking down on me.” We know that that’s just stupidity, but they don’t because they’re stuck in evil, because they don’t know good. We know good, that God’s a lot more merciful than that, that people just die and go to heaven or go to hell (so called). We know different. So we’re different. We’re set apart because we have this knowledge. Incredible things!

Well, God is saying here cling to Him, for He is your life. We’re to cling to God because this is the only way to life. Without God there is no future; there is nothing.

And I know now that the first period of my life, of experiencing evil, never knew about what was good, would have mocked it until God gave me His holy spirit, that now my life is trying to choose good. And I say “trying” because I don’t always succeed. I try to choose good. But God says, well, He is my life. And I know that without God I have nothing. I know. I believe that without God there’s nothing for me. If I reject God there’s nothing for me, I will not have life. And how blessed it is just to have physical life, that I’ve got a consciousness. Just to be conscious is just an incredible thing. To have God’s spirit and to be able to know what is good and what is evil, it’s just incredible. What a blessing we have that we know what is good and what is evil because of God’s great mercy to us at this time.

...and for your length of days; can be looked at physical but also spiritually because we’ll have length of days once we’re in Elohim. ...and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, which is really physical, but there’s a spirit life was given too, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them. It’s a spiritual matter.

We’re to believe God, obey or disobey. We’re to choose good or evil; choice is ours.

Proverbs 12:26—The righteous, anybody who’s righteous has God’s holy spirit. God in His mercy has opened a person’s mind by placing His spirit with the spirit that we have in man so that now we can comprehend good and evil. So a righteous person, that’s someone with God’s spirit, should choose his friends carefully. This is a brilliant Proverb because this is about physical influence from others, and therefore, we need to be on guard and protect ourselves. Satan is out to destroy you and me. That’s what he’s about. The evil angels, evil angels, are out to destroy you and me because what’s promised to you and me is not available to them. It’s like a jealousy. “These are God’s people, begotten sons of God. They are going to live forever in Elohim once they’re changed.” Guess what? They know that they have an end because God’s Church was given that information from God. So now how much more the hatred, how much more the jealousy?

“Begotten sons of God, let’s attack them if we get an opportunity. Let’s test them, if we get an opportunity, to sin.” Because when we sin they feel, I’m sure, a conquest. But when we repent they would be disappointed. Every time we repent there’s a disappointment on their behalf because God is willing to forgive as long as we’re willing to repent.

So we have to choose our friends very carefully. And it’s talking about this world but this is something that goes forward too, because influence of people... It’s like with children, you say, “You want to choose your friends carefully,” because young children that are naive and innocent and they’re whatever age, 12, 13, 14, 15 (probably not innocent at that age in this generation), but if they hang around children that are rebellious to their parents and take drugs and steal cars guess what the outcome is going to be? They’re going to get caught up in it. They don’t have a mind to be able to work it out. We’re older. We know there’s danger in that. But they don’t, therefore, we should be parenting.

For the way of the wicked, which is something who is unrepentant and in sin, leads them astray. And it’s by this deception because they don’t know the truth. We know the truth, therefore, we shouldn’t be deceived, we shouldn’t be led away by anything else outside of God’s Church that we’re told. We shouldn’t be seeking other things. Just stick with the truth. Stick with the trunk of the tree. That koala—hold tight. No matter how strong the wind blows – wheeee – dead still, holding tight. We have truth. There has been many an era before us that haven’t had the truth that we’ve got. We’ve got so much truth.

We are to be careful of the environment around us and where we place ourselves. And the Bible talks about flee, you know, flee, you want to flee fornication, flee sin. If we think it’s dangerous and it’s physical, flee, because the Almighty God who has all power can easily reward our fleeing because we’re making a choice “I want God. I’m going to have all this garbage that’s going to influence me and I’m going to start to think wrongly and get drawn into all this mess,” Ron says, “the drama-dram-drama,” we flee it. We get out. We don’t need that. Get out of it. And guess what, God can fix anything. He’s all powerful. He can make the stones rise up and cry out. He made an ass, a dumb mule speak to Balaam. It’s His creation. We’re His creation. He loves us. He wants the best for us but He wants to know what we’re going to choose. What will we choose given in different environments?

So we’re all going to go through different tests and trials and it’s about what will this person choose, what will I choose, what will you choose?

There is a personal choice to be made for everyone over the next 1,100 years. It is important to remember that there is an outcome provided by God based on that choice. Choose good – leads to life. Choose evil – leads to death.

Joshua 24:14. This is Joshua, physical Joshua, speaking to the elders of Israel. Now, this for us is spiritual and I wanted to touch on this before closing because there’s one part in here that makes you rejoice a lot.

Joshua 24:14.We can look at this physically and you can look at this in the future because we can relate to this. And people in the Millennium will be able to relate to this and read this very scripture. Verse 14—Now, therefore, fear the Eternal, serve Him in sincerity, which is to be genuine, and in truth, because Joshua is now saying to Israel, this is what you should do. He’s advising them.

The Millennium is exactly the same. This is what you should do, fear God, serve Him in sincerity, be genuine about what you’re doing, and in truth, which we have truth. They’re going to have more given to them. ...and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the river in Egypt. Which is the past 6,000 years, put all that away, put all those things that you relied on, put them aside. And it’s because of that period of time. Well, in the 100 years put away all of that falsehood. Well, in the Millennium there’s going to be a group of people that are going to have to put it all aside. Serve the Eternal!

Verse 15—And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, which some may make this, if you disagree with God and God’s way, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. Make a choice what do you want to do. Personal choice. You can do either one knowing there’s a consequence for either. It’s a beautiful concept. No matter what we choose there’s a consequence. This way or that way, there’s a reward coming. One is death. One is life.

...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. So anything set up by Satan, do you want to go that way or do you want to go this new way that’s being taught.

And I love this scripture: But as for me, this is Joshua. Now, you can look at this on a physical level and you can look at it Joshua the Christ, the Church. You can look at it two ways. But as for me, this is Joshua to Israel, and my house, my household, we will serve the Eternal. He’s made a choice. I just... It’s just amazing. Isn’t it beautiful? “But as for me,” this is what I’m telling you, you can do it all, you can do whatever, but I’m telling you now what I’ve chosen, “For me, this is what I’m going to do. We, my house, will serve the Eternal.” Want everyone else to do the same, Joshua is saying “I want you to follow me and do what I’m doing, but you can choose if you want to go that way, go that way. It’s up to you. But me, I’ve already made my choice. This is what I’m going to do until the day I die.”

So it’s now spiritual, “But as for me,” Joshua the Messiah, “and my house,” the Body of Christ, the Church of God, and particularly the 144,000 when they’re changed, “we have chosen to serve the Eternal.” I think that’s just beautiful. Well, this is what life’s about.

Isaiah 7:14. Now, this is a prophecy about Joshua the Messiah and it’s fascinating from one point of view, that you realize who Christ really was, the Messiah, our Savior. Verse 14—Therefore, the Eternal Himself, that word is actually “Lord” and it’s not Eternal, it’s Adonai, will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin (Mary) shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Emmanuel, which is “God with us.” Curds or butter and cheese, and honey he shall eat, talking about Joshua, that he may know... And now this “know” is “to recognize, to refuse,” the evil. So Christ had a mind like God had a mind that knew good and he chose good. So he recognized it.

Well, that’s what our life is about. Our life is about recognizing evil, after living in it all this time, and then recognizing good and evil and choosing the good. So here it is saying, he may know, which is to recognize, to refuse, to reject, to abhor the evil and choose or select the good. Exactly for us what we have to do and what people in the Millennium are going to have to do.

What is ahead for mankind are times of choice based on spiritual understanding that’ll be given to them by God. Like those called now we have a choice every day. They’re going to have the same. We see what is evil by the power of God’s holy spirit – because without it you can’t see evil – and must make a choice, control self or yield to self. Same as what they’ve got.

I want to look at one quickly, “Only God is good,” which points to His way of life. Everyone must make a choice – selfish thinking or God’s thinking. Now there’s a statement that I heard and I wanted to repeat it because it’s rather fascinating: People will be tried by the test of freedom. A test of freedom. So freedom, which is what we have, is a test to see what we’ll do with that freedom.

And I want to use alcohol just as an example because it’s a great example. We have the freedom to drink. The test in that freedom is how much will we consume? That’s the test. But we’re free. We’re free to have alcohol. Not a problem. The test? How much? When will we stop? What is the limits? Will we follow guidelines? Will we make our own choice what we think is right or wrong? That’s what we’ve got to work out.

We are free to drink alcohol, but how much we consume and more importantly why is what we question. Well, that’s choosing good if we make right choices. Why am I drinking this much? Why do I think I need to drink this much? Or why do I drink and when? Not problem having a drink during the day and all those things, that’s fine. But you look at it all from a spiritual intent – Why am I doing this? Well, that’s a test of freedom.

So there’s a lot of things that we’re going to be free to do because there is freedom in God’s law, but in it there is a test about whether we’re going to choose the good or go in it from a different direction.

Revelation 19:6—And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sounds of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! The LORD God Omnipotent reigns! Now, we understand God reigns through Joshua the Messiah—that’s how He reigns—because it’s the same mind. Let us be glad and rejoice, so we should rejoice during this Feast, because of the future, we know the future. Mankind doesn’t know the future, we know it. ...and rejoice and give Him (God) glory, for the marriage of the Lamb, which is Joshua the Messiah, has come, and his wife, the 144,000, which is over a 6,000 year period of time, the Church, has made herself ready. So there’s a time when the Church is ready to receive the Lamb marriage to the bride. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Which is God in them is doing the works.

We’ll close. If you’ll turn to one final scripture, it’s in Zechariah 14:16. We understand this is about Egypt and the Feast of Tabernacles, which we’re celebrating.

There is a personal choice to yield to God and obey Him or to yield to self. The battle for the mind will still continue during the Millennium because we are natural. There’s a battle taking place. The difference is Satan has been removed. The battle is still against one’s own selfishness. All choices have consequences. So this is an example of these consequences. Choice – consequence.

Zechariah 14:16—And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came up against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, they worship God, who is King, God the Father, Yahweh Elohim. He is the King. We understand that Christ is given the title King of kings, but it’s worshipping God. Christ pointed to worshipping God, put God first, obey His laws. He is good. God is good. ...and keep the Feast of Tabernacles. So Feast of Tabernacles is starting to be set up, starting to be taught. There’s going to be people that will choose not to.

Verse 17—And it shall be that whichever the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. There is a consequence for choosing evil, because not to worship God and keep the Feast in spirit and truth is evil.

Verse 18—If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague... There’s going to be death involved. They’re going to have another opportunity more than likely in the 100 years, but death, the consequence. Life and death. Choose life, obey God. Disobey God and you’re going to receive death. That’s the choice. ...which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up and keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

Verse 19—This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations, all the people who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Because they are given a choice: choose the good or choose the evil. But in the end the choice is theirs.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1