Every year at the Feast of Tabernacles, God makes His coming Kingdom feel more real to His people through the many sermons and sermonettes they hear. God’s plan commands us to leave our homes, dwell temporarily in an apartment, hotel or guesthouse, and spend our “second tithe”—10 percent of our annual income that we have saved throughout the year—to enjoy an eight-day festival. All of the physical aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles are designed to help us better visualize both the physical and spiritual fulfillment of this awesome festival.
So, how “real” is God’s coming Kingdom to you? Can you “taste and see” (Psalm 34:8) what it will really be like, for the physical human beings and for the Spirit beings who will rule over, guide, and direct them? Or, is your vision of God’s Kingdom a bit hazy? God clearly states that without faith, we cannot please Him (Hebrews 11:6). But, to have faith, there must truly be “substance” to our hope (v. 1)—which is the millennial reign of Christ and the saints on the earth! Is there substance to your hope? Is your vision of God’s Kingdom real?
What Questions Should We Ask?
Have you really considered what type of society God’s saints will be called upon to administer? What will the Kingdom of God look like? What will it “feel like” for physical people? What types of jobs and professions will today’s Christians, after being born as Spirit-members of the Family of God, be directing and supervising during the Millennium? What details does the Bible relate about these important aspects of life in the Kingdom of God?
God’s word reveals amazing details about life in the Millennium. But identifying and understanding these details requires two things of us. First, we must take time to really meditate on the word of God—to ponder over it, to look into it and to flesh out the details. Second, we must know which aspects of God’s word are the ones on which we should meditate. When we meditate on what God has revealed, we may be amazed at how clearly God’s Kingdom comes into focus.
Connecting the Feast and God’s Law
Have you ever noticed that when the ancient Israelites finally entered the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, God commanded them to meditate on the Book of the Law day and night (Joshua 1:8)? King David observed that a person is blessed for delighting in God’s law and meditating on it day and night (Psalm 1:2). Have you ever wondered why God commanded that the law should be read at the Feast of Tabernacles during the “year of release” every seven years (Deuteronomy 31:9– 13)? Why did God command that the law should be read at the Feast of Tabernacles, and not during another festival such as the Feast of Unleavened Bread or Pentecost? Surely this is because understanding and meditating on the law of God is essential if we are to envision clearly the time that the Feast of Tabernacles pictures—the Millennium, the ultimate fulfillment of the annual Feast of Tabernacles— under the rule of the Kingdom of God.
God inspired the prophet Ezekiel to write that God’s statutes and judgments will be kept in His Kingdom, when David will once again be king over Israel (Ezekiel 37:24). God’s laws and statutes will not become obsolete; they will become more relevant than ever, magnified by Christ as He administers them with the help of His saints. God inspired Isaiah to write that, during the Millennium, the law will proceed forth from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2–4), and that knowledge of God’s way will ultimately cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). God has called today’s Christians to serve as spiritual leaders and teachers in His coming Kingdom, and we will fulfill this role on the earth (Revelation 5:10). Even when we are Spirit beings, we will be teaching people on the earth—people who will see and hear us clearly, and will be able to interact with us (Isaiah 30:20–21).
As teachers under Christ, God’s firstfruits will help teach, implement and reinforce His law. During the Millennium, God’s law will be the “backbone” of society—the “royal law” of the Kingdom of God. When it is finally in full force—when everyone keeps it—it will liberate society from the satanic tyranny under which human beings have been held captive for nearly 6,000 years (James 2:5–13).
How many laws currently regulate today’s society? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands? Today, our governments employ “professional law makers” whose sole responsibility is creating new laws, statutes, and mandates to regulate society. Judges, lawyers and legislative analysts dispute about what laws mean, as they comb through literally thousands upon thousands of pages of obscure man-made laws, trying to discern what should be done. And we know that many laws are not just; they are implemented to serve some special interest or powerful lobby rather than the good of all the people.
By contrast, God’s law is a “perfect law of liberty.” So, what will society look and feel like when that royal law is in place and fully being practiced? How far-reaching will God’s law be when it is fully implemented? Ten simple laws, when kept in the letter and the spirit, will totally change how people think and live! God’s statutes will also give clarity to so many details, giving examples of how to judge difficult situations.
In the rest of this article, by considering the tremendous effect of just two of the Ten Commandments, we can begin to understand more deeply what human society will be like in the Kingdom of God.
The Power of One Commandment
The Eighth Commandment states, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). Just how different will society be during the Millennium, when theft will be practically unheard of?
How many people today worry that someone might break into their home or vehicle, or steal their property? How many are fearful to stay at home alone? How many are afraid to walk down the street for fear of being robbed? How many parents become anxious when they lose track or sight of their child, fearing that someone may have taken him or her?
Scripture tells us that in God’s Kingdom, society will be so safe that old men, women and children will play in the streets (Zechariah 8:4–5). There will be no more fear of being beaten or robbed. No more fear of kidnapping. No more fear that someone might steal the virginity of your daughter or granddaughter. No more fear that someone might “steal” your spouse’s affection through seduction and adultery. No more pornography to steal innocence or marital faithfulness. No more prostitution to steal the bond of marital intimacy from husband and wife.
Many people today live in “walled villages.” Perhaps these are not literally fortifications, but many homes are surrounded by high fences or block walls. Many homes have bars on their windows, and most have locks on their doors and gates. Some even have expensive security systems installed to defend against intruders. But what will home life be like under the rule of the Kingdom of God? God tells us, through Ezekiel, that the land of Israel will be an assortment of “unwalled villages.” Its people will dwell in complete safety with “neither bars nor gates” (Ezekiel 38:11). This is a far cry from modern society— where the poor put gates on their windows, and even the richest people often live cloistered lives in “gated communities” because they do not consider it safe to do otherwise.
Think about the professions that will not need to exist when the Eighth Commandment is in full force. Today, one of the largest sources of employment in the developing nations is the security industry. By contrast, in the Millennium there will be no “security system” industry, and no need for security fence builders or installers. During the Millennium, the work of a locksmith will change dramatically, if not go away entirely. Factories will not need to produce metal gates and window bars. Homeowners will be able to sleep peacefully at night, not disturbed by the noise of police sirens or car alarms going off. Cities will not need to employ large police forces, and states will not need to employ vast armies of prison guards to incarcerate thieves. Today, some local economies revolve almost entirely around prison systems and security—but this will not be the case in the Kingdom of God!
Can you see how powerfully just this one commandment will transform society during the Millennium? Can you imagine what it will be like for human beings who will be able to live without fear of theft? Is there anyone alive today who would not want to experience a society like that? And what will it be like for the Spirit beings who rule a society where theft is almost entirely a subject for the history books, where the very few hardened rebels are dealt with quickly according to God’s law so they do not spread their influence to the society around them?
What Will True Rest Be Like?
What will life be like in a society where the Fourth Commandment—to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy—is the law of the land? Have you ever taken the time to deeply meditate on this awesome question? God commands: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:9–10).
Society will be geared toward productivity, with people working and accomplishing for six days each week. In fact, Paul explained that those who will not work will not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10)! Instead of a system where the lazy can experience seven “days of rest” every week, taking from productive members of society, people will receive the fruits of their labor. “Unemployment” will be a thing of the past. No longer will people spend their youth training for a career, then later find that career unattainable because of economic or social changes. Yet neither will people be “married to their jobs,” feeling forced to work in order to have enough wealth to get by. God’s law makes provision for balance between work and family.
The Sabbath command continues: “…In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant” (Exodus 20:10). Even cattle and the stranger in your home shall rest from their work (ibid.). Society will be geared so that all can take proper advantage of the “Preparation Day”— the day before the weekly Sabbath (see Exodus 16). Today, for many in God’s Church who work from Monday through Friday, their pre-Sabbath preparation is hurried and stressful, if it occurs at all. By contrast, under the rule of the Kingdom of God, no employers will press people to toil at their jobs until the last possible moment before Friday’s sunset.
Just as all businesses will be geared to the rhythm of the Sabbath, so too will all those who employ household servants. Employers and employees both will rest from their labors every Sabbath. With everyone expected to keep the Sabbath, no more will a family’s Sabbath rest be broken by the sound of a neighbor’s lawnmower or leaf blower. Yard work, and other noise and clamor, will not be part of the Millennial experience of the Sabbath. Proper preparation will occur so that the Sabbath day will be a delight for all and a true rest from even the smallest and most menial labors, as the whole of society will rest and rejoice in this weekly Holy Day. There will be peace and quiet as all will be able to “be still.”
Some of the smallest details of how Scripture describes the Millennium can reveal important truths. Notice, for example, Zechariah 14:20. After a description of how the Feast of Tabernacles will be kept during the Millennium, we read a description of horses adorned with bells. On each bell is engraved the phrase, “Holiness to the Lord.”
If Millennial society had only a few horses, mostly put to pasture, who would hear the ringing of these bells? Clearly, this is picturing an agrarian economy devoted to the true worship of God. But think, too, of some practical implications. If even cattle and livestock must rest on the Sabbath (Exodus 23:12), and if horses are a primary means of transportation, how far will people travel on the Sabbath when their transportation is also resting? With the whole world observing the Sabbath, no longer will people need to endure long Sabbath-day trips to gather together for worship. Not only will the Sabbath day be a time for rest and refreshing—even the typical journey to Sabbath services will be short. Imagine that!
Another vital aspect of Sabbath observance in the Millennium will be the “land Sabbath.” Apparently, even ancient Israel never fully implemented the entirety of God’s statutes pertaining to the 50-year Jubilee cycle (Jeremiah 34:14), but in the Millennium the whole world will be functioning on the exact same series of seven-year cycles! For six years, planting and harvesting will occur as usual. However, during the sixth year, God will provide everyone with a “super harvest”—enough food to last for the entire seventh year and until the eighth-year harvest comes in (Leviticus 25:18–22).
During the seventh year of each seven-year cycle, no one is to plant or harvest (Leviticus 25:1–7). Animals that will not be plowing or harvesting for a year will grow strong on the land during their rest, and will also be performing two other important jobs. Their manure will fertilize the land during its Sabbath rest, and their hooves will mash and till the manure and the chaff back into the soil. After a year, when it is again time to plant, the soil will be wonderfully renewed, and the next six years will bring “bumper harvests” as the plowman overtakes the reapers (Amos 9:13). The fruit of the vine and stalk will be full of goodness and full nutrition, as God intended from the beginning.
Think about how this will change the rhythm of daily life. In God’s Kingdom, it will not be “office jobs” that set the pace for society. Human beings will live close to the land, yet they will have one year out of seven when even their agrarian duties will cease. Imagine! There will be a year to “catch up” on maintenance chores and projects. There will be workdays, of course, but there will be ample time to “be still” and grow closer to the Great God. There will be time to play, to plan for the future, and to enjoy the company of family. Can you imagine the peace during such a year? What about the mental, physical and spiritual rejuvenation? And how might people be better able to help one another when they not tied down by planting and harvesting for a whole year? How might they be able to give of their time and resources in ways not feasible during six very busy years of work?
The Power of God’s Laws
During the Millennium, the Ten Commandments will be the foundational law of God’s Kingdom. Even in briefly considering the changes that just two of the commandments will bring, we can begin to see just how wonderfully this will contrast with human society today.
How many people today would willfully reject the opportunity to live in a society where theft is practically unheard of? How many people today would willingly turn down a chance to live a life in which they are promised not only a day of “absolute rest and peace” every week, but where they are also promised, every seven years, an entire year of abundant living without the pressures of their ordinary workload? Think about it! That is exactly the society that God has planned for human beings from the beginning. That society, the Kingdom of God, will be established during the Millennium, and we can begin to picture it today as we study and meditate on Scripture—especially on God’s laws and statutes that help us visualize the reality of what is to come.
Satan the devil has orchestrated a society in which most people hate God’s law and are neither willing nor able to keep it (Romans 8:7). He has taught his followers to “nail God’s law to the cross.” He has deceived mankind into believing that God’s commandments, laws and statutes are obsolete relics of a harsh and subjugating covenant—a legalistic creed for weak-minded people. Satan, the “father of lies,” has blinded most people to the amazing blessings of God’s law—because if they were not blinded, who in their right minds would willingly reject the opportunity to experience the blessings of living God’s way?
Jesus Christ will soon return to planet Earth. He will establish God’s law, and in doing so proclaim liberty to a world long held captive (Isaiah 61:1–6). Long ago, God commanded that His law should be reviewed at the Feast of Tabernacles. Why? Because it is through this royal law and our meditation on it that we can see right into God’s millennial society. Without God’s law we cannot clearly envision the Kingdom, and our soul and our hope would have nothing to be anchored to (Hebrews 6:19).
Can you see now why King David delighted in meditating on God’s law day and night? Are you beginning to “taste and see” how, through the lens of God’s law, His Kingdom comes into clearer focus? Take time, at this upcoming Feast, to talk about and meditate on God’s awesome, royal law of liberty. As you do, you will gain a more clear and inspiring view of the Millennial society in which God has called us to participate as His firstfruits, ruling with Christ to bring the blessings of God’s law to the whole world as never before!