Last Great Day 2016
John Plunkett
October 23, 2016
Here we are, on the Last Great Day, and the time has flown through the Feast, as it always does.
I would like to say a few words about this richly significant and meaningful day.
Some Church of God groups and brethren now refer to this day as
"The Eighth Day." Some feel that the seventh Day of the Feast of Tabernacles was actually the one that Jesus was talking about in John 7:37.
I don’t wish to argue the point right now; but personally, I am not convinced
that those folks are right. There is more than one reason that I think as
I do; but I don’t want to get into all of the reasons at this time. There are scriptural reasons, that would take at least a sermonette to go
through; but mainly because Jesus, as quoted by the apostle John, refers to this day as
"that great day of the Feast."
I am not sure how the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles – or its anti-type – is really any greater than those of the preceding six days. All seven days are wonderful and are all true highlights in the sacred year and, of course, so will their anti-types be in the Millennium.
But again, I am not sure that the final 143 years of the Millennium – as pictured by the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles – will be any greater than the preceding 857 years. But I am absolutely positive, because God’s Word says so, that the time and the events pictured by the eighth day – the true Last Great Day – definitely will be truly great. Yes, without doubt, the time and events of the fulfillment of the Last Great Day will be even greater than the time and events that are pictured by the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Let us look at a brief overview of those Last Great Day events:
First of all, Satan and his demons will be gone forever.
Revelation 20:10:
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.
I don’t believe that they are going to have any part in the fulfillment of the Last Great Day.
Then comes what we call "the Second Resurrection" of the group referred to as "the rest of the dead" – which will include many of your loved ones and many of mine:
Verse 5:
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished...
That really is a great event for us all to look forward to. Yes. That will be great!
Then comes the period of the Great White Throne Judgment:
Revelation 20:
11: 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.
12: 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.
12: 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.
Yes, the word ‘great’ is in there – translated from the Greek word "megas." During this time all of the people who have never had an opportunity to know God and His way of life will have that opportunity. That too is great!
What next? Yet another truly great event, preached on the Feast of Pentecost by the apostle Peter, here quoting God's words through the prophet Joel:
Acts 2:17:
"And it shall come to pass in the last days," says God, "I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams."
The pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit on all flesh is not going to be fulfilled in the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles; but rather during the fulfillment of the Last Great Day.
Then comes the end of all sorrow, all tears and crying, all pain and death:
Revelation 21:4:
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.
Anything else? Yes!
The New Heavens, New Earth, including the holy New Jerusalem and its temple will be brought (down?) to us:
Revelation 3:12:
Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.Revelation 21:
1: 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.
2: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3a: And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men"...
10: And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
Then the very greatest of great events:
3b: ... and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God...
22: And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Yes, it will have been great that Jesus will have been with men for the Millennium; but now, God the Father will be with men. Or more likely, with spirit beings who once had been men! That will be the greatest of great events.
There is a wonderful eternity beyond that, the details of which we can only dream. And yes, how truly great that will be!
These events are the greatest ones, these are the ultimate ones, the truly great ones. They cannot logically be symbolized by the wonderful – but really comparatively mediocre – seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles.
They can only be symbolized by this eighth day...
This Last Great Day!
JHP/pp/jhp