Well, lately, we have learned from the Bible that God is going to rapture the believers. He is going to come and gather His people on May 21st in 2011. And the more we study the Bible, the more we check these things out, the more definite it is, the more certain it is that this is what is going to happen. This is God’s plan.
And when God comes for His people, when He comes to gather together His elect, really, He is coming to collect the fruit. That is one of the types and figures that God uses in the Bible, that the world is God’s vineyard, in a sense. It is the place where He has planted His crops. And at the end, He is going to come and gather them.
For instance, in John 15:1-2, it uses this kind of language:
I am the true vine…
And that would be the Lord Jesus.
…and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
And John 15:4-5:
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
So there is the picture that God uses, that He is going to plant, and we read about the sowing of the seed. In one of the parables, the seed is thrown everywhere, and it is the Word of God. God is just, it seems, indiscriminately throwing it out on all kinds of ground. Some ground is full of rocks. Some ground, full of thorns. Some ground is good ground. That is speaking about the hearts of men, and the good ground brings forth fruit.
And, really, the only reason someone could bring forth fruit in their lives individually is because they abide in the vine. They are a branch in Christ and Christ is the One who is bringing forth fruit. So this is the language that God uses in many places.
In James 5:7, it says:
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman…
John 15:1 said that the Father is the husbandman. James 5:7:
…the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
So God has long patience for the fruit, but only up until a point, until He receives the early and latter and rain, which indicates that once He does receive the rain, He will no longer be patient. He will return. He will return. “Immediately,” Mark 4:29 says, when the harvest is ready, “He putteth in the sickle.” There is no delay. Immediately, He puts in the sickle; He gathers the crop.
And God uses this picture so much that in Exodus 23, the people of Israel were commanded three times in a year, around the Feasts, in Exodus 23:14-16, they were commanded these three times to go to Jerusalem:
Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year. Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread…
And that is Passover.
…(thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib; for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty:) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labours, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, which is in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the field.
So those are the three Feasts. And we know that when Jesus was hanging on the Cross, it was at the time of the Passover when He was in the upper room. He was “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The Passover Feast typified Christ as the Lamb of God, and yet that Feast also pointed to the fruit of the Lord Jesus, as He is called the firstfruits or the first of the firstfruits.
In 1 Corinthians 15:23, it says in that verse:
But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
So the nation of Israel, if we can say they produced any fruit, it was the Lord Jesus Christ in His death. That was the fruit that the Old Testament nation of Israel brought forth. Other than that, God does not have many good things to say about them.
The second Feast was the Feast of Pentecost or Firstfruits, and we know in Acts 2 that three thousand were saved on the day of Pentecost when it was fully come, because that is the time that God was fulfilling the spiritual meaning of the Feast. So now, it fully came, even though it was held for years and years, or should have been held (maybe it was not always). In the old times of ancient Israel, of Old Testament Israel, it was to be held in the year. And yet, in Acts 2, it fully came because it was fulfilled. And that Feast of Firstfruits extended throughout the whole New Testament Church Age. Every believer who was saved through the ministry of the church became like a firstfruit unto God.
And we know that is true because in Revelation 7:4, it says:
And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
And then it goes on to say 12,000 from Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from these twelve tribes. The only tribe left out was Dan. And so 12 x 12,000 = 144,000.
And, by the way, if anyone ever says, “Well, where do you get any justification for breaking down numbers?,” this is one place you could go because you can see how within the number 144,000, God is multiplying 12’s. And really, the main number is 12—144,000, with thousand being the completeness of what is in view, which would be all those who were saved during the Church Age. And so, there were these 144,000.
Now go to Revelation 14, and I am going to read through verse 4. Revelation 14:1-4 says:
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand…
Those are the ones whom we just read about, or I mentioned, in Revelation 7.
…and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
Isn’t it interesting that they are singing, that they are harping, that there are all kinds of music going on in Heaven? That is where they are. They are in Heaven. That is what it tells us. The 144,000, they are before the throne. They are in Heaven and they are singing and praising God. That is what we read that they are doing. Just like that…well, I guess there is a little bit of truth to that crazy idea of people floating around on the cloud with their harps…you know, that idea of Heaven. Well, yes, they are harping. They are harping and they are singing a song that nobody could learn but them, and that is the Song of the Lamb, their salvation.
And then in Revelation 14:4:
These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. 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.
They are the firstfruits. There are three Feasts. Jesus, the first of the firstfruits, or the firstfruits, in that sense. The second Feast, Pentecost, and that Feast brought in its fruit: the firstfruits, these 144,000 that were saved from 33 A.D. to 1988 A.D., through 1955 years of the Church Age. Then the Church Age came to an end and the fulfillment of the Feast of Pentecost was complete, because all those that God intended to save—and it does not necessarily mean there was 144,000; there could have been a million or two or three; I do not know the exact number—but He saved the fullness of all whom He wanted to save throughout those 1955 years. And He identifies them as the firstfruits. They are the firstfruits.
Now if we go back to Revelation 7, remember there is a third Feast. There is a third Feast which is called the Feast of Tabernacles. It is also called the Feast of Ingathering. They are held simultaneously. They are practically one and the same. They are synonymous in many ways. And that Feast of Ingathering would be held in the year’s end, the end of the Acceptable Year of the Lord, the end of God’s “year” of sending the Gospel into the world to gather His fruit. So here in Revelation 7:9, it says:
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Being clothed with white robes has to do with the righteousness of the saints. Revelation 19:8 tells us that. Wherever we see this language of white, fine linen, it has to do with that pure righteousness of Christ, that our sins are gone and that we have been covered by His blood. And it is the similar statement of Daniel 12, “Many shall be purified, and made white.”
So here, it is a great multitude that are in these “white robes, and palms in their hands.” And palms are also a part of the Feast of Tabernacles. They were to go get branches of palm trees, as well as other kinds of trees, to make their booths. But also, the palms were laid out in the day that Jesus came into Jerusalem. So I am not sure what is in view here, but they have palms in their hands.
Revelation 7:10-13:
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders…
Or it is actually, “one out of the elders”:
..answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Where did they come from? Why does God even ask the question? Why does God have one out of the elders, and, actually, it is Christ Himself, because where it says in Revelation 7:14, “Sir,” that is the word kurie or “Lord.” It is translated as “Lord” in Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord.” So this one who is answering out of the elders is the Lord, and He is identifying Him as Lord, and yet God has this question asked in order that the answer would be made prominent and would be displayed and everybody could know who these are. They are not the 144,000. They are not those saints, because they were saved during the 1955 years of the Church Age.
Look at the response in Revelation 7:14:
And I said unto him, Sir…
Or Lord:
…thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
So this great multitude is given a specific reference here of those who came out of the Great Tribulation. They did not come out of any other period of time. Just like firstfruits identifies with Pentecost, Great Tribulation identifies with the “little season” that comes right next to the end of the world. It comes right up against the very end of the world.
And so, they are being related. They are being joined together. And God wants us to know that is where they came from. And they are all saved. Their robes are made white and washed, and it is really emphasized that they are children of God and that they are spiritually cleansed from all of the contamination of sin.
And then Revelation 7:15:
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
And, you know, we really have to thank some people who were referring to this verse about “day and night,” because when Mr. Camping was saying in Revelation 20 that, no, it is not a judgment throne and God is just going to destroy the world, and people noticed that language of “day and night” and they came here and they came to Revelation 7 and they said, “Well, you see, it is in Heaven. There is ‘day and night’ in Heaven.” And they are right. They are right. But not always. Not always. And, really, it is really amazing how God uses this language to…He is so perfect, He is so exact in everything He says, and, Lord willing, I think we will see why this language is being used.
But let us go to Joel 2, the book of Joel. In Joel 2:21, it says, and we are going to read some encouraging verses and we are going to read some verses that…they are very sad. But it all has to do with the fruit. It all has to do with the fruit of God. In Joel 2:21-24:
Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for JEHOVAH will do great things. Be not afraid, ye beasts of the field: for the pastures of the wilderness do spring, for the tree beareth her fruit, the fig tree and the vine do yield their strength. Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in JEHOVAH your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately…
Or, righteously. And that is pointing to Christ, but we are not going to get into that.
…and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain…
That would be the early rain that brings in the firstfruits.
…and the latter rain in (as) the first.
“As the first” is the proper translation.
So there, God has three seasons, three Feasts, three rains.
And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
So there is going to be wheat, wine, and oil. That is the fruit. That is the fruit that the harvest is going to bring in, once it receives the rain, when the rain falls.
Let us go to Deuteronomy 11 and read verses 13 and 14. Deuteronomy 11:13-14:
And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love JEHOVAH your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, that I will give you the rain of your land in his due season…
Because the whole timetable is based according to God’s timeline. It is His timeline. It is not man’s. It is not anybody else’s. Jesus came in the fullness of time, and everything is according to God’s perfect plan and His perfect timeline.
I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain…
That is what the husbandman is waiting for. He is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth, the first and then the latter.
…that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.
Again, instead of wheat, it says corn, wine, oil. The rain falls, Like Isaiah 55:10-11 tells us, where God likens the rain to His Word, and like Deuteronomy 32 tells us in the first couple of verses, where He says, “My doctrine shall drop as the rain” and I think it is His Word or what He declares out of His mouth “as the dew.” So God associates the rain with the Word of God, and He is going to bring forth the rain, He will send His Word in order to gather the fruit.
We know that is how it is done. That is how it is done. The Gospel goes into all the world, and, in reality, God uses that Word to save this person here and that person there and the person over there. A little corn, a little wine, a little oil, and it is just figurative language. It is parabolic language that God is using to indicate that these people will become saved and they will be that precious fruit.
Well, let us go to Zechariah 8 and look at one verse. In Zechariah 8:12, this is speaking of our present time:
For the seed shall be prosperous; the vine (Jesus) shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things.
And it goes on to say, “So will I save you,” and so forth. And again, it is language of spiritual prosperity, spiritual blessing. The rain will bring forth the fruit. The Father is waiting for the rain.
Or look at Isaiah 11:10-12, and we are becoming more familiar with this verse because it is referring to the second outpouring of the Spirit or the second Jubilee, this latter rain. In Isaiah 11, let me start in verse 11. Isaiah 11:11-12:
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel…
Did you ever feel that way? Well, that is how it is. Or, the outcasts of the corporate body, not the spiritual Israel whom God is going to save. But of the churches and congregations, we are definitely the outcasts. We are not even like that uncle whom you never want to mention. We are worse than that. We are the outcasts of the churches, without a doubt.
So let me read this again. Isaiah 11:12:
…and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
The fruit is being gathered in, ingathering. It is a Feast of Ingathering. God is going to gather in His people, and this will be the harvest.
Or look at Leviticus 23:39:
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto JEHOVAH seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.
When you keep the Feast or Tabernacles or Ingathering, do you gather the fruit during the Feast? No. No, you do not gather the fruit during the Feast. You gather the fruit and then you have the Feast. That is what it said. Let us read it again:
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered…
Past tense.
…in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto JEHOVAH seven days…
You gather the fruit in first and then you have the Feast.
Look at Deuteronomy 16:13-15:
Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast gathered in thy corn and thy wine: and thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite, the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are within thy gates. Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto JEHOVAH thy God in the place which JEHOVAH shall choose: because JEHOVAH thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
Now the question is, where is that “place”? Where is that place that we are going to keep the Feast of Tabernacles? We are going to keep the Feast of Ingathering “in the place which Jehovah our God shall choose.”
It is interesting that when Jesus was hanging on the Cross and He was that Lamb of God fulfilling the Passover, that really was the end of Israel. So we can identify that place as the nation of Israel. And then when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, that really began the Church Age. So that place of observance for the Feast of Pentecost was the churches and congregations. That is where the firstfruit would be brought in.
But the final Feast, I thought it was in this dispersal. I thought God is keeping the Feast throughout the world, as individuals are scattered all over the place. But that is not how you keep a Feast.
Deuteronomy 16:16:
Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before JEHOVAH…
You appear. You come to keep the Feast. You come up to keep the Feast.
Let’s go to Zechariah 14. In Zechariah 14:16-19, it says:
And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, JEHOVAH of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, JEHOVAH of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith JEHOVAH will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles.
Because the Feast of Tabernacles is going to be observed in a grand and glorious manner, and it is going to be observed and held in a “place,” which is in Heaven itself. In Heaven itself, God is going to gather His fruit on May 21st, 2011. Every last one of the elect is going to go up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And upon them that go not up, there will be no rain.
You know, it is sad. I said that we would look at some encouraging verses, and actually there is more encouragement to come when we go back to Revelation 7. But there are sad verses, too.
Let us go to Jeremiah 8. We are becoming more familiar with these verses. I will start reading in verse one of Jeremiah 8. Jeremiah 8:1:
At that time, saith JEHOVAH, they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of his princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves:
And we know this is also May 21st, 2011, because there are going to be earthquakes in order that God’s people resurrect. They will rise up. And also, all of the unsaved will rise up, but not to life. They will rise up to damnation. That is, God will cause their bones or whatever is left of them to come out of the graves, and He is going to scatter them across the face of the earth. In other words, the whole earth is going to be like an exposed graveyard. There is going to be death everywhere, and that is what this verse is talking about.
And then in Jeremiah 8:2:
And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped…
Of course, none of that was towards God. None of that was towards God. It would be wonderful if all of that was towards God. But this is the problem. None of it was.
…they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
In the Feast of Ingathering, you gather together your fruit, and that very same word is used. We have read it a couple of times, like in Isaiah 11. In the Feast of Ingathering, the word “ingathering” is a slightly different word. But in the verse that deals with ingathering, it uses the word “gathered” that is found here. The bones, those left behind, will not be gathered.
Turn to Jeremiah 9:22:
Speak, Thus saith JEHOVAH, Even the carcases of men shall fall as dung upon the open field, and as the handful after the harvestman, and none shall gather them.
They are not being collected. They are not the precious fruit of the earth. This is the fruit that gives forth a stench. These are they who have offended God and whose sins have not been washed away. They have not been made white by the Blood of the Lamb. They will not be gathered. They are going to remain, and it is an ugly picture.
Jeremiah 25:33. Well, I will just read a little bit of verse 30, in the last part. Jeremiah 25:30:
…he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
Then Jeremiah 25:33:
And the slain of JEHOVAH shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.
You see, this is the language that we have been learning. It is the same language of the bones and the great shame that is going to take place. And also, they were not God’s elect people. They were not God’s fruit. They were not in the vine, and so they will not be gathered.
But God’s people, if we could go back to Revelation 7, and this is a wonderful picture because it is us. It is us. We came out of Great Tribulation. The Great Tribulation is over, and so all of God’s saved, all of those who are truly His people are now lifted up on that wonderful day for His people, May 21st, 2011, and brought before God.
It is even like they are new here. It is kind of interesting that they ask, “Whence came they?” Where did they come from, like they just showed up at a party? “Sir or Lord, Thou knowest. They came out of Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb.”
God just raptured them. He just lifted them up. They came up to keep the Feast. They came up to observe the Feast of Tabernacles. And that is why it says in Revelation 7:15:
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple…
Because there is still time on Earth. For that 5-month period, there is “day and night.” And God is using that picture, that fact, to illustrate that the great difference, the great contrast between the people of God in Heaven—wow!—in Heaven, and the people who are left behind on Earth.
They are left. They are not gathered. There are bones all over. There is death everywhere. There are earthquakes. The whole infrastructure of every civilized society is gone. All of the electronic medium is done with. Everything that people love so much about this world is a mess for 5 months.
Day and night, day and night, they are worshipping God. And there we see the wonderful fact and truth that they are in Heaven before God, before His throne. And notice what it says here in Revelation 7:15-16. They serve Him day and night in His Temple:
…and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
Wow! Everything is perfect. Everything is joyous. Everything is blessed happiness, day and night, for those 5 months. We will have a different mind, because now we can weep and now we can cry for those who we think are not saved and we can pray for them and we can desire that they might become saved. But at that day, at that end, there will be no more weeping.
Remember, during the Feast of Tabernacles, you do not weep; you rejoice. You do not weep. In Nehemiah, the people began to weep and He said, “No, this is a day where you rejoice.” And God’s people will rejoice for that 5-month period, and then, of course, it goes into eternity.
But the language of “day and night” ceases and then it is “for ever and ever” and there is no need of the sun because there is no darkness there. There is no time after that, because the earth will be burned up and destroyed. And it is quite a dramatic contrast between those who keep the Feast and those who fail to keep the Feast and do not come up.
There is one more thing here. Let me read in Revelation 7:17:
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Remember that verse we had trouble with in John 7, “that great day of the feast”? Let us go to John 7, and this is referring to the Feast of Tabernacles. John 7:2:
Now the Jews’ feast of tabernacles was at hand.
Then there is language of Jesus having discussion with His brethren. But eventually, He goes to the Feast, “as it were in secret.”
Then in John 7:37-38:
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst…
Revelation 7:15-16 said that you would not thirst. We will not thirst, because God will quench our thirst.
…let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
That is completed, as we see, by the great multitude in Heaven as that last verse, and let me read it again, because I know that if I am not remembering it that others are not remembering it. In Revelation 7:17:
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them…
Even in Heaven, He is going to lead them:
…unto living fountains of waters…
On the Last Day of the Great Day of the Feast, that is how we understand it. It is not saying, as some are trying to insist, “Well, you see, the Feast of Tabernacles and that salvation, the Feast of Ingathering, are all wrapped up and Jesus is making an offer. He is sending forth the Gospel on that day, October 21st.”
Some people refuse to accept the information God is opening about the 5 months. They refuse to acknowledge what God is revealing from His Word. And yet, here God is saying, “No. We keep the Feast in Heaven.” And in Heaven, we will be lead to those living fountains of water, to the Holy Spirit, the source of all spiritual water.
Well. I just think it is amazing. Lord willing, as Mr. Camping has brought up (and you can hear his studies at www.familyradio.com and go to the audio archives), there is more information in the Bible about this. In the days of Jehoshaphat, that great multitude was coming against them and they set singers in the forefront and they sang a song on the way to the battle, and God said, “You will not need to fight in this battle,” and then all of their enemies were as dead men. They went up to the watchtower in the wilderness, to the cliff of Ziz. They went up. Basically, it was an observatory where they watched it all before them, and all of their enemies were dead all across the ground. They were all dead, and they just watched this, rejoicing, and then they gathered the spoil and they went back to Jerusalem, rejoicing and singing. They went singing. They returned singing or playing musically instruments. And that is a picture of what is going to happen during that 5-month period.
Okay. Let us close now with a word of prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank You for the great future, the wonderful expectation, the exciting days, if we can use that language. And we can. Even for that 5-month period, we will be serving You day and night and then beyond into eternity. And Father, we do thank You for Your mercy. And Father, we pray for those who maybe do not have eyes to see and therefore cannot fear and pray for themselves. We pray, Father, for our children and for our loved ones in our family and for our neighbors and for those we meet, and we do ask that You would help us to be witnesses and to make sure that we are giving a certain sound with the trumpet as watchmen, that we are not wavering, that we are not hesitating, that we are not saying, “Maybe,” that we are not saying, “This might be a good thing to do.” But because You have laid it out before us, we also can lay it out before others. And Father, we pray that You might continue, and we know that You will, to continue to draw people to Yourself and to save this great multitude, which does come out of Great Tribulation. We ask that You be with us for the rest of this day for fellowship and help us to speak of You and to think of You. And we pray this in Christ’s Name. Amen.
How about we sing a hymn and then answer any questions?
Chris: Okay. If anyone has anything here or on Paltalk, you are welcome to come to the mic.
1st Question: I just have a comment. I heard Mr. Camping last night and he figured out the remnant to be saved to be 200 million. That was the number that he came up with. So that is a tie, supposedly, to the 2 billion who are on Earth. That is the number he gave, so I just wanted to bring that up.
Chris: Okay. Thank you. Yes, I have heard that. I have heard Mr. Camping say it as not definitely, so I am still trying to hear what he said about it and then check it out myself. But that comes from Revelation 9:16:
And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
That is where he is getting that from.
2nd Question: I had a couple of questions. That was good about the gathering being that when the unsaved are not gathered, it is pointing to the fact that they are not the fruit of God. Also in that language, there were two other things. It said that they should not be lamented nor gathered nor buried. Do you have any thoughts on why they are not buried? They are thrown out of the grave, but is there a spiritual meaning to that? Are they not buried with Christ?
Chris: Well, I do not know about that, but it is being exposed. When we bury the dead, we basically put them out of sight. In bringing up the dead (and I think Mr. Camping is correct), God is shaming them for their sin. It is a sin, and it is on display to whoever is left alive, as well as all of the principalities and powers of God’s creations, and Christ Himself is ashamed of them. Beyond that, I do not know.
2nd Question (continued): So they are not lamented also? Can you look at Revelation 18:9-10?
Chris: Revelation 18:9-10 says:
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
I do not know. I know how we have understood this passage, and there is some language in here that kind of does fit in with that 5-month period, so I am kind of holding back on this. I know previously we would say that that is the Great Tribulation time. Jeremiah was a weeping prophet and we, as believers, feel sorrow now for those in the churches because there is no salvation there, as well as the people in the world when we know that they are out in the world and as of right now they are not giving any evidence of being saved. So we sow in tears, and yet it says that we reap in joy. And that reaping of the fruit, of bringing the fruit in, is a time of rejoicing in Heaven, but not now.
You know, we have a job to do, and we can look expectantly and be full of joy in thinking about it, but we are not going to be rejoicing over so many people who are going to be destroyed.
2nd Question (continued): So when they are lamenting, when they see the smoke of her burning, maybe that is because we foresee it. We see it coming. Not that we are seeing right now, but we will be seeing it then, and so now is the time that we are weeping.
Chris: Yes. That is a possibility.
3rd Question: Chris, the more we talk about the 5 months and the exposure of the bodies, the earthquakes and all of that, it almost seems inconceivable that there could be life sustained for 5 months. If there is no infrastructure, you know, eating, for instance, are we able to kind of reconcile that idea?
Chris: As far as we are concerned, we are so spoiled that we cannot imagine life like that for 5 months because we have so many luxuries today and comforts: air conditioning in the summer, heat in the winter. Whatever we need, practically we have it. But things can be brought down to a pretty base level pretty quickly.
We have seen this with floods and tsunamis and hurricanes. In a city, people even, like in New Orleans, begin to do drastic things quickly. And the Bible does talk about those who have been in a siege and that they do not have food. People, without God in them, without His Spirit constraining them, they can do very ugly things in order to try to continue to survive.
And, you know, some people, I was reading this and it is very sad because this person was a believer and now he is doubting a lot of things and he put forth the scenario, “Well, you know, let’s say it is true that on May 21st, 2011, there is going to an earthquake. So me and my family will go out into a field somewhere, away from bridges and tall buildings and that kind of thing. The earthquake happens, but we manage to survive.” And then he continued in this supposed scenario, “If it did happen and Mr. Camping were proven right, we can always quietly kill ourselves.” And I thought, “Wow! That is so terrible that, not only you but your little ones, you would think about that in order to avoid this 5 months of hell on Earth.”
Actually, though, with the human spirit, that desire to exist is pretty strong. More likely, the scenario would be that after those earthquakes, you are out there in that field, you and your family, so you are going to become a “locust.” You are going to become someone who says, “You know what? There is a way. God is merciful,” especially if you know something of the Bible. “I can find some verses. I can figure it out.” And so you tell your family and maybe a little group of people, because you are not going to have the electronic medium…we are not going to have one person during that 5 months broadcast to the world. We will have individual church members, individual people who have knowledge gather their own little group. I think that is what the “locusts” are going to be.
And so that pull to survive, or whatever it is, that built-in desire to continue to exist will lead people to do many drastic and awful things, including cannibalism.
4th Question: Before I get to my question, in response to John’s question, we have to remember that God has not taken a vacation during that 5 months and if He wants people to be alive till the last day, they will be alive. They are not going to be able to obviate His plan, no matter how it is done. I have no idea, but He is still in charge.
Chris: The Bible says, “If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there.” And, of course, He is going to be pouring out His wrath for that 5-month period.
I do not know what is going to happen. We can only speculate and think that some things might happen. From the Scriptures, we are concluding that certain things will happen.
4th Question (continued): With respect to the earlier teaching from this morning about geenna and the last day and annihilation and perishing, it came to me that there probably was a verse where God created everything out of nothing, and I have found it. In 1 Corinthians 1, God is talking about using the foolish of the world to confound the wise, etc., starting somewhere around 25, if you wish, and down through verse 28, which is the verse that I have in mind. I wonder if you have considered that? I do not recall hearing it discussed on Family Radio, but it seems to me that this applies to annihilation, in that God not only has the power and has created everything out of nothing, but that He can take everything and make it into nothing by speaking.
Chris: Well, I will read 1 Corinthians 1:28:
And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
That is exactly what God is going to do. You are correct. He created the world. He spoke and it came into being, the whole world, the universe, and He is going to speak again and He is going to destroy the world. All of the creation, all the creatures, including man, the unsaved who are still in the world on October 21st, and that is why God tells us that man will experience “the blackness of darkness for ever.”
If you were trying to describe nothingness, how would you do it? It is like blackness, and we get this picture of just space with no stars, just black space. And that is what the language of “the blackness of darkness for ever” is. Man goes into nothingness. He ceases to be and he is annihilated.
5th Question: You were preaching about the gathering that led to the Feast of Tabernacles, I was thinking with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur coming up, the Jewish holidays, if 2011 comes, what is going to happen to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? When 2011 comes, there will be no more feasts?
Chris: Well, when 2011 comes, we are going to experience…and I do not know if we will all be here…I mean we have plenty of time before then and any of us could not live to see it…but the world, and probably most of us, we will experience 5 months of normal life going into May. It is going to be a time when believers are going to be thinking of things they can do. And, really, wouldn’t it be nice, wouldn’t it be a blessing if we did not have to enter into January 1st, 2011, and then think, “Oh, man. I just wasted my life, and especially the last couple of years. I wasted it. I did not do what I should have done. Yes, I gave a little money. I went maybe on one tract trip or I handed out tracts once or twice, but I did not pray like I should have prayed.” Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just go into that time already running, already running?
We are hearing the Word now, and day is going to follow day and time is going to go quickly. Two years will go like nothing. We cannot do anything about the past, as God tells us to forget those things which are behind. But now is the time, now is the time when we should be praying to God, at least, “Lord, direct me. What can I do? Here is my life and here is my physical situation and my financial situation, what can I do now so that I can be in the best position possible for sharing Your Word and the Gospel to the world, with whatever I have, with whatever is in me?”
So that is how we really want to be focusing and preparing ourselves. And also, if someone is not saved, if they are not saved, you do not want to wait until January 1st, because on January 1st, you are going to say February 1st, and February 1st, you are going to say March 1st of 2011, because that is the nature of man. Tomorrow! Next week! And yet God says that today is the day of salvation. Right now is the time to pray for mercy and to read the Bible, to read it because this is the Feast of the Bible. This is when God is really honoring His Word.
6th Question: You were mentioning about keeping the Feast. Does that mean to spread the Word of God or to spread the Gospel? Is that what it means by keeping the Feast?
Chris: Ultimately, to keep the Feast, we have to be saved. If we are saved, then we will be brought up. God has to bring us up. He is our transportation to the Feast. He has to lift us up in salvation and the Rapture, and then we will keep the Feast.
If we do not keep the Feast, then we are not going up. We are left behind and there is no rain. There is no more latter rain. The latter rain is done. There is no more Gospel and no more salvation at that point. Upon Egypt and all the families of the earth, there is nothing.
They will try to claim that there is salvation, that there is a way. That is the job of those “locusts.” That is why in Isaiah 23 where it speaks of Tyre, it says that after 70 years that she is going to sing like a harlot. And she will do this to all the nations on the face of the earth, because to sing has to do with declaring the Gospel and to be a harlot is to declare a false gospel. No one who is left behind is going to declare the right Gospel, because that Gospel is no Gospel. There is no more hope. There is no more possibility of salvation.
Okay. We will take one on Paltalk, and then we will close.
7th Question: The question is on John 1:17. There was no law from Adam to Moses. Can you comment on that?
Chris: John 1:17:
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Well, in one sense, there wasn’t because God gave a great many laws to Moses: the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial laws and the first five books of the Bible, which are all laws. But we know that when God spoke to Adam and Eve and when He told them to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that was the Law. That was a commandment of God, and God added to His Law, not as much as when He spoke to Moses, but there was still Law, else man could not break the Law and would not be a transgressor of the Law and would not have died until Moses. And that is not possible. So this is not saying that there was no Law before, it is just that it was not revealed to the degree that it was revealed with Moses.
Okay. We will stop here. If anyone on Paltalk wants to join us tonight, 8:30 P.M., we will have fellowship time till 10:30 P.M., Lord willing. We will just stop right here.