App
(Day 49)
Fred R. Coulter—May 31, 2025 | What Will Happen on the Sea of Glass? - PDF
- Video | 
- PDF | Audio | [Up]
Greetings everyone! Welcome to Day 49 on the 50-day count of Pentecost. So, this is a Sabbath before a Holy Day.
Now let's look in Lev. 23 and then Joshua 5[transcriber's correction], and we'll put this together the way that we need to and according to the Scriptures.
I can say this, that there are still those who do not understand how to count Pentecost when the Passover Day falls on a regular Sabbath. I'm still getting emails on it to the day I'm doing this recording. So, I guess we can say that only God is right! We can't put our own ideas on it or our own interpretations.
In Lev. 23:9 there are specific instructions right here for the first day that they entered the land that God promised to give them. This becomes very important. Now also remember this, it does not say the Sabbath within the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Leviticus 23:9: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, "When you have come into the land, which I give to you…"'" (vs 9-10).
Now that's the way a lot of people interpret it, and in many cases that is exactly correct, but not in:
Joshua 5:9. And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, "When you have come into the land, which I give to you…" (vs 9-10).
That's only one time! Specific instructions that helps us understand that when they came into the land, this Sabbath was also the Passover Day! And the Passover Day is also a day of unleavened bread. We find that in the New Testament very clearly.
Leviticus 23:10: "…and shall reap the harvest of it… [because it was already planted, but He gave it to them, so it was their harvest] …then you shall bring the premier sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest. And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD to be accepted for you. On the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf, a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to the LORD. And its grain offering shall be two tenth parts of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the LORD for a sweet savor. And the drink offering of it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears until the same day, until you have brought an offering to your God. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings" (vs 10-14).
They entered into the land, and then they kept the Passover.
What does it say? You cannot eat any of the grain until the Wave Sheaf Offering has been offered! So, think of this, and we'll go on with Day 49: Since the Passover was on the Sabbath, then the next day, the first day of the week…
IF they waited all through till the Sabbath, which then would be the regular Sabbath and also the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread! But it's specific, you shall not eat of any of the grain you shall not eat of any of the grain until the Wave Sheaf Offering is waived!
So, IF it wasn't waived until the last day after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they couldn't have had any grain for the Feast of Unleavened Bread! I'll let you think on that and figure it out, because we have to go on with Day 49 and then on into Pentecost.
Verse 15: "And you shall count to you beginning with the next day after the Sabbath, beginning with the day that you brought the sheaf of the Wave Offering…"
It's not just the next day after the Sabbath, it's also a day that they brought the Wave Sheaf Offering.
"…seven Sabbaths shall be complete" (v 15).
In Deut. 16 this is called the Feast of Weeks and there will be seven weeks, This means that each week ends in a Sabbath, so it's a complete week! You can't have a partial week!
Verse 16: "Even unto the day after the seventh Sabbath…"
So you have a Sabbath, then another day; that's the next day after the seventh Sabbath, which then is Pentecost.
Now, when you have 7 weeks complete, plus one day, you have 49 days plus one day. The last day is the 50th day. So you have 7 weeks, 49 days plus one day, and the last day is the 50th day, which is called Pentecost, which means 50th—50 days.
"…And you shall offer a new grain offering to the LORD" (v 16)—because they were harvesting all during all seven weeks!
And here's a special offering for the Feast of Pentecost. Remember this: leaven in the bread of the offering is always given with the peace offering! Now here is a special offering, as we will read, and it has good symbolic reference for us.
Verse 17: "You shall bring out of your homes two wave loaves of two tenth parts…. [specially made] …They shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven…"
Now let's understand something. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, leaven is a type of sin, as we find in:
1-Corinthians 5:8: "…not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of Sincerity and Truth."
Who was the greatest unleavened of all? Christ! He was crucified on the 14th, the Passover Day! Here we have on the 50th day, we're to bring these two loaves.
We'll see from Matt. 13 that there is a good use of leaven. Why did God have them bake it with leaven at this time? But during the days of Unleavened Bread, leaven is a type of sin! Leaven is not a type of sin outside of the days of Unleavened Bread.
Leviticus 23:17: "They shall be of fine flour. They shall be baked with leaven; they are the firstfruits to the LORD."
Now, that's very interesting, because in the New Testament:
- we were called the firstfruits!
- we are also called The Church of the Firstborn
Verse 18: "And you shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year…"
Could that equal the seven Churches of Rev. 2 and 3, which we have covered? Very possible! Doesn't say so specifically, but these types carry on down into its fulfillment.
"…one young bull… [Does that equal Christ? Could be!] …two rams…." (v 18). Could that equal the two witnesses? Don't know!
When you go along, you can ask questions, but if you don't know the answer, you can't answer the question; if you don't know the answer, you can't answer it. If it is a supposition, and you're thinking on it, then you've got to have a cowbell (ring for supplication).
"…They shall be for a burnt offering to the LORD with their grain offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savor to the LORD" (vs 18).
Verse 20: "And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits, a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be Holy to the LORD for the priest. And you shall proclaim on the same day that it may be a Holy convocation to you…." (vs 20-21). That's tomorrow!
So, we have the weekly Sabbath, which is the 7th Sabbath, Day 49. Then we have Pentecost, which is day 50.
"…You shall do no servile work therein. It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations" (v 21).
Deut. 4—Now this is very interesting indeed. As we read this, let's understand what Jesus said in the very first words when being tempted by Satan the devil.
There are a lot of things in here that we need to understand. When you do, when you read these things and you understand that God is interested in the best for the people:
- He wants them to know that He loves them
- He wants them to know that they need to love Him
That's what we find in Deut. 4-6. So, anyone who says, 'Oh, the harsh Old Testament…' It's harsh when there is the penalty for sin! Is that not correct? Now a lot of people say we're living in the' Christian era,' so we don't have to follow this.
- Do we still have harshness come upon us and evil come upon us if we're living in sin? Yes!
- Why don't they call the New Testament harsh as well?
- What is Christ going to do to the unrepentant sinners (Rev. 20)? They're going to be cast into the Lake of Fire!
- Isn't that harsh? Yes!
But that's what He's going to do. So, their logic doesn't fit!
Deuteronomy 4:1: "And now, O Israel, hearken to the statutes and to the judgments, which I teach you, in order to do them, so that you may live and go in and possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers gives to you." Very interesting!
Verse 2: "You shall not add to the word, which I command you; neither shall you take away from it…"—Very clear!
That's the big problem of establishment Christianity and in particularly the Catholic Church and the Jews, and Protestants, as well.
"…so that you may keep the Commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the LORD did…" (vs 2-3)—and never has it been that God has taken a nation like He did out of Egypt!
He wants everyone to know this; v 23: "Take heed to yourselves…"
We find out all the way through the Old Testament and in the New Testament! In the New Testament it is called self-control.
- we are to take heed to ourselves
- we are to use the Word of God and the Truth of God so that we correct ourselves
- Don't you think self-correction is a whole lot easier than correction from God?
- Remember when you were out there in the world before God called you?
- How was your life?
Well when you repented.
- What is repentance? Repentance is the start of self-correction!
- What is it after you repent? You start obeying the Commandments of God and loving Him!
That's how you take heed to yourself!
Verse 23: "Take heed to yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God…"
Remember, we're under the New Covenant, which then if we destroy that in relationship with God we'll suffer the second death! Is that not correct? Yes!
"…covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you…" (v 23). Think about what Christ did on that last Passover night!
"…and make you a graven image, a likeness of anything which the LORD your God has forbidden you" (vs 23).
We need to understand this: There's also in Ezek. that tells us that we're not to have idols in our mind!
- What is an idol? An idol is something that someone makes!
- What do they have to have first? They have to have it in their mind to do it, to draw plans to make it!
So, God says you're not to make them!
Verse 24: "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
Did you know that Heb. 12 says that God—Christ—is a consuming fire? Yes!
Verse 25: "When you shall beget children and grandchildren, and when you shall have remained long in the land and have dealt corruptly by making a graven image, the likeness of anything, and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger, I call heaven and earth…" (vs 25-26).
Now we need to understand what Jesus said concerning the Law: 'I didn't come to abolish the Law. I came to fulfill,' which means:
- to complete
- to make it spiritual
- to make it applicable to everyone
And He said that 'heaven and earth shall pass away before the Law shall pass away.' So, this still stands! And every place in the Bible and that might be an interesting study for you to do; look up: heaven and earth and how God uses that all the time.
- He calls out to the heavens as a witness
- He calls out to the earth as a witness
Verse 26: "I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day that you shall soon utterly perish from off the land, which you are crossing over Jordan to possess. You shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed."
- Did God do that? Yes!
- What did we see with the seven Churches?
- Were not the same things brought against them? Yes!
Now then he says if you serve other gods and repent and come back:
Verse 29: "But if you shall seek the LORD your God from there, you shall find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in trouble and when all these things have come upon you in the latter days…" (vs 29-30).
What do you know about that? Here's a prophecy what we've read here in Deut. 4 for our day today.
"…then you shall return to the LORD your God and shall be obedient to His voice, for the LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers, which He swore to them" (vs 30-31).
Verse 35: "It was shown to you so that you might know that the LORD is God, and there is none other beside Him."
Isn't that the same that we have in the New Testament? Yes indeed!
Verse 36: "He made you hear His voice…" Now that was quite a thing! We'll see that in just a minute because that happened on the Day of Pentecost.
Verse 36: "He made you hear His voice out of heaven so that He might teach you. And He showed you His great fire upon the earth…. [that is on top of the mountain] … And you heard His words out of the midst of the fire. And because He loved your fathers…" (vs 36-37)—and loved them.
What does it say in Jeremiah 31:3[transcriber's correction]? "…O Israel I have loved you with an everlasting love…" The Church is spiritual Israel!
- Does not God love us?
- Does not God want us to obey Him and do what is right?
- Of course!
Now remember what Paul told Timothy about the Scripture: All Scripture—every word of Scripture—is God inspired or God-spirited, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through Christ Jesus!
Now are these words helping us to be wise unto salvation? Yes! So, all of God's Word comes together the way that it should!
Deuteronomy 4:37: "And because He loved your fathers, therefore, He chose their seed after them, and brought you out in His sight with His great power out of Egypt, in order to drive out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day" (vs 37-38).
This was Moses' last speech before all the people of Israel, because he would die and Joshua would lead them in.
He says, v 39: "Therefore…"—everything that he has set up to this point, so you read the whole chapter there.
Verse 39: "Therefore, know this day and fix it in your heart…"
Now that's something! There are a couple of Psalms that David said, my heart is fixed, and that's the whole purpose of conversion!
That our hearts are fixed with God's way, with God's Spirit!
The seven Churches show how God works through His Churches and His people; we've already covered that.
"…fix it in your heart that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath. There is none other" (v 39).
That's why he said over here in the beginning of the chapter, you shall not add to it or take away from it!
God inspired Moses when we come to Deut. 5, which is a reiteration of the Ten Commandments of God. Let's come to the one concerning Sabbath (Deut. 5:12). Let's see that there is another paragraph added so that we would understand that when we come to God we've got to leave the world behind!
Keeping the Sabbath, what does that do? That takes us out of the world spiritually speaking every single week! It's the day that God puts His presence in, as well as the Passover and all the Holy Days and His Feasts.
That's why we've got the book: God's Plan For Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days.That's very important for us to always remember!
Deuteronomy 5:12: "Keep the Sabbath Day to sanctify it…"—because God made it Holy!
Nowhere in the New Testament does He say 'keep the first day of the week.' By the way, the Catholics changed this to read, 'remember the Lord's day' and they take out the 2nd Commandment, which says 'don't make any idols.'
Wonder why they did that? All you have to do is look at everything that they have and all they do is operate with statues, idols, crosses, crucifixes and rituals that God never said! And the things that they offer, they offer to demons!
They don't offer to God. Their Sacrifice of the Mass, or the Eucharist, is not to God! As the Apostle Paul wrote, the things that the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice unto demons. And the table of the bread that they eat is the table of demons!
Verse 12: "Keep the Sabbath Day to sanctify it as the LORD your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock, nor your stranger within your gates, so that your manservant and your maidservant may rest as well as you" (vs 12-14).
Now then, God inspired him in writing the Word of God to add this verse right here:
Verse 15: "And remember…" So, we're to remember the Sabbath Days, as it says in Exo. 20!
Now there's something else on the Sabbath Day we are also to remember and not forget:
Verse 15: "And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt… [or slave to sin, a slave to Satan the devil] …and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm…."—the sacrifice of Christ, the calling of God! Many are called but few are chosen! God wants us to understand:
- His love
- His greatness
- what He has done
All of that ties in with the Sabbath, then all the weeks leading up to Pentecost, and Pentecost becomes very important! So, we will see what happens here in just a little bit.
"…Therefore, the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath Day" (v 15).
- we keep it because of the calling of God
- we keep it because it is His commandment
- we keep it because He puts His presence in that day
in the Passover Day and in all of the Feast days of God!
Exo. 19—this is where God made the covenant, proposed the covenant to Israel, and their accepting of it was on the Day of Pentecost. On that day, they were brought before God, and what it really means and how great that was!
After they got there, and this was on a Thursday, and then Moses went up the mountain and came back down and told the children of Israel. So, you've got Thursday, Friday, Sabbath! Then Pentecost!
So, it was proposed and everyone said they would do it. Here's one thing to always remember: whatever you say to God:
- don't forget it
- don't go back on it
Exodus 19:3: "And Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, 'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob and tell the children of Israel, "You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings…"'"
His protection was like eagle's wings, because there were angels helping them all along and God giving them extra strength, but they got there by walking!
"…and brought you unto Myself…. [they brought all of them to God] …Now, therefore, IF you will obey…" (v 4-5).
Now listen to this, very similar to what we say with baptism, we ask them:
- Have you repented of your sins? Yes, I repented of my sins!
- Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Yes, I have!
Because you have done this:
- Are you promising to follow God the rest of your life and to keep His Commandments? Yes, I am!
Therefore, you're baptized into the name of the Father—because you received the Holy Spirit—and the name of the Son—because His sacrifice pays for your sins—and of the Holy Spirit—not the name of or the person of, but the power of—because you received the Holy Spirit with the laying on of hands, which is the seed of eternal life! So, we'll see some parallels here.
Verse 5: "Now, therefore, IF you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, THEN you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine."
God could have chosen anyone else, but He didn't. God couldn't call anyone else because they didn't repent, but He called you and you repented. Many are called, but few were chosen because the ones who were chosen are the ones who repent?
Verse 6: "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a Holy nation…."
Rev. 20—What does it say that we're going to do as spirit beings in the Kingdom of God? We are going to be priests and we're going to be kings and we're going to reign with Christ a thousand years! Yes, indeed!
Think what the world would have been like if all the 12 tribes of Israel had done exactly what God asked them to do here. It would be a different place; but they didn't do it!
"…'These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.' And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before them all these words, which the LORD commanded him" (vs 6-7).
Now then, here's what they said. When you are bound in a covenant, you pledge your own death if you do not keep it! Any covenant—Old Testament, New Testament—anything having to do with God. Notice what the people said:
Verse 8: "And all the people answered together and said, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do.' And Moses returned the words of the people to the LORD."
Then on the third day, Friday, Sabbath, Pentecost. That's when He spoke the Ten Commandments, on Pentecost! So. this is a major thing! Never before in the history of the world up to this time, did any people come in the presence of God, though He was on the mountaintop, and spoke these words! Never have that many people heard the voice of God from that time to this time!
That's something to think and ponder and understand. Then he gave the Ten Commandments. God spoke them! They said that 'all we will do.' And then they said, 'Oh, we don't want to hear the voice of God anymore, lest we die..' Well, that was not to make you afraid. That was to give you the understanding that the power and love of God is there to be with you forever!
But they wanted to have a man between them and God! So, they told Moses:
You go to God, let Him speak to you, and then you come and tell us all the words that He has said, and we will do them.
Exo. 24—here's where we see that the covenant with them was finalized. Moses was given some interpretations of the Law in Exo. 21-23. You can read it. Chapter 24 becomes important for several things.
Exodus 24:1: "And He said to Moses, 'Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship afar off.'"
So these are the witnesses of the covenant. These are the ones who are saying, 'Yes, we will do this.' These are the ones who would go back and tell the people what to do and how to do it and how to please God.
Verse 2: "'And Moses alone shall come near the LORD, but they shall not come near. Neither shall the people go up with him.' And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments… [everything in Exo. 21-23] …And all the people answered with one voice and said, 'All the words which the LORD has said, we will do.' And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD…" (vs 2-4).
Now, isn't it interesting? God didn't depend on any oral traditions! So the Jews lie that 'Moses had oral traditions that he gave to the elders,' which then is their Code of Jewish Law, is not true! Whatever God wants, and He wants it in posterity going down in time; He has it written down! That's why we've got the Old Testament, and that's why we have the New Testament written down! The big lie of those today would say that:
It was all carried on by oral tradition until 200 years after Christ, which means we can change it and do whatever we want.
No, no, no, no! They wrote it before they died, and it was canonized by the Apostle John and whoever else was there, probably Timothy, probably Mark. We don't know if Barnabas was still alive at that time, but he was a Levite. But they canonized the Bible!
They didn't leave it to carnal, unconverted men later on. Some of those carnal men were honest, but most of them weren't, and that's what we have today.
Verse 4: "And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and built an altar at the base of the mountain and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. And he sent young men of the children of Israel who offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of bullocks to the LORD. And Moses took half of the blood…" (vs 4-6). Now, here it is, sealed with blood!
Now you go back to Gen. 15 and the covenant that God made with Abraham, that was sealed with blood; a prophecy of the coming blood of Jesus Christ.
And then, according to the Word of God, those animal sacrifices, which Abraham split down the middle and laid out in two parts with a path for God to walk through, there was a smoking fire and a burning furnace and it consumed those offerings. And when Abraham came out of his sleep, there was nothing but ashes left.
- he knew this was from God
- he knew that God meant what He said
because e made this covenant, and Abraham agreed! Likewise here with this:
Verse 6: "And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the Book of the Covenant, and read in the ears of the people" (vs 6-7). Every word!
A covenant you have to know. You have to know the covenant. That's why we have the New Testament with the New Covenant and everything that is written there are the words of God to us today so that we will know how to live.
Now, after they heard it: "…And they said, 'All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient'" (v 7).
That's what we say when we're baptized! That's why ministers are not to rule over the brethren! We are to teach the brethren and teach ourselves so that we can be in contact with God:
- with His Spirit
- with His Word
- how to live
- how to do what we need to do
Verse 8: "And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, 'Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning ALL these words.'"
Remember what Jesus said after being tempted with Satan the devil:
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live.
That is always the covenant, whether physical with Israel or spiritual with the Church.
Verse 9: "And Moses went up, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel. And they saw the God of Israel" (vs 9-10).
They went up so far on the mountain, and they looked up and they saw the God of Israel! Then the 70 elders, when they came back down, they could tell the people, 'the covenant is real; God is real! We saw Him!
No, they didn't see him face-to-face. Let's read it because then this will have significance for us when we get to the first resurrection; where we will be when we make the final eternal covenant with God the Father and Jesus Christ after we are resurrected!
Verse 10: "And they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the heavens in clearness."
Here is the covenant meal; v 11: "And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay his hands. Also they saw God, and ate and drank. And the LORD said to Moses, 'Come up to Me in the mountain… [the rest of you stay there] …and be there. And I will give you tablets of stone…'" (vs 11-12)—and I will put on there My Ten Commandments!
(break@47:38)
Now let's come to the New Testament, and we will see the same thing, which is this. In the covenant that was made, it was like a marriage covenant. If you will do this, and isn't that what the marriage ceremony is all about? That you promise to be faithful to each other, to love each other, and to produce a family and whatever you want to do, but you be faithful, and that's what God wants.
Now, we will see when we get to Rev. 19 that there is the marriage supper of the Lamb and the Church. Look at what we just covered back here in the book of Exodus. They all went up and they saw God, and it was almost like a Sea of Glass that they were looking through to see God. And the covenant was made, 'ALL that the Lord has said we will do.'
Moses wrote them down, and God said, 'I'm going to give you the Ten Commandments written with My own finger, and Moses will bring those down to you.'
But we find in Exodus 31 & 32 that even though God gave them this, they rebelled, even Aaron made a golden calf. Imagine that! After Aaron went up there with Moses and:
- saw God
- heard the words of God
- was appointed as high priest
- went down with all the elders and told the people what it was
and then: 'ALL the people said what God has said we will do.' Then Moses went back up into the mountain.
Exo. 31 is the final instruction that God has given to Moses before he comes back down to the children of Israel. This becomes very important for us to do, very important to know and understand that when we say that we will keep the words of the Lord, He wants us to do it! Why? Because He will keep all of His words to you, that if you love Him, you can receive eternal life! But we'll see what that love is all about, and it's more than just an emotional feeling! It is:
- active
- obeying
- loving God
So let's pick it up here and finish off with this, and then we'll go look at some things in the New Testament.
Exodus 31:12: "And the LORD spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak also to the children of Israel, saying, "Truly…" [in Truth] …you shall keep My Sabbaths…"'" (vs 12-13)—every Holy Day is a Sabbath! We find in the New Testament that they kept them.
"…Truly you shall keep My Sabbaths, for it…. [the keeping of them] …is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations to know that I am the LORD Who sanctifies you" (v 13).
Sidebar: This sign is by what you do. It is a sign of participation and obedience.
Now, in the end-time, there are those, especially the Sabbath-Day Adventists and several of the Churches of God, that compare this sign and say that the mark of the beast is Sunday-keeping. Has nothing to do with Sunday-keeping with the mark of the beast! The mark of the beast has to do with buying and selling, as we know with all the digital things coming down today.
That was not understood before this time in history, because they didn't have all the digital do's and don'ts and the ability to control people and to keep them from buying and selling as they have today with all the digital things that they do. So the mark of the beast does not have a parallel meaning with the sign here.
"…for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations to know that I am the LORD Who sanctifies you" (v 13).
Now isn't that interesting? Sanctify means make Holy!
- What is it that happens in the New Testament with the receiving of the Holy Spirit? We are sanctified with the Holy Spirit!
- Are there conditions for it? Yes, we'll see it a little bit!
Verse 14: "You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is Holy to you. Everyone that defiles it shall surely be put to death, for whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people."
Means you won't have any blessings of God if you don't keep the Sabbath. Even when the rest of the people may not be doing it.
Verse 15: "Six days may work be done, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, Holy to the LORD…."
Just like all of His other Sabbaths, every one of the Holy Days that we have, they are Holy to the Lord. He wants us to come before Him to learn and:
- to understand His Word
- to reconfirm what we're doing
- to love Him more
- to serve Him more
All of these things are involved in it!
"…Everyone that defiles it shall surely be put to death… [New Covenant the same way] …for whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, Holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath Day, he shall surely be put to death" (vs 14-15).
Isn't that interesting? If you don't keep the Commandments of God in the New Testament, guess what's going to happen to you? Are you're going to live forever? No!
Verse 16: "Therefore, the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant."
So, the Sabbath is a perpetual covenant placed alongside the main covenant containing the Ten Commandments and all the other things. Same way in the New Testament.
Verse 17: "It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed."
Then Moses took the two tablets, went down and guess what? There they were having a big sex orgy to the golden calf. Well, what happened to the ones who fomented that? They were put to death! Moses intervened so that Aaron wouldn't be put to death.
But it also showed a prophecy of the future that IF the one who is supposed to be teaching the Word of God and living the Word of God himself does not do that and decides to modify it to please the people, he will also die! (Deut. 13).
Now let's come to the New Testament. Let's come to Matt. 22; here's a parable of the Kingdom of God. He's talking about when Christ returns and brings the Kingdom. Now we'll see many parallels here that we saw in the Old Covenant.
But just because that covenant is old and replaced with the new one doesn't mean that does away with the Laws and Commandments of God!
Matthew 22:1: "And again Jesus answered and spoke to them in parables, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a Man who was a King… [Jesus is talking about Himself] …Who… [God the Father] …made a wedding feast for His Son, and sent His servants to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast; but they refused to come'" (vs 1-3).
Those are the apostles starting preaching about salvation through Jesus Christ, preaching about the coming Kingdom of God. So, all the true servants of God have to preach the Kingdom of God. We find in Acts 20 that there are two parts to it.
- the grace of God for the forgiveness of sin
- the Kingdom of God, the coming Kingdom that Christ is going to bring when He returns
And we will see that has to do also with Pentecost!
Verse 4: "Afterwards He sent out other servants, saying "Say to those who have been invited, 'Behold, I have prepared my dinner; My oxen and the fatted beasts are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the Wedding Feast.'"
That's the call of repentance! Remember the Wedding Feast of the Lamb and the Church (Rev. 19) that's the fulfillment of this.
Verse 5: "But they paid no attention and went away, one to his farm, and another to his business. And the rest, after seizing his servants, insulted and killed them" (vs 5-6).
Isn't that what they did? Yes! Still the same way today, and it's going to come again as we'll see in the prophecies leading up to the return of Christ.
- they hate God
- they hate the true Jesus
- those who love Him and keep His Commandments they will destroy
Verse 7: "Now, when the King heard it, He became angry… [that's God the Father] …and He sent His armies and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city."
Did God do that to Jerusalem because they rejected Jesus Christ, because they refused Him? Remember the parable of the vineyard. They—those religious leaders—all knew that in the parable of the vineyard, Jesus was talking of them.
Verse 8: "Then He said to His servants, 'The Wedding Feast indeed is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.'"
It's not going to be you believe in Jesus and everything's fine, and now you're going to have eternal life. You have a sanctified life that you need to live, and we will see that's by loving God and keeping His Commandments.
Verse 9: "Therefore, go into the well-traveledhighways, and invite all that you find to the Wedding Feast."
Come! Come! Come! That's preaching the Gospel to the world.
Verse 10: "And after going out into the highways, those servants brought together everyone that they found, both good and evil; and the Wedding Feast was filled with guests. And when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not dressed in proper attire for the Wedding Feast" (vs 10-11).
Aha! Because you see, when we are there at the Wedding Feast, we're going to have on all our new garments! No one's going to get there unless you do it God's way. That's what He's saying.
Verse 12: "And He said to him, 'Friend, how did you enter here without a garment fit for the Wedding Feast?' But he had no answer."
This tells us it isn't going to be as men think. It's going to be as God makes it happen!
Verse 13: "Then the King said to the servants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and take him away, and cast him into the outer darkness.' There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen" (vs 13-14). Then the Pharisees got mad at that!
Let's look at some things that we have to do. And the covenant that we have made with God through baptism, through receiving of the Holy Spirit of God. This becomes very important. We will see how Jesus likens the whole process of being called:
- to seed
- to being planted
- to being harvested
- to those who did what was right
- to those who did not do what was right
He spoke to them in parables. Let's come to Matt. 13:10, because he repeats the parable down here a little further.
Matthew 13:10: "And His disciples came to Him and asked, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' And He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given'" (vs 10-11).
Why? Because they don't repent, and they don't believe God! They are just like the children of Israel. When Moses was up on the mountain, they told Aaron[transcriber's correction], 'we don't know what's happening to Moses,' so make us a calf.' So he did, and they worshiped Satan the devil right there with the calf, right at the base of the mountain, while Moses was still up there getting all the things from God! Amazing! Wasn't given them to do!
Verse 12: "For whoever has understanding, to him more shall be given…"
And where does that understanding come? That understanding comes with the Word of God and the Spirit of God! It doesn't come any other way!
"…and he shall have an abundance…" (v 12).
- the more you love God
- the more you believe the Truth
- the more that you live the Truth
- the more that you study the Word of God
- the more that you're going to understand
It has to be an active, ongoing, living thing all the time!
"…but whoever does not have understanding, even what he has shall be taken away from him" (v 12). That's what's going to happen to all of the Protestants and the Catholics!
All that which you didn't have, what you thought was of God, all that's going to be taken away and you have nothing.
Verse 13: "For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing, they see not…" There's the blinding!
- first blinding is, we close our eyes to it
- next blinding is, we close our ears to it
- next blinding that comes along is, other people blind us
- our disobedience and sin blinds us
- then Satan the devil comes and blinds us
Yes! All of that God puts upon them so that they are blinded because of the actions of God!
"…because seeing, they see not; and hearing, they hear not; neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, 'In hearing you shall hear, and in no way understand'" (vs 13-14).
You can do this to any Catholic priest, any Protestant minister—the Jews learned a lesson concerning the Sabbath, but nothing else—and ask them, which day does the Bible say we are to keep?
- the seventh day? OR the first day?
- Saturday OR Sunday?
They will say, well, we've been given to keep Sunday. BANG!
- What do they also keep? All the holidays of the world! BANG!
- What does that do?
- closes the mind
- closes the eyes
- stops the ears
Spiritually speaking! And they know!
Verse 14: "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, 'In hearing you shall hear, and in no way understand; and in seeing you shall see, and in no way perceive; for the heart of this people has grown fat…'" (vs 14-15).
- they think they have everything
- they think they know everything
- they think they know God
Oh, we're sufficient unto ourselves!
"…and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed…" (v 15).
- don't bother me with reading the Bible
- we don't need that
- I believe in Jesus
- I am saved
"…lest they should see with their eyes, and should hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them" (v 15). That tells you that conversion is also a process of:
- healing
- transforming
- rebuilding
- doing what is right
- sanctifying each one of us
- making us Holy in preparation for the first resurrection
Notice what He says to those who really believe. And we have to maintain this all the time. We'll see it in just a little bit.
Verse 16: "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear."
He tells us something else. This tells us about the knowledge of God that we have today, especially in the last days. Look at it:
- we've got the whole Word of God
- we've got the Old Testament
- we've got the New Testament
- we've got the history written down
- we've got the history recorded in the histories of men
- we see what has happened
- we see what's happening in the world today and the prophecies being fulfilled
That is an amazing thing!
Verse 16: "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous men have desired to see what you see, and have not seen; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard" (vs 16-17).
Amazing! Think about what it was with the apostles. Think about how fantastic that was. God in person, in the flesh, was there:
- leading them
- teaching them
- healing the multitudes
- healing the blind
- raising the dead
- preaching against the religious leaders and all of their traditions and everything that they were following
Jesus said of them, 'You are of your father the devil!' Why? Because:
- they've taken the Word of God and perverted it
- they've taken the Word of God and changed it
- they've taken the Word of God and say, you don't have to keep it,
which is all a lie!
Verse 18: "Therefore, hear the parable of the sower…"
Then this will lead us up to the harvest of the righteous!
Verse 19: "When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away that which was sown in his heart."
People can hear it and agree with it for a short period of time. Who's right there? Just like at Mount Sinai, who was right there to inspire Aaron to build the golden calf? None other than Satan the devil!
Satan comes along: "…the wicked one comes and snatches away that which was sown in his heart. This is the one who was sown by the way. This is the one who was sown by the way" (v 19) because:
- some of the seed went in a stony place
- some went into the rock
- some went into soil that was very thin
They didn't last!
Verse 20: "Now, the one who was sown upon the rocky places is the one who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy; but because he has no root in himself, he does not endure; for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, he is quickly offended" (vs 20-21).
That happens to a lot of people. Maybe he starts to keep the Sabbath. Maybe he starts believing the Word of God. Then trouble comes along. Other people put pressure on him. Or he sees, in some cases, the ministers—who are supposed to be doing and preaching the Word of God in Truth—are living in sin. So they get up and walk away and say, 'Oh, I don't want anything to do with that.'
- Have you watched TBN recently?
- Have you watched Daystar recently?
- Have you watched the Catholic channel recently? Have you seen what the Jews do?
People walk away from it!
Verse 22: "And the one who was sown among the thorns is the one who hears the Word, but the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful."
Amazing! Someone comes along and says, 'You mean I got to keep the Sabbath?' Oh yeah, you got to keep the Sabbath! Well, I'm going to lose my money. What am I going to do? Why, I couldn't possibly go without! There it is right there; things of this world!
Verse 23—and this has to be us; "But the one who was sown on good ground, this is the one who hears the Word and understands, who indeed brings forth fruit and produces…"
What is that fruit? The fruit is the fruit of the Spirit!
Galatians 5 22: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control…" (vs 22-23).
- you're converted
- you receive the Spirit of God
- you grow in grace and knowledge
That's what it's all about, because that's preparing us for the first resurrection, which we will see tomorrow will come on the Day of Pentecost. An amazing thing! Just like the children of Israel came before God, at Mount Sinai, and saw the flame, the fire, and smoke, and heard the voice of God.
Then Moses went up there and with Aaron, Nadab and Abiu and 70 of the children of Israel, and they saw God and they all said, 'All that God has said we will do.' But they didn't do it!
But there were some who do, so notice you produce fruit and you produce righteousness.
Matthew 13:23 "…one a hundredfold, another sixtyfold and another thirtyfold."
Then He gives other parables here: Parable of the Tares.
Verse 24: "And He put another parable before them, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man who was sowing good seed in his field.'"
- the One Who is sowing the seed is Christ
- the seed is the Word of God
then for those who were converted, the Spirit of God that unites with their human spirit!
Verse 25: "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came…"
- we've always got to be on guard
- we always have to be alert
"…his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. Now, when the blades sprouted and produced fruit, then the tares also appeared. And the servants came to the master of the house and said to him 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did these tares come from?'" (vs 25-27).
Now we've seen that with the seven Churches.
- How many of them had their problems?
- How many of them did not follow God the way that they should?
- How many of them intervened and had their own things that they added to it?
They did, didn't they?
- Pergamos
- Thyatira
- Laodicea
even:
- Sardis had the works, but they weren't complete!
God said to them, 'Be careful that I don't blot your name out of the Book of Life!
Verse 28: "And he said to them, 'A man who is an enemy has done this.'…."
So being converted and living in the world, we're going to face a lot of enemies. People who don't like what you're doing, people who don't care for you:
- that's why we have brethren
- that's why we have God
- that's why we have the Holy Spirit
so that we can endure all these things that come along!
"…Then the servants said to him, 'Do you want us to go out and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest while you are gathering the tares, you also uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest…'" (vs 28-30).
Allow both to grow together until the harvest. What is the harvest? The harvest is the end of the age and the first resurrection. So we're always going to have:
- tares that come along
- false doctrine that comes along
- people that pretend that they're righteous, when they're not
We had one great evangelist who was so great and he was so promiscuous that when he was finally caught, he admitted to 200 women! A tare! Amazing!
"…and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, 'Gather the tares first, and bind them into bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my granary'" (v 30). In other words, separating them out when Christ returns!
Verse 33—Remember where I said that the offering that was made for Pentecost had leavening in it? Here is good leaven! Those wave loaves made of leaven picture, when they're baked, the loaves are complete. In this case now, the leaven is likened unto the unseen work within us to change us, to convert us with God's Spirit!
That's what those two loaves back in Lev. 23 picture. The converted people raised and ready to enter into the Kingdom of God!.
Verse 33: "Another parable He spoke to them: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until all was leavened.' Jesus spoke all these things to the multitudes…" (vs 33-34).
John 14-16 are the actual words of the New Covenant that we are to live by, that Jesus wants us to do. Those were given on the Passover night. He shows this is what we are to do and how we are to be faithful unto the end! Here is what God wants us to do:
- we make that covenant with God
- we commit ourselves to Him
- we tell God, 'yes, we will do that'
- we are baptized and received the Holy Spirit
When that happens, we are ready to begin developing the spiritual character for the rest of our lives! That is likened to being prepared to put on the wedding garments at the wedding of the Church and the Lamb.
Here's what God tells us, this is what separates the wheat from the tares. We have to be on guard! The tares are always going to be there and be around!
This is why with daily prayer and daily study and loving God, which we'll talk about here; but loving God implies our whole dedication, because we are conjoined—as Paul writes of there in Rom. 6—to the sacrifice of Christ and His blood, conjoined!
Meaning that when we repent and God forgives us our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ is applied to us individually! I look at that this way: almost as if symbolically we are laid right on the body of Christ, spiritually speaking, for the forgiveness of sin.
Now think of it that way. That's why baptism has to be with full immersion in water. When we come out of that water, we're to walk in newness of life! The way of God! He explains it right here:
John 14:15: "If you love Me… [Jesus and the Father] …keep the commandments—namely, My commandments."
Now when you consider that Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, that's why He said—under temptation of Satan—man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.
"If you love Me, keep the commandments—namely, My commandments." How can any Protestant say that they love Jesus and not keep His commandments? That's a tare!
Verse 16: "And I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that it may be with you throughout the age."
In other words, from that time forward, all of those who were converted and received the Holy Spirit of God, they are the ones who belong to God?
Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of the Truth…"
- not the spirit of lawlessness
- not the spirit of the teachings of men
- not the spirit of the traditions of men
but
- the Spirit of God
- the Spirit of Truth
In God is perfect righteousness! The Spirit of God is to lead us into righteousness in our lives!
Verse 17: "Even the Spirit of the Truth, which the world cannot receive because it perceives it not, nor knows it, but you know it because it dwells with you, and shall be within you." That's the key important thing, being in us!
Maybe there are a lot of people out there—as we know with the seven spirits of God, that 'go to and fro on the earth' finding those who are trying to seek God—that one of the seven spirits is with them. But you don't receive the Spirit within you until you repent and are baptized and enter into that covenant with God!
Verse 18: "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Yet, a little while and the world shall see Me no longer… [that was on the Passover night, that's true] …but you shall see Me…" (vs 18-19)—after He was resurrected!
Imagine what that was like. There's no way we could ever grasp it, even though that is spoken of there in the last part of John—and the last part of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well—seeing Jesus raise from the dead. Then He taught them for 40 days before He ascended into heaven again. An amazing thing!
- this is what we're dealing with
- this is what Pentecost is all about
- this is what the seven weeks counting to Pentecost is:
- living in the world
- growing and overcoming
- fighting against Satan the devil
- fighting against our own nature
- developing the mind of Christ
- loving God and serving Him
That's what it's all about!
Verse 20: "In that day, you shall know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you." That's what we need to know and understand:
- by keeping the Sabbath of God
- by keeping His Holy Days
and especially
- by keeping the Day of Pentecost
which pictures the fullness of all of this and its completion, as we will see tomorrow.
Verse 21: "The one who has My commandments and is keeping them…"
Take this one verse, and the next couple that I'm going to bring out, and think about this: "The one who has My commandments and is keeping them…" means that:
- you love God
- you keep His Commandments
- you have them
- you live by them
- you think about them
- that's the way you live and operate
that is the one who loves Me…" (v 21).
1-John 2:4: "The one who says, 'I know Him' [Jesus] and does not keep His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is not in him." That's a tare!
John 14:21: "and the one who loves Me shall be loved by My Father…"—and that's what we want!
We want the love of God the Father and Jesus Christ within us, so that we grow in grace and knowledge and prepare for the resurrection!
"…and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him.' Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, 'Lord, what has happened that You are about to manifest Yourself to us and not to the world?'" (vs 21-22).
- How are you going to do that? He does it by the calling!
- Are you willing to answer the call?
- Are you willing to repent?
- What was the first message that they gave on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2)
Which we'll cover tomorrow, about receiving the Holy Spirit! Repent and be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit! That's how Christ manifested Himself to those who are His, and not to the world.
Verse 23: "Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me…"
If you run into any Protestant, you need to open your Bible and come to John 14 and read what I'm reading right now and ask them:
- Do you love Jesus?
- Do you believe Jesus?
Oh, yes, I do!
- What day do you keep?
Oh, I keep every Sunday, and I keep Christmas and Easter. He doesn't know he's pagan!
"…'If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word…'" (v 23).
Now, where you see it singular, that is singular-plural, all the words of Christ and what He inspired the apostles to preach and teach and write.
Verse 24: "…and the Word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me." That is an amazing thing!
Verse 23: "…and My Father will love him, and We..."—God the Father and Jesus, Christ, two parts of the Holy Spirit:
- the begettal by the Father to be a son or daughter of God
- the Spirit of Christ, so that we develop the mind of Christ through the Spirit of God
"…We will come to him and make Our abode with him" (v 23).
Amazing! Doesn't Paul say in 1-Cor. 3 that we are a Temple of God,IF we have the Holy Spirit of God? Yes! See how important that is? See how important it is that:
- we're faithful
- we believe the Truth
- we love the Truth
- we love God
- we keep everything that He has given us to do
That's an amazing thing!
How many people are there in the world who do that? Well, we don't know because God is the only One Who knows! Then He says this; bring this up to your Protestant friend, as well:
Verse 24: "The one who does not love Me does not keep My words…"
So you could reverse that and say: The one who doesn't keep My words does not love Me!
"…and the Word that you hear is not Mine, but the Father's, Who sent Me" (v 24).
- they're not rejecting a man
- they're not rejecting a religion
- they are rejecting God the Father
But yet, they claim—as a tare—that they love God!
Now then, let's read just a couple more verses here because this ties in with our covenant so that when it's completed on Pentecost, that we will be in the first resurrection.
Verse 25: "I have spoken these things to you while I am yet present with you. But when the Comforter comes, even the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in My name, that One shall teach you all things, and shall bring to your remembrance everything that I have told you" (vs 25-26).
Now that is true! We have that written down. We have the result of that right now, right in front of us as we are reading it.
Now then, we'll go ahead and end Day 49 at this point, and we'll pick it up tomorrow on the Day of Pentecost, Day 50. We'll begin with what happened on that Pentecost at the temple in Jerusalem after Jesus had ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit.
That was an amazing thing to happen. So see you tomorrow.
Scriptural References:
- Leviticus 23:9-10
- Joshua 5:9-10
- Leviticus 23:10-17
- 1-Corinthians 5:8
- Leviticus 23:17-18, 20-21
- Deuteronomy 4:1-3, 23-26, 29-31, 35-37
- Jeremiah 3:1
- Deuteronomy 4:37-39
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15
- Exodus 19:3-8
- Exodus 24:1-12
- Exodus 31:12-17
- Matthew 22:1-14
- Matthew 13:10-23
- Galatians 5:22-23
- Matthew 13:23-30, 33-34
- John 14:15-21
- 1-John 2:4
- John 14:21-24, 23-26
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Revelation 2; 3; 20
- Hebrews 12
- Exodus 20-23; 32
- Genesis 15
- Deuteronomy 13
- Acts 20
- Revelation 19
- Romans 6
- Acts 2
- 1-Corinthians 3
Also referenced: Book:
God's Plan For Mankind Revealed by His Sabbath and Holy Days
FRC:bo/po
Transcribed: 5/21/25
Copyright 2025—All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. This includes electronic and mechanical photocopying or recording, as well as the use of information storage and retrieval systems.
