Immediately after the seven day Feast of Tabernacles is the Last Great Day, the final festival and holy day of God. It pictures the final stage in God's plan for the salvation of mankind.
The Last Great Day pictures the general resurrection of mankind, an event after the millennium when the vast majority of the billions of people who lived and died before the second coming of Jesus Christ are raised from the dead back to physical life.
This festival is both a continuation of the Feast of Tabernacles and a separate festival. It immediately follows the seven day Feast of Tabernacles, and it is called the "eighth day" of the Feast (Leviticus 23:36, 39). It is also called the "last day" and the "great day" of the Feast (John 7:37). We in the Church of God, following the example of Mr. Armstrong, call it the "Last Great Day".
And it is indeed a great day in what it represents.
We in the Church of God, because we observe the annual holy days and festivals of God as well as the weekly Sabbath, understand God's plan for the salvation of mankind.
Satan rules this world through deception (Luke 4:5-7, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Revelation 12:9). He deceived Eve, and through Eve he tempted Adam into sin, and he has been leading mankind in his evil way of sin ever since.
God is more powerful than Satan, and Satan can only do what God allows (Job 1:6-19, 2:1-8). Nevertheless, God has allowed Satan to rule and influence this world for nearly six thousand years for a special purpose.
Mr. Armstrong understood that God is teaching mankind a lesson written in human history that Satan's way of life only brings suffering, heartache, violence, destruction, and death. But after six thousand years of Satan's rule, he will be banished, removed from his throne, and Christ and the saints will rule the earth God's way for a thousand years. Mankind will be able to contrast the happiness of the millennium with six thousand years of Satan's rule and see that God's way is best.
Mankind in the millennium will be able to know the truth of God. They will hear the true gospel. Their minds will be opened, and they will be able to hear, understand, believe, repent, be converted, and be saved.
But what about the billions of human beings who have lived and died during the six thousand years of Satan's deception without ever having the chance for salvation? Many have not heard any gospel, and almost none have heard the true gospel, and many of those who heard were never able to understand and believe the gospel because Satan has deceived them and God has not specially called and drawn them to Christ.
The vast majority of mankind has not been able to hear the true gospel, understand it, believe it, repent, and be converted and saved. God is only calling a few to salvation in this age. Only those the Father draws to Christ can come to Him. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
Without that special calling and drawing by God, no one in this age can be converted. It is impossible for the majority to be converted in this age.
So what happens to them?
Most of this world's traditional, mainstream Protestant churches have taught that the majority are lost forever. They understand, correctly, that salvation is only through Jesus Christ. But then they conclude, since the majority of the world's population throughout history has not accepted Christ, even nominally, that they are lost forever.
Yet, this is an insult to God. It slanders God by painting Him as weak or uncaring.
But the truth, as represented by the Last Great Day, honors, magnifies, and glorifies God's name and reputation for righteousness. The truth shows God's greatness, wisdom, power, and love. For God has a plan to save all of mankind, except those who knowingly reject God. God will give everyone a chance for salvation.
Yet, traditional, mainstream churches and their members do not understand this because they do not keep the Last Great Day and all of God's holy days and festivals.
The 37th chapter of Ezekiel shows how God will save the billions who have died without a chance for salvation up to their death.
"Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord God: "Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it," says the Lord.' " (Ezekiel 37:12-14). See also verses 1 to 11 to get the full context and to see that God is talking about resurrection to physical life, life that requires the breath of air, not immortal spirit life.
This passage speaks about Israel, as an example, but the same event will occur for all mankind, as indicated in Revelation and other places (Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 12:41-42).
All who have lived and died without a chance for salvation will be raised back to physical life in a general resurrection of the dead, the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-12).
They will come alive again into an environment free of Satan's influence, and they will be offered their first real chance for salvation.
They will all hear the true gospel at that time. Jesus Christ and the saints will be ruling the earth. They will learn of the whole history of the seven thousand years - the six thousand years of Satan's rule, which they lived in, and the one thousand year rule of Jesus Christ and the saints. Moreover, they will be resurrected into that happy environment of Christ's rule, and they will be able to contrast the happiness they can come to know then with the state of this world today which they lived in. They will be able to see and experience that God's way is best.
They will be able to understand, believe, repent, obey, receive God's Holy Spirit and be converted, and be saved. They will be able to live forever in God's kingdom. And that will be a much happier result than the traditional view of this world's churches that they will suffer forever in hellfire because of circumstances of birth over which they had no control.
Here is a link to more information about the Last Great Day. This link is to last year's post in this blog about the Last Great Day, and you can follow the links at the end of that post to more posts on this subject and to a section in my book, Preaching the Gospel, about the Last Great Day and what it represents.
"The Last Great Day, and How Righteousness Will Fill the Earth", dated October 4, 2015, link:
http://ptgbook.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-last-great-day-and-how.html
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10 comments:
Hello author!
In your last post, I found this which I have been hesitant to comment on, but decided to anyway; my questions are embedded.
“This festival is both a continuation of the Feast of Tabernacles and a separate festival. (Question is, how can this be a continuation of one feast if it is in fact another feast? Does one day of the seven continue into the next day?? The 8th day is continued from the “15 day of the seven month” (V.34) in the flow of the context. You go on to say;) “It immediately follows the seven day Feast of Tabernacles, and it is called the "eighth day" of the Feast (Leviticus 23:36, 39).
(Question here is, where do you find this wording in Scripture; "eighth day of the Feast”?? It seems you may be “reading” that into Scripture. You might want to do a little more research into this and read it in the ASV or some other version. Going on you say)
“It is also called the "last day" and the "great day" of the Feast (John 7:37). (Question here is; how can a one day festival have a “last day” as this Scripture indicates?? As you should know, the word “day” has been added after great—note the wording in the NIV and other translation that do not add it. It is far more understandable that in reality, this is referencing the last day of the seven day feast of tabernacles.)
“We in the Church of God, following the example of Mr. Armstrong, call it the "Last Great Day". (end of your statement)
Once again, I find your words a little bit misleading when it comes to the reality of Scripture. We cannot just follow a man in something that may not be scripturally based, or we end up subtly deceiving and being deceived, and I am sure that is not your intent.
Editor
I apologize for approving this comment so late, but I had trouble finding your comment with my blogger page.
Leviticus 23:36 says, "...On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation...".
Eighth day of what? Not the eighth day of the month. The eighth day of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. It is in that sense only that it is a continuation of the Feast of Tabernacles. But in saying that I am not saying it is part of the Feast of Tabernacles. It is a separate Feast. When I say it is a continuation of the Feast of Tabernacles, I am only saying that it is very closely associated with the Feast of Tabernacles and immediately follows the Feast of Tabernacles. It is the Bible itself that calls it the "eighth day", thus in that sense only it is a continuation of the first seven days, otherwise God would not call it the "eighth day".
I agree that if we find that Mr. Armstrong made a mistake we should not follow his mistakes. We must follow the Bible more than we follow a man. Nevertheless, in my post I am simply stating where we have gotten the term, "The Last Great Day". It came from Mr. Armstrong. I am not implying that it is correct just because it came from him.
Nevertheless I think he was right in his understanding and "The Last Great Day" is a good term for this festival.
Your position, if I understand it, that the last day of the Feast referred to in John 7:37 is the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles is interesting, but I don't agree with it. I think it refers to the same "eighth day" that Leviticus 23:36 is talking about.
Words can be used in different ways in different contexts. There is a sense in which the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day are the same feast, and there is a sense in which they are different feasts. It depends on the context and the way the terms are used.
Technically, they are two different feasts, but the Bible sometimes refers to them as the same, just as we do today. When someone in your congregation asks you, "How was your Feast?", are they only asking about the seven day Feast of Tabernacles? Are they not also asking about the whole eight days?
Human language is not used with the precision you seem to give it. That is why there are so many misunderstandings between people. It is not like mathematics.
Author,
here is a link that may help you with a better understanding of John7:37. it is a study paper on the subject of the Last Great Day--http://members.cogwa.org/uploads/COGWA-The_Last_Great_Day_-_Study_Paper.pdf
You might also find my booklet titled "EIGHTH DAY" of interest at www.tcogmso.com then booklets.
there is nothing wrong with the last festival of the year being called the last great day, as long as we do not base it falsely on a verse that does not really pertain to that day (my opinion)
Editor
We seem to agree that is is permissible to call the last festival day of the year "the Last Great Day". The disagreement seems to be about his passage: "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water' " (John 7:37-38).
If I understand you correctly, you are saying that this particular day is the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles. I am saying, as Mr. Armstrong said, that this refers to what we call the "Last Great Day" and the Old Testament calls the "eighth day" (Leviticus 23:34-36).
The Bible calls this the "great day" of the feast.
But if this is only the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, in what sense is it greater than the other six days? If you want to identify one of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles as being different than the other six, and greater than the other six, the only candidate would be the first day of the Feast, because that is a holy day and an annual Sabbath, a day of rest. The other six days, including the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, are not holy days.
But if the day Jesus cried out was a great day, it must have been a separate feast, technically, than the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles. It must have been the Last Great Day, the "eighth day". That, truly, is a "great" day, not only because it is a holy day and an annual Sabbath, but because of what it represents - the general resurrection of the dead, a time when everyone who has every lived and died without a chance for salvation will finally be given a chance to hear the true gospel, understand it, and be saved.
How can the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles, just one day out of seven and not even a holy day, be greater than the holy day that follows that represents the salvation of billions who have lived and died in the last six thousand years?
Moreover, the Last Great Day fits perfectly with what Jesus said. He said to the people of His day, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water".
When will those people who heard him be able to do this? Not at that time, but when they are resurrected in the great white throne judgment, the very event represented by the Last Great Day. So Jesus spoke words to them, encouraging them to come to Him, which they will only be able to do when the event represented by the Last Great Day takes place - the general resurrection of the dead and the white throne judgment.
The crowds, including the Pharisees and most of the Jews, CANNOT come to Christ until that general resurrection. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44).
So Jesus encouraged the people to come to him on the very day that represents the only time they will be ABLE to come to him - the Last Great Day representing the general resurrection.
When those Jews come up in the general resurrection, they will remember that Jesus spoke these words to them in the temple, and they will be able to respond, but not now and not during the millennium represented by the Feast of Tabernacles. During the millennium, those Jews who heard Jesus speak in the temple will still be asleep in their graves.
Author,
I can only assume by the way you are writing this last comment that you have not looked over any of the material that was offered. you seem to be forgetting the nearly two thousand years that Christ knew would play out before even the resurrection of the saints and then the one thousand years of that rule on earth.
the last day of the feast of T.; from the Jews perspective (which it does not sound as if you have considered either) was a "big deal" and they had no idea of what the eighth day pictured. Another thing is that you have not considered that the Scriptures reveal in John eight what seems to be a scenario more closely related to the judgment period-though I do not wish to argue the point--I can see that you are not willing to look at this and study to find truth with an open mind. (No offense to you intended.)
Editor
I did not look at the material you provided links to, not because I am not willing to discuss the issue with an open mind, but because if you are not willing to take the time to state your arguments in your own words in the exact context of this discussion, but say, "read this document" and "read that document", why should I take the time to wade through those documents myself?
I am certainly willing to discuss with an open mind issues you want to discuss in this blog, but I am not willing to take the time to carry out a research project, searching through documents, on a subject that does not much interest me.
If there are points made in the two documents you refer to that you want me to know about and discuss with you, you state them here, in your comments, in your own words, and quote the scriptures you thing are important. Then I will look at it with an open mind.
Author,
again I offer my apologies--not realizing you have no interests in learning truth in these areas, so YOU can be more accurate in what you post. We have been called out and chosen to study things out, especially by use of the word of God and how it is being expounded upon. That requires the ability and desire to search it out. that is what a true Christian does when it comes to truth vs. the ideas of men and their own doctrines.
I thought we were in agreement on this--but I guess not and I have been mistaken about you. Sorry,
Editor
You are exaggerating and twisting things. I never said I had "no interests in learning truth in these areas so [I] can be more accurate in my posts". I said that the subject of whether Christ was speaking on the last of the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles or on the Last Great Day (the eighth day) was not a subject I have much interest in studying. Why? Because I have studied these things enough to my satisfaction to feel confident that the teachings of Mr. Armstrong and most of the Church of God on this point are correct. So I am not going to start a personal study project on this for myself.
I have many subjects to study in the Bible, and I have personal projects started on many of them, and they are time-consuming, and these projects are for the purpose of making sure my writings are as accurate and as complete and helpful as possible, as well as for the purpose of my personal knowledge and relationship with God. And these projects are about much weightier matters than which day of the Feast Jesus spoke on when He cried out to the Jews in the temple, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me".
But I am certainly willing to explore this subject with an open mind with you in these comments, otherwise I would not be writing this. So far, this comment, as I count them, is the eighth comment between us discussing this matter. I am not doing this with a closed mind. If you point out something that strongly supports your case, I am willing to consider it and change my views if I am wrong.
But is that an excuse for you to be lazy?
This subject seems to be important for you. So why don't you do your own work?
You started this discussion, so evidently you want me to know something you think I don't know. You want to correct me so that I can be corrected, learn something I didn't know before, and be more accurate in my understanding and writing. Good. If I am wrong, I want to be corrected.
So teach me. Don't just refer me to documents. Do your own work of digging out the points of truth in the two documents you referred to me that apply to this discussion, put those points of truth in your own words in the exact context of this discussion, and submit those things in these comments, one point at a time please. You can start with anything that relates to why the Bible would call the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles a "great" day of the Feast.
But instead, you want ME to wade through both documents, which would be very time-consuming, because you are not willing to take the time to dig out the points, one by one, and state them in your own words in these comments.
Consider someone who comes to you and says, "Editor, you are wrong in something you teach (Sabbath, holy days, the soul - you name it, any doctrine will do). Please read this book and this book and this book, and you will see you are wrong". Then later, he asks you, "Did you read those books", and you say, "No". Then he says, "Obviously you do not have an open mind, because you didn't read the books I told you to read".
If there are a hundred points in these two documents that you feel prove me wrong, why don't you take them one by one and state them in your own words in these comments. I cannot deal with all of at once, so pick the strongest point and start with that. I will consider each one with an open mind.
So far I haven't read one thing from you in these comments that suggest any possibility to me that Christ made His statement on the seventh day of the Feast of Tabernacles or that anything in my original post is wrong.
If you think the two documents you refer to have points that prove your case, but you are not willing to take the time to state those points here in the comments, why should I take even more time to dig through those documents myself.
It seems to me you want me to spend more time with this subject than you spend with it, and you want me to do your work for you. And this is a subject that you care about more than me.
Don't be lazy. I know you can write. Do your own work and prove your case, here in this discussion, not in some other books and documents I would have to read.
In looking over my last comments, I realize I may have sounded overly harsh, and my intent could be misunderstood. I apologize for that and want to clarify something.
I am not accusing Editor of being lazy in his own research. I am sure he has worked hard to research this issue for himself.
But if his objective is to help me see an error I am making, and is using these comments to help me see where he thinks I am wrong, and at the same time make this available for other readers of this blog, that is good. If I am wrong, I want someone to show me, and I want this discussion to be easily available for those who read this blog to read and understand and form their own conclusions.
But to do that, all the important points need to be made in these comments, not by reference to outside documents. Reference to outside documents can be helpful for some who want to spend extra time with this issue, and for that reason I have included those references, but main points should never be made ONLY by reference to outside documents. Readers of this blog should never be required to take the time to read outside documents (except Bible passages identified by reference) to follow the main points of the discussion.
So when I say to Editor, "don't be lazy", that was never meant as a personal accusation, but as a prod and encouragement to do the same diligent work in bringing the important points of discussion into the comments of this post that he has spent doing his own personal research.
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