Big Changes are a Comin’
Feast of Tabernacles 2022
(Sermon Notes) By Warren Zehrung 10/10/2022
A great big Feast of Tabernacles greetings to all our beloved brethren. Though our spiritual hearts do unite us, we still long to be together with you all! The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the wonderful World Tomorrow, and what it will be like. We begin with the Offertory:
“Big changes are coming soon:” As we go through today’s sermon, look for the coming changes to these three categories:
First: For the Church of God brethren,
Second: For the remnant young men and women who survive the Tribulation and live over into the Millennium,
Thirdly: And for the face of the entire earth itself to be changing for a thousand years.
We will look at these concepts in today’s sermon: Big Changes are a Comin.’ I just want to drive that point home. I say that because sometimes it seems that our Church brethren aren’t looking for the tremendous changes that are coming. Just based on the changes that have taken place in my lifetime – we can see that new things are being invented ever faster and faster:
Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Knowledge has greatly increased just in my lifetime. When I was born, there were no atom bombs – now they are prolific, and thermonuclear war is mentioned daily! Let me give you a few inventions that have come in my lifetime. There was no nationwide electrical power grid or Interstate Highway system.
There were no Ball Point pens (The nuns would not let us use them because they were not real ink pens like quills – and that hadn’t changed much since Moses’ time),
There were no jet airplanes (I was 10 years old before I saw a jet), and the sound barrier had not been broken.
No one had air-conditioning in their homes until I was in High School.
There was no Television nor diodes, integrated chips or microchips when I was born. The CT scan and ultrasound technologies were not yet.
There were no computers, (let alone a Laser mouse and Hard Disc). I was serving in the ministry before the World Wide Web and email came along. There were no superconductors for use in MRI machines (magnetic resonance imaging.)
Even later came the mobile Cell Phone. I had children before the microwave oven came out.
AI, Artificial Intelligence was a dream of science fiction novels. Now, every time I call a government agency or business – I have to “talk” to their computer before I get a live person! Digital cameras and GPS – (Global Positioning System) are late comers.
Space travel is daily now.
I’ll tell you one modern invention that I really like – it’s Doppler Radar! We can even see the debris field in a tornado. I can do my own weather forecasting – and see if I have time to cut the grass or paint the porch.
Powerful 50,000 watt Radio stations made it possible for the Gospel message to go to all the world! Like XEG Mexico, and Radio Luxembourg. God used those Clear channel powerful Radio media to Preach the Gospel, more than He has TV or YouTube.
He raised up the end-time Church around the world. Jesus said of our generation – speaking of us:
Luke 21:32 Truly, I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
God tells us that we cannot begin to imagine the big changes that will be coming soon and in the Millennium. We will talk about those in today’s sermon. But first we will have: Offertory MUSIC while we take up our offerings. Page 119 “Behold the Day Will come.” From: Zechariah 14
Big Changes are a Comin’
God’s seven annual festivals picture the steps in God’s Master Plan of salvation for all mankind. Christ will start immediately in the Millennium to reeducate the people of the world through His annual festivals. The entire world will come to know that Jesus Christ is the Lord, and that God’s Master Plan pictures the way to physical blessings and spiritual salvation.
Deuteronomy 16:14 You 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.
Today is the First Day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Deuteronomy 16:15 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn Feast unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose: because the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the works of thine hands, therefore thou shalt surely rejoice.
The Feast is a foretaste of-the prosperity, happiness, joy and universal peace that will exist worldwide under the righteous rule of Jesus Christ. Universal adherence to God’s laws and revealed way of life will make the world tomorrow a supremely happy place – a veritable utopia! In today’s sermon we are going to see that great changes will be coming soon;
We will focus on THREE areas:
(1) on the Church of God brethren,
(2) on the remnant who will live over into the Millennial world tomorrow,
(3) and in a renewal of the face of the entire earth.
Those big changes will usher in a brave new era in the Plan of God.
What a beautiful picture we find prophesied in the Scriptures about these coming changes.
Little changes lead to bigger and bigger changes:
When God first called us, we began to pray, fast and tithe to God (Matthew 23:23). We went from Sunday worship to observing the Sabbath. We changed our eating habits for food set apart by God for eating (1Timothy 4:5).
Little changes in our lives paved the way for the big changes necessary to be in God’s Kingdom. By doing those “little things,” we slowly began to think like God does – and understand the spiritual intent of His laws.
It is the spiritual intent of God’s laws that changes us to be like God is.
We began to change who and what we were. Slowly but surely, we began to put on God-like attributes and the gifts of His Spirit—those are big changes!
We began to learn how to serve and pray for one another—and that led to Godly love of the brethren.
We began to continuously employ Justice, Mercifulness, Faithfulness and Godly Love with God’s people (Matthew 23:23, John 7:24).
Another Big Change that came as a result of God’s indwelling Spirit was the willingness to die for other’s sake and for the Gospel sake (John 13:34).
It is only through God’s Spirit that “Big Changes” take place in our lives.
The Biggest Change – the most important spiritual accomplishment for us in this life – is the development of Godly Character. Godly character is life’s goal for those called by God. A man must be conquered by God. He must willingly yield his will to that of God. He must always choose God’s righteous way over his own personal desires and will. In that way, one becomes “like” God—with Godly character. God tells us that there are going to be changes in us—especially in the resurrection.
Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, until my change comes.
That is speaking of the Resurrection of the Saints. This Feast is a joyful occasion – we’ve heard that a thousand times. I believe that “Joyful” comes short of how we should expect the Resurrection to be:
Brethren, we will be ecstatic! There will be overwhelming happiness, and overpowering joyful excitement. Please realize that the really big changes have not yet taken place!
Let’s look at the big changes that will yet take place in converted people. If we had twice the Godly wisdom that we have now that would be a 100% increase. God speaks of a hundredfold increase in us – but I believe the change is a near infinite increase.
That is an immeasurable change – from fleshly mortal man to eternal God life! We can try to picture that – but it is impossible for our melon sized brains. You cannot put a percentage growth factor on being an heir to the angelic world and the universe. That is so big a change that it boggles the mind. Even the angelic world will be our servants – how great is that?
Hebrews 2:5 For He [God] has not put the world to come in subjection unto the angels, whereof we speak.
Hebrews 2:7 Thou made [man] [for] a little [while] lower than the angels; thou crowned him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
God gave man dominion over everything on earth. (Genesis 1:26)
Hebrews 2:8 You have put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him [man], he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
“Not yet” foretells that all things will in the future be in subjection to resurrected man! And if that is not clear to you, we have:
Revelation 21:7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Look at God’s great promise of immense change shown to Isaiah, and quoted by the apostle Paul.
Isaiah 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what He has prepared for him that waits for Him.
1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.
1Corinthians 2:14 The natural man is not able to receive the things of the Spirit of God:
A Picture of the Millennium by the Prophet Amos
Amos 9:13 Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that sows seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.
More and more fruitful, viable farm land will be reclaimed from marginal acreages – and placed into bountiful production. For the Church of God brethren, please recognize that luscious presentations of the bountiful produce are literal, but also meant to represent the much greater reality of spiritual fruit that will abound in us.
Where will the young men and women who make up the first citizen of the Millennium come from? Those young survivors of the Tribulation will have been carried away captive to China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and all parts of Asia. Just make a study on the word, “remnant” in your Bible. In the Millennium a remnant of Israel will return to the land of Canaan and begin to repopulate the earth.
Isaiah 11:16 There shall be an highway for the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.
Only a relatively small physical remnant of mankind will survive the maliciously cruel wanton carnage and indiscriminate annihilation of young victims all around the war torn earth during the Tribulation to live over into the Millennium to become the people of the wonderful world tomorrow. They will be blessed to receive God’s Spirit—as the Church today has:
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh;
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Ezekiel 39:28-29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen: but I have gathered them unto their own land, and have left none of them anymore there. Neither will I hide my face anymore from them: for I have poured out my Spirit upon the House of Israel, says the Lord GOD.
God will have placed His seal of protection on them – so that they will survive WWIII. We find an example of that protection in Ezekiel 9:
Ezekiel 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Amos 9:14 And I will bring my people of Israel back from the captivity, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.
Amos 9:15 And I will plant them [the remnant] upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, says the LORD thy God.
We are physical Children of God brethren now, but we will be spiritual Children of God then, with gifts and qualities that are beyond our comprehension at this point:
1John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the Children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.
Brethren, we would like to be able to visualize what the incredible spiritual qualities of the wonderful World Tomorrow will be like for us. But we are told that the magnitude of those coming changes is beyond our present grasp.
1Corinthians 2:14 The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Try as we might, we are unable to visualize the wonderful fruits that will come in the World Tomorrow. God gives us a hint of what will be accomplished when there will be one Spirit, one language, one goal – at Christ’s direction: That is the very reason God divided the evil people and their languages who wanted to build the tower of Babel to heaven:
Genesis 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
In the Millennium, under the direction of Jesus Christ = king of kings, Lord of lords, nothing will be restrained from them, which they will imagined to accomplish.
Mountains will be made low – and vast lands reclaimed from the seas! Think spiritually for a moment:
Atonement, five days ago pictured the reconciliation of the world, just as it is applied to the Church of God today. Reconciling the world to God the Father Himself – will bring universal conversion – beginning at the start of the Millennium.
When all these battle weary young people will be brought back from far-flung captivity. For that remnant from the captivity – that will live over into the Millennial world tomorrow, they will be granted repentance, belief and given God’s Holy Spirit:
Isaiah 11:11 And it shall come to pass in that day [the Day of the Lord], that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left [alive], from [all over the world] Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros [Upper Egypt], and from Cush [present-day Sudan and Egypt], and from Elam [southern Iran and including part of southern Iraq], and from Shinar [southern Mesopotamia], and from Hamath [western Syria], and from the islands of the sea.
God will recover the remnant of His people from all over the world:
Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed [redeemed] of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
They will have been crying, sighing, mourning and weeping during the Tribulation – it shall turn to joy and the crying shall flee away. God will give His remnant physical protection wherever they are. The Two Witnesses will have made it very clear that twelve thousand from each of the tribes of Israel would survive and live over into the World Tomorrow (Revelation 7).
Spiritual Saints do not have to be sealed for physical protection.
Revelation 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
The remnant will need to be protected. All of the young remnant will all know that their survival took place through the miraculous intervention of Jesus Christ. All living survivors of the tribulation will be brothers and sisters to one another—comraderies in a way that is hard for us to imagine. That fact alone will give them a strong sense of purpose and belonging – and it will only grow stronger and stronger as we move forward into the millennium.
I felt that a little bit when Sharon and I would go to an LSU football game. 90,000 LSU fans would be chanting and cheering “Go Tigers.” We were all of one mind and purpose—beat the Ole Miss Rebels. It was a great feeling – especially with the music of the $ million-dollar marching band. And that was a time when a $million dollars – was real money. We felt that we were a part of something really great. It was a wonderful feeling.
We should have that comradery in God’s Church today – about the Coming of Jesus Christ, and helping one another into the Kingdom! Where is the excitement, the zeal, the ecstatic outpouring of expectation? Brethren, stir it up in yourself and others – in all of our brethren everywhere.
At the beginning of the Millennium, the devastated Earth will not resemble the beautiful Garden of Eden. But it will grow to surpass Adam and Eve’s fondest dreams. The change in this earth, largely brought about by the new Millennial citizens will be like recreating the Garden of Eden where everyone will take of the Tree of Life and live.
Isaiah 51:3 The LORD shall comfort Zion: He will comfort all her waste places; and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the Garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
The voice of melody is going to be more like Hallelujah, Hallelujah. God tells us that there will be universal conversion! The entire world of the Millennium will receive God’s Spirit – like the Church of God today. Satan will be bound – so much will be accomplished – starting right away – to rebuild the destroyed world.
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
And they will be unrestrained in carrying out their visions of the future. When the Millennium begins, everyone will be converted and take on a new nature. Once God places His Spirit within repentant mankind during the Millennium, people will begin to express outgoing love like we’ve never seen, respect and concern for others, and they will obey God. They will see Christ in others.
This coming change in the very nature of humans is the reason why the Feast of Tabernacles is a time of such great rejoicing! (Isaiah 11:9) The very nature of animals and mankind will be changed to the way God intended it in the beginning! When reading this section of Scripture, remember that it was written for our sake – not for the animal’s sake.
Isaiah 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isaiah 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the snake, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 65:21 And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
There will be stability and permanence. People will be able to finish what they began:
Isaiah 65:22 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 [trees live a long time], and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
Days of a tree – I once visited an elderly black man in Louisiana. He had a straight row of tall mature trees – over two feet in diameter – that he had planted himself when he was a young man – I was really impressed! He had been in that one home all of his life. He enjoyed a measure of peace and stability.
Isaiah 65:23 They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring [children] with them.
God says there will be universal answered prayer:
Isaiah 65:24 And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
Isaiah 65:25 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, says the LORD.
Millennial Peace is a beautiful prospect!
The prophets of old painted the magnificent pictures of the Millennium for us to heighten our expectations of it. And yet, God tells us that no matter how high the anticipations are, they will fall far short of the reality that is achieved. The Kingdom of God in the Millennium will be a time when everything lawful and good that can be seen and known of today will be amplified to an extent that is impossible to imagine. There will be an incredible change and development – encompassing the entire earth! We know that soon modern Israel will be carried captive into every foreign nation and God will bring about their return to the Promised land. Great things will immediately begin to take place:
Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Isaiah 2:3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Isaiah 2:4 And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares [farming equipment], and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Jesus will establish and rule the Kingdom of God from Jerusalem. Those who are the firstfruits of God’s spiritual harvest-first born into God’s Family and co-inheritors with Jesus Christ-will join Him in ruling the earth. We will be serving Him at His pleasure.
Isaiah 24:23 …The LORD of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before His ancients gloriously.
God commands us to eat and drink to the full, while reminding us that these accommodations of ours are temporary dwellings; looking forward to the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ – establishing His Father’s Kingdom in Jerusalem – and over all the earth. The Feast of Tabernacles celebrates the great spiritual harvest that will take place during the Millennium as eventually multiple billions of converted people—children of God—come to know God’s truth and receive His gift of eternal life!
With Jesus ruling from Jerusalem in accordance with God’s perfect law – the human spirit in man, coupled with God’s Spirit will soar to the heights that God originally intended! Everyone will respect one another. All will see Jesus Christ and God the Father in others. They will see only the good in their brethren. They will treat one another as we treat God Himself. All men will depend on one another. Every child will reach his full potential – all talents will be fully developed. The weak will be made strong and secure. Every mind will be mature and brilliance will be the norm. We Church brethren will enjoy unlimited and unrestrained access to Jesus Christ. As spirit beings we will possess instant recall. Every aspect of the entire Bible will be clear and open to us. The phrase, “incredible human potential” will be an understatement because man’s intellectual and spiritual capacity will be unleashed and unabated. We will be “like God,” (1John 3:2).
Here on earth we have knowledge, understanding and human wisdom. But, in the Kingdom of God we will possess Godly wisdom from above to help in guiding the citizens of New Israel in the right way.
James 3:17-18 The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
With Jesus ruling form Jerusalem in accordance with God’s perfect law – the human spirit in man, coupled with God’s Spirit will reach the design capacity that God originally intended! Jesus said;
John 10:28 I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
Here is God’s perspective on this Feast Day;
Isaiah 9:7 Of the [Great] increase [geometric progression – with an exponential growth towards infinity] of His government, [His rule, [empire, realm, domain of jurisdiction – the Plan of God] and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
There will be a great spreading of the Gospel Peace and Truth that will go on and on… This Feast of Tabernacles is given to us for the express purpose that we might be able to see the coming Kingdom of God on earth… As much glory as our human eyes can grasp.
Not only the physical magnificent Garden of Eden aspects of the plants, trees, flowers, terrain, climate, animals, and abundant life in harmony with the Plan of God… But, that we might begin to comprehend the inestimable, Divine spiritual gifts that will be bestowed on millennial mankind – grace upon ever increasing grace (John 1:16) gifts upon ever increasing gifts of God’s Spirit. The magnificent difference of that future day compared to now will be the difference between day and night. Let’s close with:
Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.
End: Big Changes are a Comin’