[Steve Myers] Thank you for that beautiful music. Really appreciated that beautiful guitar solo for our offering music. And the praise to God, shout to Him. It certainly is a time to shout to God on this very special day, a separate feast day, the eighth day, this last beautiful day, that we have an opportunity to praise and worship God. When we consider that, is it possible there's a time when sin doesn't count? Could there be a people who are not yet liable for sin?

Think about that concept of counting sin for a moment. Of course, if you think of counters, perhaps accountants come to mind. You may have heard that there are three kinds of accountants in the world, those who can count and those who can't. Oh, two. You may have also heard about the accountant who was having a hard time sleeping. He went to the doctor. The doctor said, "What's wrong?" He said, "I can't get to sleep at night." The doctor said, "Well, you're an accountant. Haven't you tried counting sheep?" He said, "Well, that's the problem, Doc. I make a mistake, and then I'm up half the night trying to figure out where I made the mistake."

Yeah, sometimes that's the way it is, we lose count. But if you think about this time when sin doesn't count, what does that have to do with this Eighth Day? Or can I explain that concept, or is it even biblical, for that matter? You know, when we come together on this separate festival, it is interesting when we look through the Old Testament, there's not a whole lot that's said about that.

We're told basically to hold a sacred assembly. We're commanded to come together in a holy convocation. But what does this day signify spiritually? Well, that concept of when sin doesn't count is actually embedded in the meaning of this Eighth Day. Well, how would that be connected to the second resurrection? Would it be something that I would be able to explain to others? How can I explain what this day means? Have you ever had anyone ask you, "What is that that you do on that Last Great Day, that Eighth Day of the feast?" Are you able to explain it to others?

We know that Peter recorded for us that we better be ready to give a defense of the hope that lies within us. That's 1 Peter 3:15. And when Peter used that word, do you know what he was referring to? A court case, a defense. It literally meant in Peter's day to stand up in court and give a verbal defense because we know how court cases work. The prosecution presents its case, and then the defense has to get up and defend their client. Well, this verbal case is something that we then are required to do when it comes to the truth of God.

And so, imagine ourselves in a court case. The litigation has begun. Let's focus today on defending the faith when it comes to the meaning of this Eighth Day and the great white-throne judgment. What about those who have never known Christ? Why do we believe the things that we believe? I'm sure you've been asked those questions before. But can we prove the deep significance of what this particular day is all about? Because it also then contains a special personal responsibility for each and every one of us.

All right, so let's begin the litigation. In our case today, we've got a little bit of background information to start with. We recognize as we come to this day, we have our opportunity now. This is our opportunity, and God must first call you, open your mind to His truth, and reveal Himself to us. And what lies ahead for us is the opportunity to be a part of the first resurrection.

And so God's harvest begins with the first fruits. And, so, we have that opportunity right now. It's the smaller harvest. It's the portion that's dedicated to God as first fruits. And so our opportunity for eternal life is now. And God did that by opening our minds to His truth, to a basic understanding of the Scripture, giving us the opportunity to repent of our sins and believe and have faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Now, of course, this whole week, we've lived the symbolism of a greater harvest that's pictured by the Feast of Tabernacles during the millennium. And so we've been symbolizing that this last seven days. But what about today? What about those billions of people who lived, died, and never heard anything about God? Never understood, never came to an understanding of God's way. How do you know that they'll have an opportunity? Where would you begin in our court case to prove there is a second resurrection?

Well, let's label defense exhibit number one, "The dead will live." Turn with me over to Revelation 20:5. This particular passage may have come to mind as we pose that question. How do you know that people will have an opportunity who never understood, who lived and died, lived their lives, and just never knew God? Well, Revelation 20:5 begins to tell that story, our exhibit, the dead will live. Notice what it says in verse 5.

Revelation 20:5 It says, "The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished."

Because those who were in Christ, those who had died in the faith, were in that first resurrection, that first group of the dead and the living that rise to meet Christ in the air. But this is a different group, and when we look down to verse 11, we see very clearly the description of what's happening at this time.

Revelation 20:11-13 It says, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things that were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them, and they were judged each one according to his works."

So, when we examine exhibit number one, this is the second resurrection. Sometimes, it's called "the general resurrection." Sometimes, we call it "the great white-throne judgment." Now, the Bible doesn't use that terminology, but because it's standing before this great white throne, we call it that. And we recognize it's a physical resurrection. This isn't like the first. This is back to physical life. And so, we would begin our court case here with exhibit number one, the dead will live. But you know what the prosecution says? The prosecution says, "Well, okay, I see that the dead will be resurrected." But they argue that this is a resurrection to condemnation. This is a resurrection, not to an opportunity to know God. They had their chance, they're going to be judged by their works, and they're going to be thrown in the lake of fire, they have no opportunity. Is that reasonable?

How would you answer if someone said, "Wait a second here, it says they're judged according to their works. They didn't know God, they didn't live God's way. What do they deserve?" Well, they deserve death. Well, they oftentimes quote Daniel 12:2 don't have to turn there. But Daniel quoted the fact that some people would be resurrected to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they'd say, "See, prove the case. This is talking about condemnation." So, how would you answer that? Is this really an opportunity to understand God's way, or is it just a resurrection to condemnation?

Well, hopefully, as the gears are turning in your defense, you might think of John 5:28. Turn there with me. John 5:28. Here, Christ himself was speaking of this time in Revelation 20, and notice what Christ had to say. It's kind of a summary statement that He makes in a similar way to what Daniel recorded for us. John 5:28, Christ points out the fact that everyone will be resurrected. But what happens to them? That's the question of the day.

John 5:28-29 Christ said, "Don't marvel at this. The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good to the resurrection of life." And, of course, that's what we are looking forward to, the resurrection of life, to being born into the family of God, to be spirit beings in God's family. But on the other hand, it says, "Those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation."

That gets to be a little tough because those detractors, the prosecutors, would say, "Well, see, I think that backs up my point. You know, the dead are resurrected. Those who never knew God and they're going to be condemned. They're just going to be burned. That's it, no chance, no nothing, they had their time." Now, of course, they overlook the fact that this word for condemnation here or in the King James sounds even worse. The King James says, "A resurrection of damnation." But that's a terrible translation. That word there is literally "Judgment." And 90% of the time, throughout Scripture, that word is translated "Judgment."

And so their argument begins to fall apart. I mean, even though they'll say, "Well, isn't the gospel going to be preached to the world?" Well, yeah, we'd agree with that. Matthew 28 certainly tells us, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness." So the prosecution might say, "Well, see, they had an opportunity. They heard it, right?" Well, wait a second. Well, if they didn't hear it then, there's this angel that's mentioned in Revelation 14 that's going to preach the gospel, and everybody's going to hear that. And so, is that an opportunity? What would you say?

Well, in Romans 1 is one of those passages that the prosecution turns to in this regard to try to bolster their case against what we know to be the truth. What we understand God's Word is expressly teaching us. Romans 1:20, they'll kind of cherry-pick this verse to back up their case. Notice what it says here.

Romans 1:20 It says, "For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen."

All right, so what is that telling us? Well, people can look at this creation, and they should be able to tell there is a Creator, "God." They should recognize that rather than turn to science and evolution and all these crazy, wacky theories out there, it should be evident by creation that God exists.

Romans 1:20 And so it goes on saying, "Being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse."

And, of course, as they quote that verse, they would say, "Hey, that's a slam dunk, isn't it? I told you they're resurrected, and they have no excuse. So what's left for them?" Well, is it a resurrection to damnation? They would claim, "Well, look right there. It says they had an opportunity. There's no excuse for them." So Revelation 20 itself doesn't tell the whole story for us as the defense. So we're going to have to add to our case, which leads us to defense exhibit number two. Because this asks the question in a way, does hearing the gospel, or just hearing the preaching of the gospel equal an opportunity to eternal life? Does hearing the Word mean that you have been called by God? Because that's the question that sets up. I mean, if it's true, well, then they do deserve the lake of fire. But how would you defend that thought?

When the prosecution says, "Well, yep, they had their chance, they're without excuse." How do you answer that? Is hearing an opportunity? Is hearing really the call of God? Let's notice what Christ said about this. Matthew 13:10 begins our exhibit number two in our defense of the second resurrection. Matthew 13:10, we're going to look at what Jesus Christ Himself said about that concept. Is just hearing the gospel an opportunity? Is listening to the Word of God and really, even maybe having a sense of an understanding of it, is that really a calling? Well, notice what Christ said.

Matthew 13:10-12 “They asked Jesus why He spoke in parables.” Here's what he said, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.” So, to His disciples, to those that God is initially calling out of this world, it is given to them to understand the truth, to understand God's plan and His purpose. But notice what Christ said next, "But to them, to all these others, it has not been given."

Well, they were hanging out around Christ, they heard Him preach, they heard Him teach, they heard these parables. Didn't they have just an equal opportunity? Well, look at verse 14.

Matthew 13:14 Christ said, "In them, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, hearing you will hear and shall not understand. And seeing, you will see and not perceive."

Boy, that says something entirely different than "they are without excuse." Even though they're hearing, even though they're seeing the miraculous miracles of Christ, they didn't get it. And in fact, if you read this particular verse, verse 14, in the amplified version, it says, "They will hear and keep on hearing, but never understand. And they'll look and keep on looking but never comprehend." So even though they were there, even though they were physically hearing it, they didn't get it, they didn't get it, and it just bolsters the fact of what Paul said, "Why don't they get it? Why don't they get it?"

1 Corinthians 2:14, just jot it down. It says, "Because these things are spiritually discerned, God has to grant you the spiritual understanding to really perceive it, to really understand it."

So you can hear it, but what's happening? It's going in this ear and right out the other. And that's the problem, that's the problem. They don't get it, and so defense exhibit number two, simply seeing or simply hearing the gospel, is not the calling of God. Hearing the truth is not an opportunity for salvation, not unless God opens your mind. And so the fact of the matter is God is not calling everyone in this life. That's a fact, He is not. So you may hear, but you're not going to understand it. In a way, it's like the man who went to his minister, and he was having a problem. He asked his minister, "I need you to pray for my hearing." So they got down on their knees, and the minister prayed about his hearing, and they stood up after the prayer. The pastor had gone on for a long, long time, and he just asked the gentleman after they finished, "Well, how's your hearing now?" And the man said, "I don't know. It isn't until next Wednesday." Okay, a different kind of hearing. Yeah, that's right. All right. So as we think about this idea of hearing and an opportunity, can we prove the fact it's judgment, an opportunity of the second resurrection, and not just condemnation?

And we read earlier about John 5:29, Christ talked about judgment, but we can also present more evidence. We could mark exhibit number three. Exhibit number three, we could call it "more tolerable." More tolerable. And to bolster that evidence in the defense, we can go to Matthew 11:20. Notice what Christ did to bolster our defense when it comes to the fact that the second resurrection is an opportunity for all those who ever lived to come to the truth of God, to understand His way and His plan and His purpose. Christ gives us that evidence. Exhibit number three, Matthew 11:20, it's more tolerable. Here, Christ begins to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done. So he rails them. Why? Because the Messiah was there. He preached, and He taught in these cities. And what was their response? Well, it was in one ear and out the other.

Matthew 11:20-24 "They did not repent." Christ was right there, but it didn't impact them at all. So he says, "Woe to you, Chorazin. Woe to you, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would've repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades, for if the mighty works that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would've remained until this day. But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in that day of judgment than for you."

Now, hopefully, the jury can follow our logic here as we go to exhibit number three, "more tolerable." Because really there's two parts to this exhibit, two things we notice. The day of judgment is not synonymous with a time of condemnation for everyone. They don't equal each other. It's not the same thing. Judgment and condemnation are two different things. And how does this passage tell us that? Because it wouldn't be tolerable for anyone if they were just resurrected and thrown in the lake of fire. So why would that be better for Sodom? Why would that be better for Tyre? You're all going in the fire, so it wouldn't be tolerable for anyone. Are you kidding me? You're all going to burn. And so Christ made that point, his made point that ancient Sodom...you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? They were an evil culture. Nineveh, Tyre, they weren't as hard-hearted as the people of Christ's day, as those cities that Christ walked and talked and preached in. They heard the miracles, they saw Christ do these things, but still rejected Him. And so, in that day of judgment, these passages only make sense if our loving God, our merciful, graceful, fair God, will give all of them an opportunity to repent. And so that's the first part of exhibit number three.

The second part that's interesting is the fact that when we look at these peoples that Christ talked about, these are multiple generations. All these people didn't live at the same time. Sodom goes all the way back to the time of Abraham. So, 2,000 BC or so, we're talking about. He talked about Nineveh and the Queen of the South in Matthew 12. Well, that bumps up to about 850 or 1,000 BC. And, of course, when we look at Jonah's time, 800 BC or...so, we see all these timeframes that are referenced by Jesus Christ. And, of course, Tyre and Sidon, He talks about the cities that Christ spoken with, the cities of that day. And so all of those people who lived, all at those various times, will be resurrected together. Together. And those who never heard, okay, they'll have that opportunity. Those who did hear will now begin to have an opportunity to see multiple generations raised together after the millennium at that second resurrection, which is then very different than the first.

How different is that second resurrection? Well, Christ said, "It would be more tolerable." And, of course, to think of that difference begins to help us to add to the preponderance of the evidence that God has given us. We can go to defense exhibit number four. Because we recognize that first resurrection is a resurrection to spirit. How many of you would like to be physical during the millennium? Good, nobody's hand is up, that's good. Yeah. No, we don't want to be spirit...we want to be spirit, we don't want to be physical. We want to be spirit beings helping and teaching with Jesus Christ. And so that first resurrection is definitely different than this second.

This second is a resurrection back to physical life. For those who never knew God, never understood His way. And how do we know it's a physical resurrection? Where would your case turn to, to show those people that lived and died will come back as physical beings? Well, that's defense exhibit number four. I titled it "Dry Bones." Dry bones, and where do we find the story about the dry bones? Ezekiel 37. So let's turn over there to Ezekiel 37. We'll begin in verse 4. We'll begin in verse 4 because God commanded Ezekiel to prophesy to a bunch of dead people. Now, they certainly didn't have ears to hear. They'd lived and died and were dead. In fact, the fact is emphasized, they were so long dead that their bones were dried up. Now that's really dead. They've been dead a long time. And so here in Ezekiel 37:4, we see God instructing Ezekiel to preach to the bones. He says, this is God talking to Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 37:4-11 "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, oh, dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones, surely I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live." Well, what kind of life? Verse 6, "I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you." So we got muscles and flesh coming together. "I'll cover you with skin and put breath in you, and you shall live, then you shall know I am the Lord." And Ezekiel did what God told him to do. Verse 10, "I prophesied as He commanded me and breath came to them, and they lived, and they stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army." Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel."

And so I think we make a pretty good case here. This is a physical resurrection. This is not the spirit. The second resurrection is to physical life. And this is equivalent to what it's telling us where we began our case in Revelation 20, the great white-throne judgment, with the multiple billions of people, an exceedingly great army standing before the throne of God. And so we really, I think, make a strong case by exhibit number four.

But you know the prosecution, they seem to always have a comeback, don't they? Do you know what they'd say about this? They'd say, "Okay, I get it, I get it. But did you see what it actually says here?

Ezekiel 37:11 Says, “These bones are the whole house of Israel.”

So, how can you imply that that means everyone will have an opportunity?" Well, maybe Israel will have an opportunity. All the Israelites of that heritage, okay. Maybe I could agree they might have an opportunity, but the rest, they're going to be condemned. They're going to be condemned. And so what about that? Is this strictly referring to Israel only? Or can we apply this to all, all mankind, who ever lived? I mean, when we consider all of those lives, all of those deaths of people down over thousands, upon thousands and thousands of years. People like us, who lived their lives, and they laughed, and they cried, and they had plans, and they ate, and they slept, and they worked, and played, long past generations, who died and are buried in countless graves around the world. What about them? And what about our relatives who lived more recently and who have died not knowing that we tried to explain it to them and they just never got it. What about them? Did they have their chance? Is it only Israel that has an opportunity?

I mean, that's what a lot of religion believes today. You know, why do they send missionaries around the world to try to preach their version of the gospel? Well, they do that because they think this is it. This is all you get, this is your only shot. And if you don't hear the name of Jesus, you're going to burn forever in hellfire. Well, we know how wrong that is. But this leads us back to that question. Is this the only time God offers salvation? And can we prove that Ezekiel 37 may be referring to Israel and those dry bones, but we can extrapolate that to include all mankind. Can we do that? And where would you turn in order to make that point? Well, we could go over to Romans 9. Let's look at Romans 9:25. Here is Paul, the apostle, writes to God's church in Rome. He makes an important point because so many of those in the Roman church were gentiles. They were not Israelites. They would not consider themselves a part of those dry bones. You know, that wasn't their heritage. And so, what about all those who are not a part of God's people? Are they just going to be resurrected to condemnation and damnation? Is that really the truth? Well, our exhibit number four goes to Romans 9:25. And here the Apostle Paul quotes Hosea, he quotes the prophet Hosea.

Romans 9:25-26 And he says, "As He also says in Hosea..." This is what God says, "I will call them my people who were not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved, and it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, you are not my people, there, they shall be called sons of the living God."

Now, how would that be possible? Well, that would be only possible if all of the dry bones that ever lived have an opportunity. They'll have an opportunity to be called sons of the living God. And so, we can put those passages together to recognize the fact that they will hear the truth, and they will truly perceive and truly understand at just the right time, at just the right time. And that comes in the second resurrection. that comes at the general resurrection, the white-throne judgment. When those dry bones of Israel and all the dry bones will be resurrected to physical life and have an opportunity.

Now, oftentimes, people misunderstand, and they say, "Oh, you guys, yeah, you believe people get a second chance." I mean, would you ever explain it that way that these people get a second chance? That would not be a good way to explain the plan of God. To explain that fact, I like to think of it as I began the sermon with exhibit number five, defense exhibit number five is when sin doesn't count. Now that sounds kind of funny, maybe even sounds a little heretical. But that concept really gets to the heart of the truth. And I think it really builds the testimony of our case.

And if we really want a drop-the-mic, slam-dunk case, I think we have to go to this concept of when sin doesn't count. Because the fact is, to those who never knew God, who never understood they have a Messiah, is it fair to say sin doesn't count for them? Now, automatically, I think, "Wait a second, nobody gets a free ride. Nobody gets a free lunch. Are you kidding me?" Is that true or not? Well, it reminds me of the story I heard of a man who went to a beekeeper, and he wanted to buy a dozen bees, have you heard that story? So the man counts out the...and the man's looking at them, that wants to buy these bees. He's looking at the bees in the container. He says, "Hey, you made a mistake, you gave me 13." And the beekeeper said, "Oh, that's all right. That's a freebee."

All right, does anybody get a freebee? Is that what we're saying? That those people who lived and died get a freebee when sin doesn't count? Really? Are you kidding me? Well, how would you think of that? What does Scripture say about that? Let's take a look at Romans 5 because I think this really supports our case where people cannot argue with this whole concept of this opportunity for salvation for mankind. Not a second chance, but a first opportunity. And notice what Romans 5 tells us. It begins here, Paul's telling the story, and he talks about us, as he begins in Romans 5:10.

Romans 5:10-11 He says, "When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." And he says, "Not only that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation."

We've received the atonement, we've received that atoning sacrifice. Our sins have been totally wiped out. And when we are repentant before God, He justifies us, and we are clean before Him, and that's our state. And when we stay in that right relationship with God, at the return of Jesus Christ, He's going to give us eternal life. That's our story that Paul talks about here at the beginning of Romans 5:10. But then he turns to the others. Look at verse 12.

Romans 5:12-13 He says, "Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world. But sin is not imputed when there is no law."

Now, if you were to read verse 13 in other translations, I mean, take a look at verse 13. Other translations say, "Where there is no law, no sin is regarded." Or another translation says, "Sin is not charged against anyone's account when there's no law." Sin is not counted, or when you are outside the law, how could anyone be found guilty of sin? And so what we find verse 13 is describing a certain time and a certain people, when sin doesn't count, sin is not imputed. Literally, that means charged to their account. It's an accounting term. So it's not accounted to them, it's not reckoned to them, it's not put on them yet, because they have no concept of God's law. They don't understand God's way, they didn't get it. And so, all of mankind who lived and died and suffered no concept of God's way, fit into this category where sin is not imputed at that time.

And so all of those, all of those have not had sin put on their account as yet. And so eternal judgment, eternal sentencing, in other words, has not yet taken place. Hasn't happened yet. And of course, we know Paul talks a lot about this concept because he tells us, "You know, what's the law all about? You know, what is the law?" Well, it's by the law, we know what sin is. That's Romans 3:20.

Romans 7:7 Paul says, "I would not have known sin except through the law."

Well do all those people who ever lived and died, did they know God's law? Did they understand God's law? No, they never got it. And so, their sin has not been imputed to them yet. It hasn't been charged to their account. So they have not had that opportunity yet. Have they had an opportunity to repent? No. They don't even know what sin is because you don't know what sin is without the law of God. And so during that second resurrection, when they are brought back to a physical life, during the great white-throne judgment, God will give them that opportunity to fully comprehend God's law, His way, His will, His plan. And so that becomes a key for us to recognize the difference. They don't know any better. And so when they're resurrected, now they will. Now they will.

Now, of course, we don't want to get confused either. When we say sin has not been imputed, it's not on their account that by no means, means that they're innocent, they're not innocent, they are guilty, they are guilty. And will they be held accountable? Absolutely. It's not on their account yet. But once they're resurrected, once they're in the second resurrection, that sin will be put on their account. We will have probably Jesus Christ Himself explain God's law and His way, and that sin will be held accountable, and they will have to repent. They will have to change. They will have to come to God in faith and repent and accept the truth so that then, they will have a time of judgment. And we recognize that's when it's on their account. So, by no means are they innocent. That is not the case. But what this does reflect is God's grace and His mercy upon all. Sin will be put on their account at that time, and just like all of us, they will have to choose.

Now, what will you do? What will you do? Will you repent and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord, your master, your high priest, your King? Will you bow your knee to Jesus Christ and God the Father and accept His sacrifice on your behalf? And this will be their time then because it's God's will that they have that opportunity. And that shows the great joy and the great blessings of this day, and it helps bolster our case when we turn to exhibit number six, what this day emphasizes. The emphasis of this day is our exhibit number six. All of this shows God is just. God is just, and when they stand before Jesus Christ at that great white throne, and that court case is concluded, and they are found guilty of sin, they're going to find that God is fair, that God is love, that God is grace. And they have an opportunity not just to be condemned into the lake of fire immediately, but they can recognize that they are saved by grace through faith.

And it points out the fact of this sick and dying world that we live in, this world of injustice, this world of prejudice, this world of immorality, and sin and greed and lies, actually have hope. That there is hope for this world. And what we find in the emphasis of this day is that it demonstrates judgment will occur. And judgment is a time period. It's not just an instant. This great white-throne judgment will be a period of time because it's not sentencing, it's not condemnation, it's their opportunity. It's their calling. When everyone who ever lived and died will be taught the truth and have that opportunity like we've had to be converted, to come to conversion, and receive God's Holy Spirit and have that potential for eternal life. And isn't it just amazing?

All of this represents and demonstrates the fact that death does not defeat the purposes of God. Death could never overcome God because God will raise the dead. And as Revelation 20 said, "God's going to judge them by the same standards that He's always judged people." And that's His standard. They'll be judged according to their works, as we read in Revelation 20, by the things written in the Books, the Books, that's the Greek Biblia. By the things written in the Bible. That's the word for Bible. They'll be judged by God's law and given time, given a time of judgment, an opportunity to believe and repent and obey and receive God's forgiveness and grace. And by that, means they'll have an opportunity to be written in the Book of Life and receive God's gift of eternal life. And so what a day this is, what a case that God has given us to prove His grace and His mercy and His love, not just for us but for all mankind.

And in fact, before we conclude our court case, we better go to exhibit number seven. Exhibit number seven, this is a day for us as well. This isn't strictly about that second resurrection. This day is also a reminder for us to be sure sin doesn't count. And what do I mean by that? Well, think about the single biggest failure of God's people in the Old Testament. They forgot His commands. They didn't obey. They forgot the Sabbath. They didn't keep the holy days. They worshipped pagan gods. They got caught up in the culture around them. They mixed in with the peoples around them, and it was their downfall.

I mean, what's the biggest failure of the New Testament Church? You read through the New Testament, the admonitions that are written there, and those things certainly apply to us as well. Oftentimes, they fail to come out of the ways of this world, the pulls and the draws of human nature. They want to drag us down and pull us back into that wrong way of living. And we, too, could be in danger of losing our memory, and forgetting the examples that went before us, and forgetting who we are and whose we are. And this day, this feast, this Eighth Day, this Last Great Day, isn't only about this mass of humanity that never knew God, it's about us. In a way. It's God's great reminder for all of us because Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:17, let's note what Peter reminds us because we've just recognized by the evidence and the exhibits that we've proven this second resurrection will be an opportunity for all mankind that never knew God. And there'll be a time period, a judgment period, for them to come to repentance and faith. But for us, it's different.

1 Peter 4:17 "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God."

And who is the household of God? Who is the Church of God? Who is the family of God? Well, it's us. It's us. And when does judgment begin for us? Well, not at a second resurrect... No, it's already happened. We have our opportunity, we're having our judgment period now. And so Peter says, "Let's recognize the significance of this Eighth Day and apply it to us as well." They'll have their opportunity then, which is their best opportunity for eternal life. Our best opportunity for eternal life is now, is now. That's why God called us, that's part of the reason why He called us now. And so He reminds us of that, that we are to commit ourselves to Him. And so, we found that there is no doubt it's a slam-dunk court case. There's no doubt God will remember all humanity, and there will be a second resurrection. The question is, will we be there? Because now is our opportunity. And so this day should not just be about the facts that we know, the scriptures that we can point to, the truth that we've recognized here, the exhibits that we've discussed. It has to be more than that.

For us, it has to be a time that we recognize we have to be committed. We recommit our lives to God as we leave this festival today. It's a time to recommit. It's a time to rededicate ourselves. It's a time to pledge our lives once again to our great Lord, our King, our Messiah, and the great God of the universe that, yes, I will follow You, and I want the best possible right relationship with God, the Father, and with Jesus Christ. And ultimately, we want sin not to count against us. Isn't that the case?

In fact, if we look to Romans 4:7, Paul included that concept when he talked about those people that haven't had sin imputed. Boy, when we see sin in our lives, what do we do? Well, we better immediately repent. We better immediately get down on our knees and seek forgiveness of God and never want to repeat that sin again so that that sacrifice can be applied to us and that sin can be totally removed. And so Paul wrote about that, Romans 4:7, this is where we want to be, and when we're recommitted and rededicated, and when we stand justified before God, this is us.

Romans 4:7-8 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered." Notice verse 8, "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."

None of us want sin on our account. We want that sin wiped out, we want that count cleared. We don't want the death penalty hanging over our heads. And so, this feast reminds us of that time to rededicate ourselves, to fully eradicate sin from our lives, and stay close to God. It's that time to remind us that, "Wow, this feast went fast. I mean, it's surprising how quickly these days went. Here we are. We're at the end. We're at the Eighth Day." And it should also remind us this feast has been like life. Life goes fast. Life goes fast, don't take it for granted. Don't take it for granted. Let's choose to be intentional. Let's choose to be deliberate. Let's see ourselves for who we really are and, see sin in our lives for what it is, and repent so that it's not imputed against us.

If there's areas of our life where we've held back from God, let's make sure we never do that and draw close to Him in repentance, like never before. Because we recognize the signs of the times. We live in this crazy world, and we're drawing ever closer to the return of Jesus Christ. The signs are all around us. And so it's a reminder for us. We can never neglect, we cannot be careless. We cannot allow ourselves to be fearful and distracted by the things that are going on in this world.

And so we have that opportunity right now to choose life, and God's going to give us the help that we need. He's given us the Holy Spirit. And so we have the power over sin. And so it's about us choosing life every single day. It's about being deeply accountable to God. What kind of person do I have to be? What kind of person am I? And what kind of church are we?

It's choosing God's way every day. That's what this feast reminds each of us about, day by day, God's way, every day. And so, we can consciously and intentionally choose to remember God every day. And not only remember the words, not only remember the scriptures, but how we live by those words because there is so much to look forward to. What an amazing plan our God has. It is glorious, it is wonderful. And we can certainly thank God for the meaning of this Eighth Day. Because He's given us the testimony. He's given us the exhibits that we know the truth and we can love the truth, and we can defend our faith.

There's no doubt the dead will live, and they will see, and they will hear, and they will have an opportunity. Because an acceptable time is coming for all those multiple generations over time that will be raised out of the dry bones and come to physical life, and a great reminder that sin can be forgiven and stay in a close relationship with God.

And so what a day it will be when finally sin will be accounted and then completely removed. Because there's coming a new heaven and a new earth where there'll be no more crying, no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death, no more sin. And so we can praise Him for His marvelous goodness, for His wonderful grace, for His great mercy and compassion. And we can thank God as we look to the time when sin doesn't count.