Temporary visit to the universe and eternal visit to it
Most people in the world have a yearning for traveling outward into space. Those who have ever visited the outer space said the same thing that they could not deny the existence of God the Creator because the starry heavens in the universe were so beautiful.
I heard on the news recently that a travel agency in the United States received applicants for a trip into space: It would cost them over one million dollars to go round the moon once and return to the earth; even though it required such a great deal of money, there were many applicants wishing to enjoy the ecstasy of seeing the universe one time.
Even if they win the tickets to the universe in the face of fierce competition, they will just visit the space station and the moon or fly around the earth, worrying about an accident that might occur. The distance between them is just like the distance from one point to another in the universe. To visit such places one time, they will willingly spend an astronomical amount of money.
Hearing such news, we come to reconsider whether we've fully understood the value of salvation, whether we've been insensible to the value of the blessing given to us because it is so great. If just one trip into space is valuable enough to spend so much money, how much more valuable is the everlasting travel into the universe! We cannot imagine how great its value is.
God has promised us that we will travel around the spacious universe forever and ever. Just because we believe in God and keep His laws, God has freely given us grace and made us good enough to enter the kingdom of heaven. How great the value of the kingdom of heaven is!
What if a person promises to give you one million dollars? You will make every effort to get the money; you will do whatever he wants you to do, won't you? However, its value cannot compare with the value of the salvation which God gives. We must not lose such a great blessing by failing to endure temporary difficulties like Esau. Instead, we are to know the value of salvation and give thanks always, that we will surely enter the kingdom of God.
Relationship between God's people-His temple-and the feasts
The Bible tells us that celebrating the feasts of God is a necessary condition for entering the kingdom of heaven, and that those who celebrate the feasts are given a great blessing as follows:
1Co. 3:16~17 『Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.』
The Bible describes us as the temple of God. This implies that the temple is where the covenant of God exists. The temple is a place where we offer sacrifice to God in accordance with the words of the covenant given by God: burnt offering for the Sabbath and offerings for the appointed feasts.
So we are to become the temple of God where the feasts are celebrated, in order to attain salvation and reach the heavenly kingdom. In the Old Testament times, the blood sacrifice of animals was offered in the temple, and in the New Testament times it has been changed into a spiritual sacrifice-the worship in spirit and truth. Now, each one of us, not a visible building itself, is the temple of God. Every saint, the temple of God, is to worship on the weekly Sabbath and also at the seven annual feasts three times a year.
If no worship is offered in the temple at God's appointed times, it doesn't need to exist anymore. There are numerous churches around the world, and many who claim to believe in God are confident that they will enter the kingdom of heaven. However, their faith is vain unless they keep the feasts of God, even though they are so diligent in living out their faith through their own worship. If they keep Sunday and Christmas originated with sun worship, they are already the temple of the sun, not the temple of God.
Through the Old Testament history, we can see that God was enraged when His temple was full of idols and abominable things. If there is no covenant and no celebration of God's feasts including the Sabbath in the temple-each individual Christian, the temple is already devastated and defiled. God said He would destroy the temple, the person. Can he be saved then? Never. The Bible clearly tells us the final outcome of the false churches that do not celebrate the feasts of God.
God gathers those who celebrate His appointed feasts
Then, what will be the outcome for God's people who offer holy worship to God through the feasts? Let's take a look at Zephaniah 3.
Zep. 3:14~20 『Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! ...The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you ["I will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts," NASB]; they are a burden and a reproach to you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.』
God says that He will gather those who celebrate the appointed feasts and give them honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth.
Those who grieve about the feasts and make every effort to celebrate them-God quiets them with His love and saves them. We should be proud of keeping the feasts of God with faith and work for the gospel more devotedly. Though we often fail to feel the grace of God because it is so great, God who never lies will give us His people, who keep the feasts, all the blessings He has promised us.
Zep. 2:1~3 『Gather together, gather together, O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives and that day sweeps on like chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you, before the day of the LORD's wrath comes upon you. Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD's anger.』
The Bible says that all the humble of the earth, who obey God's commands, will be sheltered on the day of His anger. God's promise to rescue His people from disasters is fulfilled through His feasts.
The promise of salvation contained in the feasts
Since we are God's people as His temple, we must keep all His feasts. The Bible clearly testifies that without feasts there is no salvation.
Zec. 14:16~19 『Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, they will have no rain. If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The LORD will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.』
The Feast of Tabernacles is one of God's seven feasts divided into three festival periods-it is the seventh and the last of all the feasts. The Bible says that those who do not celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles will suffer disasters.
We cannot be saved nor enter the kingdom of heaven without keeping the feasts, can we?
God has promised us the forgiveness of sins and eternal life through the feast of the Passover on which disasters pass over.
Jn. 6:53~54 『Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."』
Mt. 26:17~19, 26~28 『 ... He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.'" So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. ...While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."』
World Mission Society Church of God is Zion.
God forgives the sins of those who dwell in Zion, the place where they celebrate their religious festivals, and saves them. Salvation is given only to the people who keep the feasts. So God says that He will gather those who grieve about the appointed feasts and give them praise and honor among all the peoples of the earth. And He also says that those who celebrate the feasts will escape disasters but those who don't keep the feasts will suffer them.
God says that salvation comes out of Zion, the city of the appointed feasts. But the devil deceives people by saying that they don't have to keep the feasts or if they keep them they cannot be saved. We must not be deceived by such nonsense. Everything taught against God's word is nothing but a deceitful lie of the devil. God tells us to watch out for false prophets, saying that by their fruit we will recognize them (Mt. 7:15~20). By their deeds against God's word, we should recognize their identity.
Let's confirm whether or not the people, who celebrate the feasts, can escape all disasters and be saved at God's appointed time.
Rev. 14:1~4 『Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. ...And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.』
In Zion the city of the appointed feasts are the 144,000 redeemed from the earth. In vision, the Apostle John saw the people with God in the place of the appointed feasts, rejoicing in their joy at deliverance. Salvation cannot come out of the place where there is no feast of God. Many believe that they can receive blessing and salvation even in a place without the feasts, because they lack knowledge of the Bible. However, there is no promise of heaven in such a place; what waits for them is only a curse, the punishment of hell. We are to worship God in spirit and truth only in Zion the place of God's appointed feasts, fully understanding the value of the salvation which God has granted to us.
Before long, those who celebrate the feasts of God will share in the glorious salvation, freely traveling into the universe. Let's preach this good news of salvation to all people around the world, so that they can also go to such a spacious and beautiful world together. They desire to travel to the moon one time even by spending a great deal of money-over one million dollars. Let them know that there is a free ticket not only to the moon but also to other planets such as Mars, Venus and the Bear.
We are sure of our salvation because we dwell in the spiritual Zion, the city of God's appointed feasts. Giving thanks and praise to God for giving us the feasts and the promise of eternal glory, we shall joyfully obey the good will of God.
