Revelation of God's Plan for Mankind
Introduction
This article is being written for those God will begin to call
during the time of great tribulation which will lead to the coming
Kingdom of God. It is written to those who have little or no knowledge
of the true Church of God. The Church was established on Pentecost of
31 A.D. and has continued to this day. Most people, particularly those
who are part of traditional Christianity, have never known God's true
Church, yet it has existed for the past 2,000 years from the time the
early disciples began to teach the gospel message.
Most people in traditional Christianity know of only one Church
that goes far back into history. Almost all history has been recorded
showing a large movement, calling itself Christian, known as the
Catholic Church. It isn't until the 1500s that we see another church
coming out of the Catholic Church. That was the Lutheran Church which
developed from the teachings of Martin Luther.
After that time, other Protestant churches began to be born. In
the past century, countless numbers of churches have sprung up all over
the world calling themselves Christian. But with all these churches
came doctrines that varied and conflicted with one another creating a
world of religious confusion.
Traditional Christianity is far from the truth of God. The
Pharisees and Sadducees, whom Christ condemned, were closer to the
truth than traditional Christianity is today. There is only ONE way of
life- one truth that comes from God by God's spirit- not hundreds of
different ones. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are
called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in
you all" (Ephesians 4:4-6).
As already stated, the vast majority of mankind has not known
about the truth Church of God, nevertheless it has existed since the
Day of Pentecost, 31 A.D. It is not the great false church that emerged
from history after the second and third centuries A.D.
The Catholic Church has no resemblance to the true Church of
God except that it uses God's name and speaks of certain things that
are Biblical.
Unlike this large false church and all the large church
organizations that sprang from her, the true Church of God has always
been small. For the past 2,000 years it was God's purpose that it
remain small. Even during the first 4,000 years of man, only a few are
recorded in scripture as being righteous and having a relationship with
God. God's Church began on the Day of Pentecost with around 3,000
people, but it has always remained small even as Jesus said, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom"
(Luke 12:32). As you begin to see God's plan unfold in this article,
you will see why it was God's purpose that the church remain small. It
has been God's purpose that only a few through time be called into a
special relationship with Him- receiving His truth.
God's amazing plan will be exciting to you as it is revealed-
IF you are being drawn by God's spirit to see it! And even then, much
will depend upon having an attitude of repentance. This world will
enter a new era when the great tribulation is over. Jesus Christ is
about to return to this earth and establish the Kingdom of God- God's
government over all nations.
When Jesus Christ returns as King of kings, he will bring
exactly 144,000 with him who have just been resurrected- those who have
been redeemed from the 6,000 years of mankind and will now have a part
in reigning with Jesus Christ in that new government. That is why, in
large part, God has called so few throughout man's history, as well as
why the Church has always been small. This is part of the overall purpose of God's plan of salvation for everyone.
Again, the purpose of this article is to help those whom God is
calling to enter into that new age- when the Kingdom of God will rule
on this earth. If God is drawing you at this time, then you will begin
to see those things that have been hidden in the Word of God- things
that the world has not understood (1 Corinthians 2:7-14).
God reveals His plan in a profound way. Once you come to
understand it- SEE IT- you will be in awe of the great God and how He
draws you by His spirit!
The basic truth of God's plan, covered in this article, almost
died out during one of the latter eras of God's Church known as Sardis
(Revelation 3). As previously mentioned, God called Mr. Herbert W.
Armstrong to fulfill the role of the "Elijah to come" during the
Philadelphian era which followed Sardis. God worked through Mr.
Armstrong to restore these truths to the Church.
Today, we are in the very last Church era mentioned in
scripture- Laodicea. There are none to follow. When this Church era
comes to an end, so will man's allotted 6,000 years of self-rule. Then,
God's plan will be magnified beyond our imagination, and the Church
will no longer be a little flock because the truth of God will be given
to all who dwell on this earth- to the millions who will survive the
final great tribulation.
Yes, God's true Church, however small, has continued since the
days of the early apostles. It has always carried the name of God- the
Church of God. It does not bear the traditional denominational names of
today's churches. The true Church of God has the truth of God and obeys
it! This article will go on to explain God's plan through God's
appointed Holy Days.
The world has been kept in darkness concerning the
true ways of God. Long before man was created, the archangel Lucifer
rebelled against God, and nearly a third of the a
ngelic realm rebelled
with him. These spirit beings were cast to this earth. Lucifer became
known as Satan, and the fallen angels that followed him became known as
demons.
Mankind is ignorant to the reality that
spirit beings exist and that they continue to fight against God's plan
to this day. For the past 6,000 years they have worked to keep mankind
in ignorance of God's plan- deceiving man from the very beginning.
It is part of God's plan and purpose to
allow these beings to be on the earth. It is part of His plan to bring
man to maturity so that in His time, everyone will have the opportunity
to choose God and His way of life which leads to an eternal spiritual
life beyond this physical one.
Again, this world has been kept in
darkness by a deceptive being called Satan. God's plan is to deliver
mankind from the bondage of deception and ignorance of His purpose.
God's plan is a perfect process whereby man, who was created as a free
moral agent, can- in God's perfect timing, come to freely choose between his own selfish ways or God's one true way that brings true fullness and happiness of life.
Notice what God has to say about the extent of Satan's deceptive power. "So
the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil
and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth [out of heaven] and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9, NKJV).
God's word is true! Satan has been
deceiving the whole world. Only a few that God has called over the past
6,000 years have been delivered from that power of deception. When God
called the apostle Paul, He told Paul that he was being sent to the
Gentiles to do a work because He was also going to call some into the
Church from among the Gentiles. "'I will deliver you from the
Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to
open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from
the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'"(Acts 26:17-18, NKJV).
As will be explained later, we are at the
end of man's 6,000 years of self-rule. We are now going through a
transition on this earth where God is about to usher in His Kingdom
over all the nations of this earth. As He does this, part of His plan
is to begin opening the minds of all mankind to His truth. If you are
able to understand the things written in this booklet, then God is
blessing you with the ability to be called to Him, to be called into a
new age for mankind. His truth can only be understood if He draws you
by His spirit, giving you the ability to understand if He draws you by
His spirit, giving you the ability to understand those things that are
spiritual in nature because they cannot be understood by the natural
mind of man.
"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery [a mystery to the world- man cannot know the truth of God unless God reveals it], the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, [for those He calls to see His truth], which none of the rulers of this age knew [none of the Jewish or Roman leaders];
for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have
entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for
those who love Him.' [quoted from Isaiah 64:4]. But God has revealed them to us [those He has called]
through 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 [..save by his own natural physical ability to reason]?
Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we
have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who [which] is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." (1 Corinthians 2:7-12, NKJV).
The Beginning of Revelation
God is going to begin opening the minds of
all mankind as He humbles this world through a great tribulation on
this earth. The tribulation will be brought to a close by the return of
Jesus Christ as King of kings over all nations.
God will begin to introduce His truth,
plan, and purpose for mankind to the small percentage of the earth's
population that comes through this great tribulation. As God
establishes His Kingdom on this earth, His truth will no longer remain
a mystery to man. Man has been deceived by Satan for 6,000 years, but
that is about to come to an end.
The framework of God's plan will begin to be revealed by a very basic truth. That truth is about God's Sabbath!
Although the Jewish people have understood
when the Sabbath was to be kept, they have not understood it or kept it
as God intends. Jesus Christ condemned their hypocrisy and foolish
application of the law, telling them that they made the way of God a
burden to others rather than a joy as God intended. Jewish leaders
continually found fault with Jesus Christ in matters pertaining to the
Sabbath day because they simply did not understand it! They still don't
understand it today.
Yes, Satan has deceived mankind
concerning the Sabbath. The Arab people, primarily descended from
Ishmael, Abraham's son, believe they are to worship God on Friday. The
Jewish people, also descended from Abraham, have known the correct day
for the Sabbath, but they have failed to understand it and have made it
a burden.
Most professing Christians in today's
traditional Christianity observe the first day of the week (Sunday) to
worship God. The plan of God, that is revealed through the seventh-day
Sabbath, remains a mystery to man.
All are in error. All have been deceived!
Now is the time for people to begin to come to repentance and learn
what is true! When God reveals His truth concerning the Sabbath day,
people must choose if they are going to repent of going their own way
which began in childhood. Most people perpetuate the religious beliefs
which they learned from their parents. Then deception is passed on from
generation to generation. When you learn what is true, will you repent and begin to obey God?
You must begin with the Sabbath. If you
are unwilling to receive this basic truth from God, then you are
unwilling to humble yourself and admit that you have been deceived.
Unless you are willing to do this you cannot hope to receive God's
favor to be able to live through the great tribulation and on into His
new world that will follow.
The weekly Sabbath is on the seventh day
of the week and has been since the days of Adam and Even. Even as the
week was established from creation week to be seven days, God's plan
for mankind was set to encompass 7,000 years. Even as the first six
days were set aside for man to do his own work and the seventh day
being God's time- the Sabbath, so have 6,000 years been set aside for
man to live his own way, but like the seventh day, the last 1,000 years
belong to God!
Few believe the story that God delivered
Noah into a new world. We live at a time that people will find it even
harder to believe- that God is about to deliver mankind into a new
world where the Kingdom of God will rule all nations. Yet, that is
exactly what is drawing very near!
The Beginning
Let's learn about the Sabbath. To do so, we need to start where it started. "Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day
God ended His work which
He had done, and He rested on the seventh day
from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day
and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." (Genesis 2:1-3, NKJV).
It should be clear to anyone that God set
apart the seventh day by personally sanctifying it. God didn't do that
for any other day of the week. To be sanctified means to set apart for
holy use and purpose. He did not set apart the sixth day (Friday) or
the first day (Sunday) for holy use and purpose. God's purpose from the
beginning was to set apart the seventh day for all time, as a Sabbath
for mankind.
Notice further what God said about the very establishment of recordable time. "Then God said, 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs [the "marking" of time] and for seasons [Hebrew- "appointed times"], and for days and years;" (Genesis 1:14, NKJV).
The Hebrew word for "seasons" means
"appointed times," much like we speak today of appointments. Time is
exact. God made the keeping of time a calculable factor of life. We can
establish or set specific moments in time for any purpose we choose.
From the very beginning of creation week, God established time that He
would personally set with mankind, to be appointments that we should
keep with Him. The weekly Sabbath is one such appointment that never
changes. Every seventh day mankind should keep this appointment with
God!
God drives this point home in the book of Leviticus. "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'The feasts [Hebrew- "appointed times"] of the LORD, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations [Hebrew- "commanded assembly"], these are My feasts [Hebrew- "appointed times"].
'Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of
solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work on it; it is the
Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. 'These are the feasts [Hebrew- "appointed times"] of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at their appointed times [Hebrew- "appointed times"]. 'On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover. 'And on the fifteenth day [an annual holy day] of the same month is the Feast [this word in the Hebrew does mean "Feast"] of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread" (Leviticus 23:1-6, NKJV).
Most people in traditional Christianity
have sought to do away with this command concerning the seventh-day
Sabbath. They find no fault with nine of the ten commandments but they
have sought to "do away with" the fourth commandment that says "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8). Even as it says a few verses later "For
in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all
that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:11). Yet man
has tried to set apart other days for holy use and purpose. But God
said that observing the Sabbath is a perpetual covenant! (Exodus
31:16).
The Levitical system, with its ceremonies
and sacrifices, was changed through Jesus Christ from what is commonly
referred to as Old Testament times to New Testament times. Through that
time period, however, the law of God contained in the Ten Commandments
was never changed.
The apostles and New Testament church
observed the seventh-day Sabbath and annual Sabbaths. The apostle Paul,
some thirty years after the death of Jesus Christ, taught the
importance to God's people of observing the Sabbath.
"For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works
(Hebrews 4:4, NKJV). Paul was explaining that Israel had refused to
hear God's instruction and was incapable of doing so because they
lacked the faith that is made possible only by receiving God's spirit.
Paul was actually showing that there is a specific day set aside
whereby people may hear God's voice- His instruction. "Again, he limiteth a certain day [God limited- sanctified the seventh day], saying in David, Today, after so long a time; as it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts" (verse 8).
Paul went on to explain that, for the Church, "There remaineth therefore a rest [Greek word- "Sabbatismos"- a keeping of the Sabbath] to the people of God. For he that is entered into His rest [into God's weekly Sabbath rest], he also hath ceased from his own works [ceased from his own carnal ways by seeking to live God's ways], as God did from his [in like manner as God rested from the beginning on the seventh day]" (verse 9-10).
The Sabbaths of God (weekly and annual)
are an identification- a sign of God's people because only His people
know and keep them in spirit and in truth- as He commands.
"Hallow My Sabbaths, and they will be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God" (Ezekiel 20:20). If you want to know God, the Sabbath is the place to start!
As we have just covered, the weekly Sabbath
reveals a basic overview of God's plan that covers a span of 7,000
years. That plan is magnified further through the annual observances
that God established at appointed times.
Leviticus 23 lists all of God's appointed times that He gave man. The annual observances begin with Passover. "In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover" (Leviticus 23:5, KJV).
This annual observance is to be kept each
year as a memorial. It is not an annual Sabbath, but it is a vitally
important day because it is the beginning of God's plan of salvation
for mankind. We cannot continue into the rest of the meaning of the
plan of God without first receiving the fulfillment of this day in our
lives.
Many are familiar with the story of the
exodus out of Egypt. It was at this time that God gave the Passover
observance to the Israelites. "Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month shall be your beginning of months [comes in spring];
it shall be the first month of the year to you. 'Speak to all the
congregation of Israel, saying: 'On the tenth day of this month every
man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his
father, a lamb for a household:... 'Your lamb shall be without blemish [symbolic of Jesus Christ who had no sin (1 Peter 1:18-19)], a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats." (Exodus 12:1-5, NKJV).
"And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it." (verse 7).
"For I will pass through the land of
Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will
execute judgment: I am the LORD. Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt."
(verse 12-13). This pictures what Jesus Christ would fulfill for
mankind. He is our Passover and by his blood we can be saved from the
penalty of sin which i
s eternal death. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb of
God, was God's passover sacrifice given to mankind whereby we can be
saved from death. This is where we must begin in God's plan of
salvation. It begins with Jesus Christ. All of us face the death
penalty for our sins unless we accept the sacrifice of Christ to remove
them. Only the blood of Christ in our stead can remove that penalty.
This is God's Passover for us.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12).
The Passover is the beginning of God's
plan of salvation. We must be forgiven of our sins in order to enter
into a relationship with God the Father. Only upon repentance and
baptism can we begin the process of being delivered from the pull of
our selfish human nature and the power of Satan to hold man in darkness
and deception because of sin. This is God's plan of deliverance from
spiritual Egypt. "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" (Colossians 1:13-14).
The Church observes this annual memorial
of the death of Jesus Christ in the very same way Christ gave the
disciples to observe it on Passover night after he had his last supper
with them.
The apostle Paul gave instructions concerning this observance. "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you [how to observe Passover]: that the Lord Jesus on the same night [the Passover night]
in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He
broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you;
do this in remembrance of Me." [they were to do this each year at Passover time]
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup
is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this
cup [an annual observance], you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Once we have received the Passover, the sacrifice of
Jesus Christ paying the penalty for our sins, we can proceed with the
plan of God. The next area we must focus on is contained in the meaning
of the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
"And on the fifteenth day of the same month
is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat
unleavened bread. In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation:
ye shall do no servile work therein. But ye shall offer an offering
made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein." (Leviticus 23:6-8, KJV).
There are two annual Sabbaths in the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. The first and seventh days are annual holy days. This
entire period of "appointed time" is one week in length. During this
week of observance, we are to eat unleavened bread. We are to have no
leavening in our homes during this period of time, and we are to
refrain from eating products with flour containing leavening agents.
The symbolism in this observance is that
leaven puffs up just like pride puffs up. Leaven is symbolic of sin. It
is an expression of pride against the laws of God. We live as we please
rather than express God's will in our lives.
After we are baptized and our sins are
forgiven, we are to begin changing our lives. Unlike the teaching of
traditional Christianity, we are not to remain the way we are simply
accepting grace, but we are to change by becoming a new creature
(Greek- creation) in God. We are not to continue living the same way we
did before baptism, however, we will have that same nature in us which
we will have to resist all our lives. Paul was correcting the Corinthians in a
matter that involved two people in their midst who were flaunting their
disobedience before the Church. The Church was preparing to observe the
Passover season and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so Paul used this
occasion to show them their error.
"Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaventh the whole lump? [Their sin of condoning disobedience to God was like leaven and would spread throughout the Church if not corrected.] Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump [They were to get rid of the sin and live a new way of life.], as you are unleavened
[They were not fully rid of sin in their lives. Humans will always find
leaven (sin), but we are to get rid of it when it is revealed to us.
This is speaking of the fact that they were observing the Feast of
Unleavened Bread and had gotten rid of leavening products for this
period of time- "as you are unleavened."] For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast
[Paul was telling them how they were to keep the Feast of Unleavened
Bread so that the lesson would carry on into their everyday lives.], not with old leaven [not our old ways of disobedience and sin], neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness,; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth [...with the absence of sin, living true obedience before God in His way of life]" (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).
Although those in traditional Christianity
teach that the laws of the Old Testament are done away, it should be
obvious that they are not done away because the early Church of the New
Testament kept the weekly seventh-day Sabbath, and from the example of
Paul's instructions to the Corinthians, it was clear that the Church
observed the annual Sabbaths as well. Obedience to God in these matters
was just a way of life for the Church and different accounts throughout
scripture reflect that truth. The New Testament is not written in the
same way as the Old Testament when Israel was given the law of God. The
New Testament time is simply a witness of how the Church sought to live
by the law of God. It is not a matter of trying to convince people of
the validity of the law of God.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread teaches us that
after we have been forgiven of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ,
we are to begin a journey out of spiritual Egypt- out of sin and the
bondage it holds over our lives. We are to begin a process of change
with a new way of living. When the scriptures speak of being converted
it means we are to change from our old ways of carnal human nature to a
new way of righteousness in God's way of life.
Churches in this world fail to tell this
truth. Instead, they teach that we are under grace by the sacrifice of
Christ and the law has been done away. They believe grace is freedom
from the law of God.
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? [If the law is done away through grace, should we sin even more so that God's grace might be even greater in our lives?] Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized [Greek- fully immersed in water] into
Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried
with Him through baptism unto death, that just as Christ was raised
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk
in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness
of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness
of His
resurrection, [A part of God's plan is to take us through this
physical life by a complete change in our lives that will produce right
character within us so that we can be given eternal life in a
resurrection.], knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin" (Romans 6:1-6, NKJV).
It isn't the law of God that is done away,
but it is the old man of sin that is to be done away. We are to come
out of the watery grave of baptism and begin living a new life as a new
creature (Greek- creation) in God, just as Paul told the Ephesians "...
that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which
grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the
spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created
according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:22-24, NKJV).
Coming out of spiritual Egypt, becoming
unleavened in our lives, is a life-long battle. As Paul explained in
Romans 7, there is a constant battle against the carnal human mind in
us, but this phase of God's plan shows us the beginning of a process of
being freed from bondage as we enter into a war of fighting against
sin. We have to fight against our human nature and strive to live by
God's true way of righteousness.
The next step in God's plan of salvation is
pictured in the meaning of Pentecost. Pentecost in the Greek means to
"count fifty." The date for keeping this appointed time with God can
only be known if we understand and observe the Passover and Feast of
Unleavened Bread. God very specifically tells us when to begin
counting, from within a period of time inside the Feast of Unleavened
Bread, so we can know when to convene before Him.
The story of Pentecost is powerful. God
brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and took them through the
wilderness to Mt. Sinai where, on the day of Pentecost, He gave him His
law in the form of the Ten Commandments. However, the whole history of
the Israelites is that they could not keep the law. Carnal human
beings, of and by themselves, are incapable of keeping the
righteousness of God's law. Even to this day, one tribe of Israel,
known as Judah and generally referred to as the Jewish people, are the
epitome of this story. The very best that man can do, on his own
ability, is reflected in the life of the Jewish people. None of the
other tribes of Israel held to the law of God as the tribe of Judah
did. All others rebelled against God long before Judah.
Man's best example of adherence to
God's law is found in the Jewish people. But Christ found himself being
attacked by the Jewish people, revealing that although they had an
appearance of holding to the law of the God of the Old Testament, they
did not understand Him and His ways. If they had then they would have
recognized Jesus Christ as the Messiah whose first appearing was in
human flesh to fulfill the role of Passover as the Lamb of God. In
their blindness, the Jewish people refused the teaching and instruction
that came to them from the Son of God.
The witness, in their lives and the
lives of all the Israelites, is that mankind of and by himself is
incapable of living by the ways and laws of God. Pentecost reveals what
is lacking in their lives- why they have not understood the teachings
of the Old Testament and did not recognize the Messiah when he came and
spoke to them nearly 2,000 years ago.
The book of Acts reveals the importance
of Pentecost in the plan of God. After Jesus Christ died and was
resurrected, he appeared to the disciples. This is the story in the
opening of the book of Acts.
"The former account I made, O
Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day
in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given
commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also
presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs,
being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things
pertaining to the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:1-3, NKJV). The gospel-
good news- that Jesus Christ taught the disciples was about the Kingdom
of God. We'll focus more on that as we continue with God's plan.
"And being assembled together with
them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for
the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me;
for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.' Therefore, when they had come
together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will you at this time restore
the kingdom to Israel?'" (verses 4-6). The disciples did not
understand that Jesus Christ came the first time to fulfill Passover
and that it would be nearly 2,000 years before the Kingdom of God would
come. They thought that he might fulfill prophecy by bringing that
Kingdom to them at that very time.
"And He said to them, 'It is not for
you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own
authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'" (verses 7-8).
The coming of the Kingdom of God to this
earth was not for their time, but as this booklet has shown, God has
revealed to the Church that it is for our time. It is only a very short
time away.
But concerning the day of Pentecost,
Jesus was making it very clear to the disciples that they were to stay
in Jerusalem until they received the promise of God's spirit. More of
this account and the pouring out of God's spirit upon the disciples can
be read in Acts 2. As many witnessed this great event on the day of
Pentecost and became convicted of the words of Peter and the others,
they asked what they needed to do next. "Then Peter said to them,
'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit.'" (Acts 2:38).
Although the law of God was given to the
Israelites on the day of Pentecost, God revealed to mankind that His
way of life cannot be lived through human effort alone, but by the
power of His spirit living in them. That is what was lacking in the
children of Israel and is still lacking in the lives of all who dwell
on the earth, except for those in the true Church of God whom the
Father has called to understand His truth. God's word and way of life
is a matter of the spirit, and one must receive that spirit in order to
understand the true will of God. Otherwise, man will only have the
ability to read His words in scriptures and come up with his own ideas
and beliefs about God and Jesus Christ. That is why there are so many
religions on this earth- all conflicting with one another in their
teachings. There is only one true Church and one truth- one way of life
that comes from God.
Firstfruits
There is another aspect of God's plan revealed in the day of Pentecost. It is also referred to as the Feast of Firstfruits.
"Speak unto the children of Israel,
and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give unto you,
and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf [symbolic of Jesus Christ being presented to God for us after his resurrection] before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the pries
t shall wave it." (Leviticus 23:10-11, KJV).
God has used the agricultural example of
harvesting to reveal another part of His plan of salvation for mankind.
The early spring harvest reveals the first harvest of souls (lives)
among mankind. This early harvest is contained in the story of
Pentecost or Feast of Firstfruits. The larger fall harvest will be
explained later in another holy day period.
Those in the first resurrection, who
will come to this earth with Jesus Christ when he returns, are referred
to as being the firstfruits of God, the early harvest of lives given
salvation. Even Jesus Christ is referred to as being part of this
earlier harvest. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept"
(1 Corinthians 15:20). Christ is actually the first of the firstfruits.
But over the past 6,000 years, all who have been called (especially
over the past 2,000 years of the Church) to have a relationship with
God- called first from among mankind- are in the first harvest of lives
to receive eternal life. Those God has redeemed from the earth over the
past 6,000 years, who will come with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of
God, are described in this way. "These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins [spiritually].
These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4). Paul spoke of the same thing when he said, "But each one in his own order; Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming" (1 Corinthians 15:53).
After the wave sheaf was offered the
Israelites continued with the early spring harvest leading up to
Pentecost. Leviticus 23 continues by explaining that Pentecost is a
holy convocation for God's people- an annual Sabbath.
God's annual Sabbaths will continue to reveal
more about the plan of God, but the remainder of these holy days will
be covered by focusing more on the very basics of their meaning,
although there is much more to be learned about them.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses,
saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh
month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a
memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation." (Leviticus 23:23-24). This annual Sabbath is next in the order of God's plan.
The Feast of Trumpets comes in the fall
of the year. It reveals an exciting time for us today because it
concerns the second-coming of Jesus Christ, not as a lamb, but as a
King who will rule on the earth. This is the time you live in now! This
world, after 6,000 years of man's rule, is about to make a dramatic
change. It will be ruled by the Kingdom of God, with Jesus Christ as
King of kings.
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [those who have died in the faith over the past 6,000 years],
that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring with him [they will all return with Jesus Christ when he comes]. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord [those who are in the Church who have the spirit of God dwelling in them and called to be a firstfruit] shall not prevent [Greek- precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [those alive in the Church called to be firstfruits]
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).
Paul described this same thing to the Corinthian church. "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed"
(1 Corinthians 15:52). This is when all the firstfruits will be
resurrected. Nearly all of the firstfruits are dead, but will then be
resurrected to immortal life. Those few firstfruits who are alive at
this time will also be resurrected- changed from mortal to immortal
spirit beings.
All the firstfruits called over the past
6,000 years will be resurrected on the day the last trumpet sounds, the
seventh trumpet of the seventh seal. "And the seventh angel
sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of
this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and
he shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11:15). This is the day when Jesus Christ will come to rule all nations on this earth.
The return of Jesus Christ will bring an
end to all wars. Man has sought to accomplish this very thing, but has
failed miserably. The very statue in the United Nations garden, that
depicts what man has wanted to do in bringing an end to all war, is
taken from this very prophecy that will be fulfilled through Jesus
Christ. "And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke
many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2:4).
On the day the seventh trumpet sounds
Jesus Christ will return and put an end to war. When he returns, he
will destroy the armies that have been destroying life during the great
tribulation. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of
fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that
no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped
in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which
were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen,
white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it
he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:11-16).
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls [a time of fasting and humbling ourselves before God], and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God." (Leviticus 23:26-28).
This annual Sabbath pictures the entire
process covered from Passover to Trumpets. Christ will be on the earth
at this time, but every human being still must go through the same
process as those called in the first 6,000 years. The Day of Atonement
pictures the entire process of being atoned to God- reconciled to God.
All must come into unity and oneness- at one with God. It
begins with Passover and being reconciled to God the Father by the
blood of Jesus Christ. We must repent, come out of spiritual Egypt
(sin), be baptized, and receive God's spirit. As we grow spiritually
and overcome our nature, God can begin to transform (Roma
ns 12:1-2) the
very way we think and bring us into unity and harmony with His one true
way of life. After someone has successfully gone through this entire
process, they will be able to be made fully at one with God by a change
from mortal to immortal, from physical to spiritual into the Kingdom of
God.
The Kingdom of God is the Family of
God. It will be composed of spirit beings who were once physical. They
will be at one with God for all eternity in His family.
The day also pictures the time when
Satan will be removed from the presence of God and man. That, too, is
part of His plan to bring atonement to this earth.
Again, this will be a condensed, basic focus on the
meaning of this holy day season. Leviticus 23 continues with the annual
holy days and describes a final observance that lasts for eight days.
The first seven days is called the Feast of Tabernacles, with the first
day being an annual Sabbath. This period of seven days is followed by
an eighth-day observance which is also an annual Sabbath- the last in
the revelation of the plan of God. It is called the Last Great Day.
As the weekly Sabbath pictures the last 1,000
years in the 7,000 year plan of God, the Feast of Tabernacles focuses
on this same period of time. This very time is about to be ushered in
on this earth. All who live through the great end-time tribulation will
continue living in that new world. In this final 1,000 years all will
live under one government on the earth. It is the government of God,
the Kingdom of God, that will rule all nations during that time.
That very time is spoken of in Revelation 20
which occurs after the return of Jesus Christ as King of kings (covered
in Revelation 19). It is a time when Satan will no longer be active and
will no longer have power to deceive the nations (except for a short
time at the end of that 1,000 years).
"And I saw an angel come down from heaven,
having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And
he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years [part of Atonement], And cast him into the bottomless pit [abyss- a place of restraint],
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the
nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after
that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them [the firstfruits of Pentecost], and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded ["cut off" from the world through their calling]
for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not
worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark
upon their foreheads, or in their hands [The mark or sign of the Church is the Sabbaths of God. The mark of the beast is revealed by Sunday observance.];
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest
of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection [The first resurrection refers to the firstfruits who have been resurrected first in God's plan of salvation]. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power [All who are in the first resurrection have been given immortal life as spirit beings], but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
[These same members, who are resurrected first into the Kingdom of God,
will reign with Jesus Christ over the nations of the earth.]"
(Revelation 20:1-6).
There is much more to the meaning of the
Feast of Tabernacles, but this will help you see the basics of this
portion of the plan of God.
This eighth day following the Feast of Tabernacles is
traditionally referred to as the Last Great Day. It is the seventh and
last annual Sabbath. It is an exciting revelation in the plan of God.
As the early spring harvest of firstfruits is pictured in Pentecost,
the larger fall harvest is pictured in the Feast of Tabernacles and the
Last Great Day as the rest of mankind is offered salvation.
The Last Great Day pictures a time of great
judgment that follows the 7,000 year plan of God. It is a judgment
period that covers a time span of 100 years.
"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished"
(Revelation 20:5). Who are "the rest of the dead?" Previous we
explained the first resurrection (and those in it) which occurred at
the end of the 6,000-year period. That brings us to the "rest of the
dead" which is the vast majority of mankind having lived and died to
this point in time. These are the billions who have lived in deception
and ignorance of the purpose and plan of God. The time has now come for
them to be resurrected to physical life a second time! Now read the following verse. "Blessed and holy is he that hat part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power"
(Revelation 20:6). The firstfruits have already been given immortal
life and are spirit beings in the God Family. They can never die again!
No one has been in heaven (except Jesus
Christ) or in a place of eternal torment. People have simply been dead-
returned to dust. But God has the power to give life again.
"And I saw a great white throne [time for the great white throne judgment- the last great day of mankind],
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled
away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God [All who ever lived and died will be resurrected at this time- those forgotten in time and those remembered by history.]; and the books were opened [The books of the Bible are opened now for all to understand- by God's spirit]:
and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works [It is now a time for judgment. Each person must choose whether or not they will walk in the ways of God.]. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [Greek- the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works [and at the end of that 100 years...]. And death and hell [Greek- the grave]
were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15).
Everyone will have the opportunity to choose
God's way of life and grow in righteousness until the end of the
100-year period at which time they can become part of the Family of
God- the Kingdom of God. Those who refuse will die a second time- death
for all eternity. That is the story of the Last Great Day.
Home | Publications | Audio | Holy Days | About | Contact
Copyright © the CHURCH OF GOD-PKG. 2005. All rights reserved. | 
Now IN the End-Time