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(Go To Meeting)
Lindsay Stephens—October 17, 2025
We’d like to welcome you back from the Feast, and all the things that you experienced. As it is only a few days since the Last Great Day and this part of God’s Plan is still fresh in our minds, I intend to continue with the theme in this message today with what our minds should be focused on: To think Last Great Day, which is the title of this message.
We who have been called into the Church of the Firstborn and into the Body of Christ have been given a tremendous blessing by God the Father and Jesus Christ. We’ve been provided with fine sermons and messages in season during the fall Holy Days, as they are in the Northern Hemisphere. It has provided us with an incredible insight into the great Plan of God for the future and into the ages of eternity! When the Feast was over and we returned to our homes, we had the memories of our experiences, the people we met and friends that we made and all that we have learned.
But now we live in the world, although we are not to be part of the world! What is our mentality when we are out in the world? We could be back at work in the shopping center or even chatting to the neighbors.
- Do we turn off somewhat until the next lot of Holy Days come around, being Passover and Unleavened Bread?
- Do we think of people out in the world as the walking dead and not worry about them?
OR
- Do we look beyond today’s society to where these people will be at a future time and look to their potential?
Unlike God the Father and Jesus Christ, every individual person has had a beginning. So, let’s begin with:
Ephesians 2:1: “Now, you were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Before we were called and being without God’s Spirit, we were the ‘walking dead’ like the rest of the world.
Verse 2: “In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world... [that’s a way of life in the flesh] ...according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience.”
This is according to the spirit of the ‘god of this world,’ Satan the devil.
Verse 3: “Among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind...”
We were doing what human reasoning is, by the heart that is ‘deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.’
“...and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world. But God... [in his great love, steps in] ...Who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. (For you have been saved by grace.) And He has raised us up together and has caused us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (vs 3-6).
So we have been chosen to have the privileged blessing of being placed in positions of responsibility, having been predestined for this when we answered the call.
Verse 7: “So that in the ages that are coming He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
We are looking at a future time here. God has a plan to use perfect spirit beings as an ongoing exhibition or masterpiece of His grace. It is a way for Him to continuously show His infinite kindness, love and wisdom to all who will repent and convert to God’s way.
So how should we look at people in the world today? Do we view them as lost sheep, having no idea of God’s Truth or His Plan of Salvation? Or should we view them as potential spirit beings in God’s Family? These people do feature in God’s Plan for mankind. And there are a few verses we can think about along these lines. And one is 2-Peter 3. The Apostle Peter is talking about promises of Christ’s coming.
2-Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not delaying the promise of His coming... [God has His own time schedule for everyone] ...as some in their own minds reckon delay; rather, He is longsuffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance.”
So He’s going to give everyone every opportunity. Paul also talks along these lines:
1-Timothy 2:4: “Who desires all men... [that’s all of mankind] ...to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth.”
This is God’s desire for everyone who has ever lived from the time of Adam right down to the last physical being who will be born in the flesh.
1-Corinthians 15:22—the resurrection chapter, as we all know: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall ALL be made alive.”
Romans 11:26—it’s a simple sentence: “And so ALL Israel shall be saved...”
God is no respecter of persons, it refers to the whole world once they repent, accept God’s laws, and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior!
At the appointed time of the Last Great Day, billions of people will be resurrected, most of them with no real knowledge of God or of His Plans for salvation. And I’ll go into some statistics a little later regarding how many people that is estimated to be.
Isaiah 65:20—to have a quick look at their opportunity for a first chance of salvation!
Isaiah 65:20: “There will not be an infant who lives but a few days, nor an old man that has not filled his days... [that is with the opportunity to learn of God’s way and His Truth] ... for the child will die a hundred years old...”
A hundred years is a lot of time for anyone to learn God’s Truth and to be ready to be changed into a spirit being.
“...but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed” (v 20).
Those people who have rejected God’s offer of salvation will receive the second death. We are referring to the rest of the dead mentioned in:
Revelation 20:5: “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed....”
Revelation 20:12: “And I saw the dead... [that’s referring to the rest of the dead] ...small and great, standing before God; and the books were opened... [Greek: ‘bibleos’—meaning the books of the Bible] ...and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.... [these people are going to be taught] ...And the dead were judged out of the things written in the books, according to their works.”
In their second life, it is a new beginning for them, an opportunity for repentance from what they did in their first life and for their past sins to be forgotten.
For these people, it is a first opportunity to really know their Creator. This judgment will involve an evaluation period during which they will hear, understand, and grow in God’s way of life!
Verse 13: “And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead that were in them; and they were judged individually, according to their works”—in their second life!
Verse 14: “And death and the grave were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. And if anyone was not found written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire” (vs 14-15).
So this is all those who deliberately reject God and commit the unpardonable sin. Now some people do have a certain amount of opportunity and responsibility to make choices based on what they have been given in their first life.
Matt. 11—Jesus was referring to some cities that had experienced firsthand many of the miracles that Jesus had done.
Matthew 11:21: “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that have taken place in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon... [these were ancient pagan cities that worshipped false gods] ... they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the Day of Judgment than for you” (vs 21-22).
Verse 23: “And you, Capernaum, who have been exalted to heaven, shall be cast down to the grave. For if the miracles that have taken place in you had taken place in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment than for you” (vs 23-24).
So the inhabitants of ancient Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom, cities that had the anger of God for their depravity, will receive mercy in the Day of Judgment!
Unlike the cities of Corazon, Bethsaida and Capernaum of Christ’s day, these cities of old had little opportunity to know God and His Laws. In similar examples, Jesus refers to the pagan city of Nineveh, to the Queen of the South, that’s the Queen of Sheba of Solomon’s time, and again to ancient Sodom along with Gomorrah, these serving as the epitome of wickedness.
God doesn’t tolerate perversion and sin, but He hasn’t finished with these people. We can think of the Valley of Dry Bones being the whole house of Israel (Ezek. 37), as part of ‘the rest of the dead.’
All these people will be resurrected all at the same time, so many different generations over thousands of years. What a momentous time that will be! How many people do you think this will involve? I’ve looked a bit into some statistics regarding how many people have lived on the earth. it is estimated that approximately 117 billion people have lived on the earth since 2000BC.
This estimate is based on historical population data and birth-rate assumptions. This estimate doesn’t include people who lived before 2000BC, which includes all the period before the Flood and after the Flood to shortly after the Tower of Babel.
Genesis 9:1—where God instructed Noah: “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.’”
This is contrary to the globalists of today who want to drastically depopulate the earth to fit in with their agenda of having more things for them. Before the Flood in the days of Noah, they were marrying and giving in marriage. There was a lot of people on the earth just before the Flood. Perhaps we could be looking at something like 200 billion people who have lived on the earth since the time of Adam and Eve.
Could this even be a conservative number? That is a lot of people to be resurrected at one time. The vast majority of these people were totally cut off from any knowledge of God and His Plan of Salvation for mankind. Many of them had tragic experiences. Think of the number of them killed in wars, murders, accidents and sickness. I’ll just change focus to the most vulnerable and provide a few more statistics.
Since 1980, there have been an estimated 1.36 billion abortions taking place. The current estimate today is 73 million abortions each year worldwide. There are approximately 23 million miscarriages occurring worldwide each year, although this is an underestimation because of many occurring before a pregnancy is confirmed.
According to World Health Organization statistics, nearly 2 million babies are stillborn every year.
When ‘the rest of the dead’ are resurrected to a second physical life, can you imagine the initial reaction of these people who will have memories of their past life?
Many might be afraid of having to pay for past actions. But can you imagine their reaction when they’re handed babies who died in infancy or before they were born?
So, when the Last Great Day occurs, there will be a tremendous amount of sorting out to be done. How daunting does it seem with all those numbers I mentioned?
Luke 1:37: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
So God, Jesus Christ, and all those who have and will have qualified in this age, will be ready for the roles given to us. This will include the 144,000 and a great innumerable multitude. And during the Millennium, there will be millions, even billions, of people who will have qualified and be ready to take part in this major operation.
Now, I’ll change text somewhat. How many people do we meet in a lifetime? Of course, to answer this, several factors would play a part in this:
- line of work is important: a traveling salesman will meet far more people than someone working from home.
- travel is another factor: more travel leads to more encounters
- social life plays a part: a vibrant social life increases the number of people one will meet
- location is important: living in a densely populated urban area will increase the number of contacts compared to rural area
- in this modern age: internet interaction online; we have likes, comments, messaging
So, estimating such a number is an interesting exercise in itself. If a person interacts with three people a day, he or she would interact with 80,000 people over 73 years.
- How many would a person talk to over a lifetime? An estimation could be something like 10,000 people!
- How many do they really know? It could narrow that right down to only 150 or less!
- How many people do they meet in a lifetime? On a basis of meeting just one person a day for 70 years, it could mean something like 20,000 people over a lifetime!
Now, where am I going with all these estimated numbers? We can reflect on our own lives. Just think of the thousands of people we have interacted with during our lifetimes. Think of the number of people we’ve had conversations with, numbering in the thousands.
Being in the flesh, we only have limited memories. We are only able to recollect the small percentage of these encounters that we experienced. At the time of the second resurrection, as spirit beings, we’ll be able to recall every one of multiple thousands that we experienced during our physical lives.
Now, is it possible that God will use these encounters in history as part of His Plan for these people who weren’t called in their first life? The opportunity will be there to re-interact with these people in different circumstances! To teach them of God’s way of life and of Christ’s sacrifice for them, without Satan being around to deceive them!
1-Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen stock, a royal priesthood... [it’s a blending of church and state]
Verse 10: “Who once were not a people, but now are the people of God...”
So, IF we love God, He will indeed be our God, and we will be His people, and He will dwell in us!
In the Great White Throne Judgment period, IF all those who will be resurrected to physical life
- learn of God’s way
- love Him
- love His Truth
- love His Plan of Salvation
THEN God will dwell in them!
“...who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy” (v 10).
Verse 12: “Having your way of life honest among the Gentiles... [we can think of spiritual Gentiles, or the unconverted] ...so that although they speak against you as evildoers, through having witnessed your good works, they may glorify God in the day of visitation.”
How we live our lives today has a great bearing, not only for our own salvation, and our responsibilities in the future, but also for these people in the second resurrection!
They will remember the good works we have done in this life, and make it easier as a result to relate to God’s way for their future conversion.
The Last Great Day, or eighth day, has a great significance for most of mankind. The #8 symbolizes
- a new beginning, or a new order of things
- a new creation
- a new birth
- a resurrection to eternal life
For the vast majority of the many billions of people who have lived their first life, there is no doubt that they will want a new beginning, with all the disasters of their past life, wrong choices, etc., totally erased.
When they have their opportunity for a new beginning at the Last Great Day, they will have a chance to answer what Jesus says in John 7. This is at the significant time of God’s calendar.
John 7:37: “Now, in the last day, the Great Day of the Feast... [the meaning of it accentuates why it is called the Last Great Day] ...Jesus stood and called out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.... [so the invitation is given. Jesus stands at the door and knocks] ...The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water’” (vs 37-38).
Jesus described rivers of living water to the woman at the well:
John 4:14: “But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; rather, the water that I will give him shall become a fountain of water within him, springing up into everlasting life.”
This living water that Jesus describes has certain qualities, and I’ll just mention that the water:
- is flowing
- is cleansing
- is purifying
- is healing
- is power
- is force
- is peace
All that regarding the living water!
The Spring of Gion brought ample water for the temple area to perform the sacrifices and to clean up from the blood. But living water is different! It is a type of the working of the Holy Spirit, which is looking to life for eternity.
In the context of the Great White Throne Judgment period, think of us as spirit beings and the assistance we will provide for them.
Isaiah 43—although it is referring to Israel and the Millennium, we can look at it from the view of the rest of the dead.
Isaiah 43:18: “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.... [so, they will be resurrected to a new beginning] ... Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall sprout; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”
We can apply this spiritually in the second resurrection. Their past life was a spiritual wilderness.
Verse 25: “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake, and will not remember your sins.”
They will repent, accept Christ’s sacrifice for them, keep the Sabbath and Holy Days, and have love for one another.
Isaiah 57:15: “For thus says the high and lofty One Who inhabits eternity...”
Who has no beginning, no ending, no first and no last, but within the entity of Elohim as Jesus Christ! God is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the Omega!
“...Whose name is Holy; ‘I dwell in the high and Holy place...” (v 15)—with Jesus Christ at His right hand!
But with all those people who have ever lived on the earth throughout history, what is God looking for?
“...even with the one who is of a contrite and humble spirit...” (v 15):
- who follow
- who believe
- who obey
- who love God
“...to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (v 15).
When all these people are raised up in a new beginning, they will be taught from God’s Word all the laws and principles of living God’s way based on love; the way to salvation through repentance and acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice for their past sins.
I’ll use a different perspective here. Over 40 years ago, I began to investigate genealogy because I wanted to do some research in the family history and my background. I wanted to know where I came from. I quickly realized that this research would go in all directions and way out of control if I went as far as, say, 5,005 times removed. So, I concentrated predominantly on direct lines.
However, even with direct lines or direct ancestors, the discoveries I made over the years resulted in over 100 pedigree charts being made up with direct ancestors. Each pedigree chart, if it is four, would have 15 names of direct ancestors on it. So that would mean about 1,500 names of direct ancestors on these charts. Some of these names date back to the 15th century.
Now, apart from two generations or three at the most, I have no idea who these ancestors are, apart from just names on pedigree charts. Many of them lived centuries ago as far back as medieval England. I will mention one ancestor that I had from 11 generations ago that had an older brother who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. He was an assistant to Governor William Bradford and a settler at Selgus and Lynn in Essex County, Massachusetts.
This person, whose name was Edmund Freeman, is on record as having founded Sandwich in 1637, the oldest town in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. this is just one of the very few family connections I have with America.
Now, all of us have pedigree charts of ancestors going back to Noah, back to Adam and Eve. And all of us have relatives we knew in our lifetimes with whom we could relate experiences. A question many of us may have asked is:
- To what extent are we going to be personally involved in the teaching of God’s way with our more recent ancestors?
- Would spirit beings who knew their ancestors in the flesh be the ones most likely to teach them in the great way through judgment period?
Well, God in His great love and wisdom has this all worked out.
Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
And this is the ultimate goal that we have of faith. In the second resurrection, this will apply to anyone who repents, chooses to obey God’s voice and instruction, and will love God!
Verse 31: “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
At that time of the second resurrection—when there will be no Satan the devil or demons around to deceive them or cause havoc—it will be far easier to convert to God’s ways, and will have far less against them than in this present evil age.
2-Corinthians 5:17—Paul addresses the process of conversion: “Therefore, if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Just as with us, being created spiritually will be a process for those resurrected in the Great White Throne Judgment period.
Isaiah 65:20: “There will not be an infant who lives but a few days...for the child will die a hundred years old...”
They will have every opportunity to be part of God’s Family. Once these billions of people in the second resurrection repent from their past sins, and most of them will, they will learn to obey and love God and be part of the great Plan that God has for them. At the end of their second life in the flesh, and their first with God’s calling, they will experience the following verses as perfected spirit beings:
Revelation 21:1: “Then 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.”
There would be no need to require physical things to survive when you’re a spirit being.
Verse 2: “And I, John, saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice from heaven say, ‘Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men; and He shall dwell with them, and they shall be His people; and God Himself shall be with them and be their God’” (vs 2-3).
God the Father will be there because there will be no longer any sin present with perfected spirit beings!
Verse 4: “And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall not be any more death, or sorrow, or crying; neither shall there be any more pain, because the former things have passed away.” So, the physical earth would have been burned up!
Verse 5: “And He Who sits on the Throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ Then He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’”
When God wants us to have what we need to know, He tells His servants to write it down for our instruction.
As we are just over the Holy Days and all that we have learned is still fresh in our minds, let us project our thoughts on the potential of what is to come after the Millennium at the Last Great Day.
Ezek. 11—while this is referring to the House of Israel, let us think of it as all of humanity. All of humanity will, as a majority, repent in the second resurrection and they will become converted with God’s Spirit!
Ezekiel 11:19: “And I will give them one heart... [that’s unity of mind and spirit] ...and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will remove the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh.”
They will have a heart of sensitivity when they will know to do the right thing. They will make the choice and they will do it.
Verse 20: “So that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”
Those who are converted, who love God the Father and Jesus Christ will be God’s people for all eternity!
So, just think of that with all of humanity, all of our relatives. Think of that, how encouraging that is.
Brethren, let us be focused on being prepared for the awesome Plan that God has for us. In helping in bringing many sons under glory! Having these things in mind, we need to focus on the future momentous time that God has for us and for all of humanity, and to think Last Great Day!
Scriptural References:
- Ephesians 2:1-7
- 2-Peter 3:9
- 1-Timothy 2:4
- 1-Corinthians 15:22
- Romans 11:26
- Isaiah 65:20
- Revelation 20:5, 12-15
- Matthew 11:21-24
- Luke 1:37
- Genesis 9:1
- 1-Peter 2:9-10, 12
- John 7:37-38
- John 4:14
- Isaiah 43:18-19, 25
- Isaiah 57:15
- Romans 8:28, 31
- 2-Corinthians 5:17
- Isaiah 65:20
- Revelation 21:1-5
- Ezekiel 11:19-20
Scripture referenced, not quoted: Ezekiel 37
LS:bo/po
Transcribed: 11/26/25
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