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The Eighth Day–The Last Great Day–Just the Beginning
October 17, 2022

Today is the seventh and final of the annual Holy Days as given in the Bible. When we come to the end of the Holy Day season, some see this as the end of God’s plan of salvation for mankind, never considering that with God who is eternal, there is no end to the majesty of God. What we see as the end of prophecy marks a transition to what comes next, and this day gives us a glimpse into what comes next as we mark a conclusion to a period of time as we understand it.

It was on this day, the last and great day of the Feast that Jesus stood and proclaimed that if any person thirst, that person could come to Jesus and drink and in so doing out of that person’s belly would flow living water. Though virtually all of the people wouldn’t understand what Jesus was referencing when he spoke these words, Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was proclaiming that through his death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit would become available to people.

John 7:37-39
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man 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. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.

The living waters that Jesus spoke of were also mentioned by the prophet Zechariah, who spoke of the world’s armies gathering against Jerusalem to battle and that the people who remain will be treated very badly by the soldiers of those armies. It is at this point that God will once again fight for Jerusalem through the return of Jesus Christ who when he descends from heaven, which will be as easy to see as the sun in the sky, will descend and His feet will touch the Mount of Olives, splitting the Mount of Olives in two through the force of a huge earthquake. When this happens eventually the evening hours will come but the evening will be as bright as the day.

When this day comes, living waters will flow from Jerusalem throughout the year. The river will never dry up as some rivers do in arid climates during certain seasons of the year. From Jerusalem, the river will flow in two directions. In this day, the Kingdom of God will be established with God the Father on the throne and Jesus seated next to God. The areas around Jerusalem will become valuable and many will safely live there. Those who try to challenge Jerusalem will be met with a wasting disease and these people who try to challenge Jerusalem will find themselves fighting against each other, as even their livestock suffers from this wasting disease. The wealth of these nations will become the wealth of Jerusalem as the Kingdom of God is established on earth.

After this failed attempt to attack Jerusalem, those who are left alive will submit to Jerusalem and come up each year to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. Those nations who do not keep this feast will be cursed with a drought, and it will make no difference to God if that nation is seen as small and weak or large and powerful. During the Kingdom of God foreshadowed by this Holy Day, God will be revered as Holy, not the myth that so many consider God today.

Zechariah 14:1-21
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses. And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth. And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour. And Judah also shall fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the heathen round about shall be gathered together, gold, and silver, and apparel, in great abundance. And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel, and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as this plague. 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, the LORD 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, the LORD 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 the LORD 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. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts: and all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them, and seethe therein: and in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts.

The Last Great Day looks to a future time when new heavens and a new earth is created and when all of the pain that is found in the world today fades from memory, never to be remembered again. The joy of the world we will have at that time will be so overpowering that we will not even think about the world we have today-never.

The pain that so many people have today will not be remembered. Those who have been traumatized will not have that trauma come to mind. Those who have lost and suffered, will no longer remember their loss and suffering. All that weighs down people today will be replaced with rejoicing. Happiness will be overwhelming as all the hardships of today will be no more. Parents will no longer mourn the death of an infant because when a baby is born, old age will be its destination. People will benefit from all that they do, reaping the reward for their work, and no challenges will come to them as a result of what they do. Blessing will grow blessing as too much happiness is the only burden one might possibly have. It is during this time that God will be responsive to His people. Any who call out to God will easily see the hand of God in what they are doing, and the predators of the animal kingdom today will no longer be predators instead becoming animal friends to those animals previously hunted.

Isaiah 65:17-25
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

With the joy and happiness of the Kingdom of God, it will be easy for people to praise God, knowing that God has delivered mankind from the clutches of sin as salvation is available to all. The joy and happiness foreshadowed by this Last Great Day will be celebratory in nature with singing and dancing, the type of singing and dancing that focuses on incredible gifts that come with righteousness, not the kind of singing and dancing that comes with the knowledge of good and evil of today’s world. It is during this time that God will judge the earth with equity and righteousness. With righteousness the earth will be judged, and the people with equity. If you have ever felt the system is stacked against the people and the planet we live on, things will fundamentally change during this future time.

Psalm 98:1-9
O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

The Last Great looks forward to a time prophesied in Ezekiel, where in a vision Ezekiel was taken to a valley of dry bones and asked by God if these bones could ever live again. Ezekiel smartly replied that only God could know if these bones would ever live again. In the vision, God proclaims that these dry bones will once again live through the breath of God, and as bone is joined to bone, God will bring back to life people who have long been dead. When people think of a time when we will have the opportunity again to meet those who have died, if by this time in future history they have not met those who have died, this will be the time for them to meet once again, and when these people are resurrected as humans, they will be given the Holy Spirit, showing that our God is a kind and merciful God not wanting any person to die, but that all should have the hope for eternal life.

Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.

In his second letter, Peter reaffirmed that Jesus will return, and when he returns, it will usher in a time of new heavens and a new earth, which Peter describes as a time when the heavens will be dissolved and the elements will melt due to extreme heat. The wait that we are now enduring is not as a punishment, but so that all can come to repentance. As we live in the world today, we look to the new heavens and the new earth, and on this Last Great Day, we are especially focused on the new heavens and the new earth.

2 Peter 3:8-13
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

When we think of the Last Great Day, we think of imagery provided to us in the Book of Revelation. By this time Satan will have been cast into the bottomless pit for one thousand years, and then for a little season he freed for just a bit. During the thousand year period, the millennium, those who are Christ’s during this present age will rule with Jesus, and after this thousand year period has passed, the rest who are dead will be resurrected.

There is a greater blessing to being part of the first resurrection, to being called during this present age to be with Jesus and God the Father. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be freed a bit from the bottomless pit with the purpose to deceive nations and cause them to fight a war. This will be God’s final test of loyalty to people who are alive at that time. From the scriptures, it seems like those who cling to worldly nationalism will be deceived and will be destroyed by fire. Satan will be tormented forever in the lake of fire.

It is at this point that the dead who are resurrected, both small and great, stand before God and are judged according to their works. Those whose names are not found in the Book of Life are tossed into the Lake of Fire, and then death itself is tossed into the Lake of Fire.

Revelation 20:1-15
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, And cast him into the bottomless pit, 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, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded 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; 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. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, 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; and the books were opened: 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. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell 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.

It is at this point that in John’s writings he saw the new heaven and new earth, the same new heaven and new earth that was written of by Isaiah the prophet. John shows that with this new earth there is no more sea as the New Jerusalem descends from heaven as voice from heaven proclaims that God will now live with people and that the pain we know today will be no more. During the vision it is proclaimed that all things are made new, and those who overcome will inherit all things. Those who are fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars will have already been tossed into the lake of fire.

One of the angels who had carried the seven vials of the seven last plagues took John in a vision to see New Jerusalem as it descended from heaven, and as it descends from heaven, New Jerusalem has the glory of God and radiates like precious gemstones reflecting the light. This city is surrounded by walls of strength and on each wall are three gates, one for each of the tribes of Israel. The walls are two hundred fifty to three hundred feet tall, and the length of each wall is about one thousand five hundred miles, very tall walls, and extremely long walls!

Only the most precious gemstones and metals are used in the design of New Jerusalem, the gold that is used is so pure it is like clear glass, reflecting like a mirror, and twelve gemstones are used in the foundation. Each gate of the city is carved from a giant pearl and the streets made of pure gold with a reflective look of glass lead to the thrones of God and Jesus Christ. Unlike Jerusalem of old, this New Jerusalem has no temple because God and Jesus Christ embody all of New Jerusalem. The glory of God and Jesus Christ give light to New Jerusalem at all times and there is no need for the sun or the moon. New Jerusalem will be a welcome place for all whose names are written in the Book of Life.

Revelation 21:1-27
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The rivers of living water that Jesus spoke of, the river of life will flow from the throne of Jesus Christ and God the Father in New Jerusalem. On both sides of the river, the tree of life will be found, pulling us full circle back to the garden of Eden when the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was chosen over the tree of life. The tree of life produces twelve varieties of fruit, with a different variety maturing each month. The leaves of the tree of life heal the nations.

In John’s vision, a blessing is pronounced on those who keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book with Jesus explaining that when these prophecies are fully understood, the time will be very short, too short for the unrighteous to become righteous, and a total bust for those who have followed Jesus to suddenly turn away. Those who do the commandments will have access to New Jerusalem, and those who do not will not be part of the new heaven and new earth, and will never set foot within New Jerusalem. A curse is pronounced on any who change the words of this prophecy, with a final request for Jesus to return quickly.

Revelation 22:1-21
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

The Feast of Tabernacles is a yearly celebration of the Kingdom of God and all of the many blessings that will come to people through the Kingdom of God. As Christians, we are told to seek first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and through the past week of this feast, we have had time to focus on these blessings. We’ve considered the realm of the kingdom, the society that will be part of the kingdom, the prosperity of the kingdom, the government of the kingdom, Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords, and the family of God. Throughout the remainder of this calendar year and as we build up to the excitement of the Feast of Tabernacles next year, each and every day is the day to be seeking first the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness knowing that the hardships of today will soon be forgotten, and knowing that the very best of today will be much less than the very least of the Kingdom of God.

All verses are from the King James Version.
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