I can’t say I’ve heard any bad sermons during the Feast of Tabernacles this year. In most years, in fact, that is true. Unfortunately, the one leading up to the UCG – COGWA split is one year that stands out in which I cannot say that every message was a good one. So, that is one thing I am thankful for this Feast.
There is another thing I am thankful for, and that is the contrast that the Feast is and embodies in comparison to the world. About every other day, I have turned on the television in my room to see if there is any news. One day, I had it on for one hour, and the only thing that was on one channel was about the election. And, it wasn’t even Fox News! I turned to another channel and another, but it was as if the world stood still and the election was the only thing going on.
For example, did you know the King of Thailand died? This might prove significant in the near future as the US loses favor worldwide. If the new king decides to align closer with China, we could be in for a difficult time economically, and China is getting anxious over our sailing of a destroyer through disputed waters. While tensions are growing between the US and China, the US announced it will deploy F35 jets in Japan in 2017. On the plus side in Asia, the Philippino President Rodrigo Duterte seems to be backing away from some of his anti-US rhetoric and is blasting the EU instead.
More examples: At least Fox News spent 15 seconds discussing the attempted merger of AT&T and Time Warner. 73 died in a train crash in Cameroon. Did you know that today ISIS heavily retaliated in Mosul? President Carter is apparently taking a trip to assess the situation there. Maybe you heard about the huge cyberattack, but probably not on Fox News.
All of God’s feasts are important, but there are certain years in which certain feasts take on significance in my mind. After 9/11, the Day of Atonement seemed extra special that year. It wasn’t a holy day, but it was during the Feast of Tabernacles that in 7 October 2001, President George W Bush began the military offensive against Afghanistan. A year and a half later, we observed a Passover about a month after the shock and awe attacks on Iraq.
The contrast between the visions that our politicians give us and the ones God gives us through His holy days is like night and day. Just think about the differences:
1. Lies. Both of the leading candidates seem to be capable of spewing lies faster than what the news media can report. Instead of this, leaders in the Millennium will make promises and be held to them. They will not run on slander and character assassination, but rather they will propose plans that will benefit everyone.
2. Media bias. The media cannot cover everything, and indeed if they did they would not be doing their jobs. However, what passes as news these days can be better characterized as propaganda. It is more about spin and saying the right thing rather than doing the right thing. In the world tomorrow, news will be reported objectively because the truth will once again become the ideal. Bearing false witness will be dealt with appropriately.
3. Lack of scandal. The polls seem to go up and down for both candidates in reaction to various scandals that, conveniently, come out at the last minute. In the world tomorrow, sins will be taken care of early on. Either a person will be forgiven or convicted. There will not be the widespread political manipulation of the truth that occurs today.
4. Lack of values. The GOP once touted themselves as the “party of values”. What values does the Republican Party stand for today? Even the term “social conservative” has become a bit derogatory in today’s parlance. Even the notion that the core Republican value of a small central government has become a joke. OTOH, the Democrats play PC word games and redefine words so that they can say the same thing but mean something different. In the end, both call good evil and evil good. In the millennium, once again character will matter. In fact, it will become even more important, and it will be gounded in the Law instead of subjective shifting values.
5. No more “lesser of two evils”. There is a logical fallacy called the “false dilemma”. One thing I’ve never understood about US politics is why there seem to only be two dominant political parties. In fact, it is known as a “two-party system”. Both parties try to hang onto their base by saying that a third party candidate vote is really a vote for the “other side”. Really? Why would a person of character vote for someone or something they don’t believe in just because they fear some other outcome? It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that only two parties matter because people are easily manipulated into voting for one of two parties. It is doubtful that there will even be such a thing as political parties in the Millennium. Acts 15 shows that the godly way to resolve differences and pick a certain direction is to hear all sides and with God’s guidance choose the one that is best for the many without violating any of the commandments. They had no party spirit because they were interested only in the good of the Church as defined by God.
6. No more religious zeal for politics. In a similar vein, people will quit looking to politics to solve all their problems. They will look instead to the Family of God, spirit beings who are both kings and priests. Political decisions, like all others, will be based upon the Law and love. There will no longer be rioting over human rights violations because people will be focused upon helping one another rather than taking advantage of each other. Everything will be based upon a change of the heart. Religious convictions will once again take its rightful place in informing all other decisions. The difference is that it will the one true religion, not thousands of religions of human invention.
7. No more corruption. Let’s face it, there has always been a certain level of political corruption even within our system. Having said that, it has become more open and much bolder as people no longer believe in moral absolutes. In fact, the ideal that Nancy Pelosi can state that she did nothing wrong, which is legally technically true, for acts that would land any normal person in jail, that speaks volumes. Questionable foundations and universities will be a thing of the past in the Millennium. The “me first” attitude will be replaced by outgoing concern for others while being aligned with the truth of God’s Law.
This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, either. I’m sure I could go on. These are simply the ones that have been weighing on my mind, especially since our “news” outlets seem to think that there isn’t anything else going on in the world.
Anyone want to add to this list?
Looking forward to the Kingdom of God!