The Solomon Syndrome

Greetings, everyone. Welcome to Day 5 of the Feast of Tabernacles. We're halfway through the Feast; we're at the 500-year mark of the thousand-year period, and during that time, multitudes entered into the spiritual Kingdom of God.

Here on earth are all of the different kingdoms run by the sons and daughters of God as spirit beings, and there are lots and lots and lots of human beings.

What's going to happen? There will be still human nature, but not quite as evil as it is today. Satan will be bound. He won't be there. But there is still free choice.

This is what we need to understand. That's why it says, as we have covered there in Isa. 65, that they will live a hundred years, and the infant will not die early, and the sinner will die cursed at a hundred years.

• What's going to happen with growing and overcoming and the pulls of human nature? That will still be there!
• When God created Adam and Eve, was there anything between God and them? No!
• What happened when they decided to go their own way? Then Satan was loosed!

This time, Satan won't be loosed, but there is human nature, and the choice has to be there. IF there isn't the choice, THEN there's no overcoming. IF there's not some kind of pull of the flesh, THEN there is nothing to overcome. Everything that would be done would be so automatic that they would be like robots. But God doesn't want that.

So, what we're going to examine today is the possibilities of what's going to happen when everything is there. We will examine the life of Solomon today, and we'll call this message The Solomon Syndrome.

We will see what happens when people can be close to God, but still let their human nature get the best of them.

Prov. 16—let's see what it says about human choice, because God is not going to take away human choice from us. Now, here's the way it's going to be. It will not be quite as magnified as it is today, because Satan and the demons are still here today. But nevertheless, there's going to be human nature that they have, to whatever degree that they have it.

When you start sinning, what is the principle of that if it's not repented of? A little sin leavens the whole lump!

Proverbs 16:1: "The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, are from the LORD." In other words, God made us:

• to think
• to choose
• to decide
• to understand
• to build
• to plan
• to analyze

Verse 2: "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes…" In other words, there's a way, as it says in:

Proverbs 14:12: "There is a way, which seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death."

Proverbs 16:25—you'll see that quoted again: "There is a way, which seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death."

• What's going to happen if someone wants to do their own thing?
• How far will they be able to go?

We saw yesterday that in Isa. 30 that the teachers—that's us—will be seen; they will know us. We'll be there to teach them. We'll be there to lead them, but we won't be there to take away their free choice!

Regardless of what the circumstances are, God does not want robots!

• He wants us to chooseHis way!
• He wants us to choose to love Him!

We'll see all of that in just a little bit, and these choices will always be laid out.

Proverbs 16:3: "Commit your works unto the LORD, and your thoughts shall be established."

This is true today, and it will be true in the Millennium, but they will have to choose. So, IF  we commit our thoughts to the Lord, that's by our free choice! God isn't going to force it. Our thoughts shall be established, which means that we'll be able to overcome sin! We'll be able to do what is right.

Verse 4: "The LORD has made all for His own purpose; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

The wicked will be those who will be exiled. They will have to be exiled, and we have a verification of this in Rev. 20 about those who are exiled to the land of the Gog and Magog. That they come down to attack Jerusalem after Satan is released out of his prison.

Verse 5: Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though joined hand in hand, he shall not be unpunished." The verses we just read shows that:

• there will be temptations
• there will be evil
• there will be free choices that need to be exercised

Here's how we overcome today, and that's how they'll overcome during the Millennium:

Verse 6: "By mercy and Truth iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the LORD men turn away from evil. When a man's ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him" (vs 6-7).

During the Millennium, the biggest enemy will be self and associating with others who agree with that, that they want to go their own way! Because human nature, even though it's not quite as strong in people during the Millennium, is still going to have a pull.

Deut. 30—let's see what God is going to set before every single person in the Millennium.

• yes, there will be a great harvest
• yes, the wicked will not be able to rule
• yes, they won't be able to stay in the community
  • they will be given a chance to repent
  • they'll be given a chance to change

Just like we read: IF  you commit your ways to the Lord, THEN you can have mercy and peace. So, the choice is always going to be there! God does not want to have it that we just are robots.

This will be what we're going to be teaching the people. They will have the Word of God.

• How much more of the Word of God will they have than we have today?
• How much more understanding will we have than we have today?

But there's always that twist and turn of human nature, and we will see it comes on a little bit at a time. We've read this before, but let's think of it in terms of the Millennium.

Deuteronomy 30:15: "Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil."

They will understand that there will be death, and they will understand the consequences that it will be. Here's what God commands. He's not going to force it, but He's going to command it.

Just like everything that we do, we must choose! That's the same thing today. We can take this message that we have today and apply it to ourselves in growing and overcoming so we can enter into the Kingdom of God. He says,:

Verse 15: "Behold, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil, in that I command you this day to love the LORD your God" (vs 15-16).

That's going to be the thing that's constantly preached and taught and lived by, to love God! They will have at that time all of the resurrected spirit-being saints to love them. Then that love will be directed to God. God is the One Who is in charge of life and death, good and evil, and bringing people into the Kingdom of God as they are converted and choose to live God's way. So this will be all laid out for a thousand years that way. He says:

"…I command you this day to love the LORD your God…" (v 16).

What's that going to cause you to do? "…to walk in His ways…" (v 16)—just like we read back there in"

Proverbs 16:3:" …commit your works to the Lord…"

Deuteronomy 30:16: "…to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments so that you may live and multiply…. [that choice is always going to be there] …And the LORD your God shall bless you in the land where you go to possess it."

Of course, at that time, the whole earth will be under the control of God. Satan and the demons will be bound. Here's the choice:

Verse 17: "But IF your heart turn away so that you will not hear…."

In other words, can people hear the words, but not really listen to accept them? That is hear to obey—the Biblical word for that is hearken, which means to hear and obey. Hearken to the Word of the Lord!

"…but shall be drawn away and worship other gods and serve them" (v 17).

There won't be other gods at that time, but what will they worship? Their own minds, their own thoughts! And they will put that before loving God! We will see what happens, because it happened to Solomon.

We will see Solomon had the best start of anyone from Adam and Eve on down to him. The very best start!

Verse 18: "I denounce to you this day that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days on the land where you pass over Jordan to go to possess it."

Wherever they're living on the earth during the Millennium, it's going to be there.

Verse 19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing..."

That choice will be all during the Millennium.

• What do you want to do?
• Are you going to love God?
• Are you going to keep His commandments
• Are you going to go your own way?

IF you want to go your own way and you won't repent, THEN you're going to have to be sent off into exile to the land of Gog and Magog. There you will have to live out your life and die a sinner accursed.

"…Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live, that you may love the LORD your God, and may obey His voice …" (vs 19-20).

Notice how this is repeated over and over and over again throughout the whole Bible, and how important it is for us today.

"…and may cleave to Him; for He is your life and the length of your days, so that you may dwell in the land, which the LORD swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give it to them" (v 20).

So we have this; if you do not obey, you're not going to live in the land!  The key to understand is Rev. 20, Gog and Magog, which is where the sinners will go. Now, whether being there they can repent and come back, we don't know.

Deut. 6, and let's see something else that will apply. let's see how this progresses. Then we will spend a good deal of time looking at what happened to Solomon. This also is going to apply all during the Millennium, and we will see how human nature is going to sneak up on them if they are not staying close to God, if they are not exercising the Spirit of God.

Deut 6—Moses is telling them what God said to them. That will be kind of like what we'll be doing to all the people that are going to be under our jurisdiction.

Deuteronomy 6:1: Now, these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the LORD our God commanded to teach you…"

That's what we will be doing: teaching, teaching, teaching!

• they will have to choose
• they will have to obey
• they will learn to love
• they will learn to have faith

They will learn all of these things. but there's still human nature there in the background that's going to pull some down and they will think: well, my way is pretty good, I think I can do better than what God has said! We'll see what happens when that occurs.

Verse 2:  "That you might fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you, and your son, and your son's son, all the days of your life, and so that your days may be prolonged."

In the Millennium it is so that you will be able to receive eternal life.

Verse 3: "Hear therefore, O Israel…" This will be to everyone that we will be teaching:

• to hear
• to listen
• to obey
• to love
• to make it your life

God's blessing will come down upon you!

Verse 3: "Hear therefore, O Israel, and be diligent to observe it…"

• diligence
• endurance
• continuance

over and over again!

"…so that it may be well with you, and that you may greatly multiply, as the LORD God of our fathers has promised you, in the land that flows with milk and honey" (v 3).

And that's what it's going to be like for the whole world, flourishing with milk and honey, everything that is there.

Let's see what else it says, and here it is again:

• here is the teaching
• here is the plea of God from Moses to the people

Verse 4: "Hear, O Israel. Our one God is the LORD, the LORD. And you shall love the LORD your God…" (vs 4-5).

Here's the goal. Always! Then, now, and in the Millennium!

"…with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might" (v 5). In the New Testament it says, with all your mind and strength!

• that is the operation of conversion
• that is the operation of growing in grace and knowledge

Verse 6: "And these words, which I command you this day, shall be in your heart."

Now, that's the thing written on the tablets of our heart and in our mind. You can go to Prov. 4 and see that we are to guard the door of our mind! They will have to guard the door of their minds against the pull of human nature. IF they give it a chance to start growing, it will be just like leaven!

Verse 7: "And you shall diligently teach them to your children…"

Now, parents will do that to their children. We will do that for the parents and also the children and everyone. "…diligently teach them…" That's going to be our part in the Millennium!

"…and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the posts of your house and on your gates" (vs 7-9).

That'll probably be so there, as well; that we know! Because of this, God has made human beings, that's us, all of us, all the way down through every aspect and age of time, in His image so that we can be in the Kingdom of God as the sons and daughters of God.

How all of that is going to work in the final analysis after New Jerusalem comes down to the earth, the new heaven and the new earth we don't know, but it's going to be something really indeed that is going to be magnificent. So, all of this, just like we're reading here and just like for the brethren in the Millennium that we'll be teaching. This is in preparation for eternal life and all the rest of eternity!

Now, God is not going to have rebellion anymore! Once we come to the new heavens and the new earth, there will be no more rebellion. We'll see that as we progress during the Feast.

Verse 10: "And it shall be when the LORD your God has brought you into the land, which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give you great and goodly cities which you did not build."

Think about that during the Millennium! We will build the cities, we will build everything. It will be everything that everyone who is born into the world in the Millennium, they didn't build them. They'll have a part in whatever age of the thousand year period that they'll be living in, but it will be there ready for them.

Verse 11: "And houses full of every good thing which you did not fill, and wells which are dug, which you did not dig; vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be full."

Now, when you eat and are full, when everything is there and you are satisfied, think about that. What happens when everything is going really, really, really good? People tend to slack down! Here's what happens.

Verse 12: "Then beware lest you forget the LORD Who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage"—or in the Millennium that you were born into this wonderful world with everything that there is! So you have to use your human choice to:

• do what is right
• do it diligently
• love God
• love your teachers, who will be us
• us to love them

So that we can present them to God when it comes time for them to enter into eternal life!

It says right here, v 13: "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall swear by His name…. [that's true and we need to do it Continuously] …You shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people who are all around you" (vs 13-14).

Now that's a little different in the Millennium. There won't be other gods, but it will be the self! Remember Ezek. 14 says that human beings can have idols in their mind!

So the 'other gods' during the Millennium will not be other gods as they are in the world today. It will be our own choices!

Verse 15: "For the LORD your God is a jealous God among you, lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you and destroy you from off the face of the earth."

Now they will have to be removed if they won't repent.

Verse 16: "You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah. You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He has commanded you. And you shall do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD…" (vs 16-18).

This will be the message continually during the Millennium "…so that it may be well with you, and so that you may go in and possess the good land…" (vs 18).

Now remember IF they sin and don't repent they are exiled; they're removed from the land.

Let's see what happens when everything is going good and we think everything we're doing is because of our own power. we'll see that that won't be actually The Solomon's Syndrome.

Deuteronomy 8:10: When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land, which He has given you. Beware… [this is the thing they're going to have to beware of all the time]: …that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, and His judgments, and His statutes, which I command you today, lest when you have eaten and are full and have built goodly houses and lived in them" (vs 10-12).

That's what it's going to be; there'll be all of that.

Verse 13: "And when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied…"

We saw that yesterday. How great that the economy is going to be with silver and gold and iron and bronze.

"…and all that you have is multiplied" (v13)—that is a Millennial message!

Verse 14: "Then you become haughty of heart, and you forget the LORD your God Who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt from the house of bondage." God brings you into the Millennium in this case.

Verse 17: "Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.'"

They will think: 'Look what I've done. Look how good it is. No I don't sin all that much. I'm a good person.' But:

• Do you obey the voice of the Lord your God?
• Do you love Him with all your heart and mind?

Verse 18: "But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He Who gives you power to get wealth, so that He may confirm His covenant, which He has sworn to your fathers as it is this very day."

Notice this; here's what's going to happen when everything becomes, shall we say, super rich; super everything that you have.

Verse 19: "And it shall be if you do at all forget the LORD your God and walk after other gods serving them and worshiping them…"

They won't be a around, but human nature, you go your own way.

"…I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish—yes, perish" (v 19).

That's quite a thing! So, let's really think about what this is going to be like. Now let's see where we are and what we need to do. Let's come here to 1-Chron. 28. Let's see how it started out with Solomon.

This is quite a lesson for us, because this is the admonition that David gave to Solomon to give him all of the plans for the temple. To give him all the things having it all ready; all the silver, all the gold, all the bronze, all the cedar. Everything all ready to go. The plans from God given to David to give to Solomon  to build the temple.

So here was this great gathering of all of the major people in Jerusalem and Israel for this special ceremony. Here's what he says to Solomon. Solomon is right there at his right hand. All of the people are out there on this great assembly.

1-Chronicles 28:8: "And now in the sight of all Israel, the congregation of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, keep and seek for all the commandments of the LORD your God, so that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you forever."

Quite a charge; same thing in the Millennium, because we're going to have generation after generation for a thousand years.

Verse 9: "And you, Solomon my son, acknowledge the God of your father and serve Him."

Notice what he says, because at that time, when Solomon took over there were no wars. All the enemies were at peace. There was what is called in the Bible, 'rest in the land.' And that was done so that Solomon could build the temple. This was a great and tremendous thing. What Solomon did, as we will see, is quite a difficult proposition indeed.

"…serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind…" (v 9).

That's what we all need to have all the time, and that's what we need to teach the people during the Millennium.

"…for the LORD searches all hearts… [and we'll be able to do that] …and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts…." (v 9).

Remember, when human nature takes over, it's really good in their own eyes.

"…If you seek Him, He will be found by you…"

Notice the warning, and this will carry through the Millennium, as well.

"…But IF you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong and do it'" (vs 9-10).

Then he gave everything to Solomon, all the gold, all the silver, all of the plans, and everything like that. And so here's the final encouragement that David gave to Solomon:

Verse 20: "And David said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and of good courage, and do it….'" That's the message for everyone all of the time in relationship to God. Be strong and do it!

• whatever God has commanded
• whatever God has put before us

In the Millennium, that's the way it's going to be!

"…Do not fear, nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD" (vs 20).

Now let's look a little bit more on this and see what happened.

1-Kings 3—let's see that God was so pleased with what David had done, and Solomon's attitude:

• his heart was tender
• his heart was with God
• his heart was willing
• his heart and mind was obedient

A great, tremendous thing!

1-Kings 3:4: "And the king [Solomon] went to Gibeon…"—after the pronouncement that we read in 1-Chron. 28, and he thanked God, and he offered many sacrifices. And his heart was right with God. So in Gibeon, look at what happened:

Verse 5: "In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, 'Ask what I shall give you!'"

Quite a thing! God was so pleased He came to Solomon and said, 'I'll give you whatever you ask.'

Verse 6: "And Solomon said, 'You have shown to Your servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before You in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have kept this great kindness for him, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.'"

Now Solomon talking about himself. He's very young:

• he needs wisdom
• he needs understanding
• he needs encouragement

Here's what He chose to ask God:

Verse 7: "And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father. And I am a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in!

Now, just like with Saul, what did God say of Saul? He said, 'When you little in your own eyes. I had made you king. But then what happened to Saul? He abandoned God!

Verse 8—Here's the request of Solomon to God:

"And Your servant… [talking about himself] …is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a numerous people who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Now, therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people…" (vs 8-9).

So, Solomon asked for the most important thing: wisdom and understanding to be able to be the kind of king that he needed to be. This we can take as a lesson for us now:

• this is why we pray every day
• this is why we study every day
• this is why we go over and over and over the Word of God

with a willing heart and a willing mind so that we can serve and be part of the Millennium as:

• the kings
• the priests
• the teachers
• the administrators

for a thousand years! Same thing!

Verse 9: "Now, therefore, give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil, for who is able to judge this, Your great people?"

Does God honor our choices? Yes!

Verse 10: "And the word was good in the eyes of the LORD that Solomon had asked this thing.

• Can we pray to God and God is pleased?
• Can we do the things that God wants us to do and He's pleased with that? Yes!

So, here is the condition that it's going to have to be for the people in the Millennium. It's for us right now. God is training us to serve all the people of the world!

What a magnificent thing that that's going to be. I mean, we really need to think and grasp on that as much as we can, as much as we can to understand what the magnificence of our calling really is.

Verse 11: "And God said to him, 'Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life and have not asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to judge justly.'"

Think how much that means to God. That's more than anything else:

• a willing heart
• a willing mind
• a willing attitude
• a humble yieldedness to God
• not taking to ourselves great things

Verse 12: "Behold, I have done according to your words. Lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you and after you none shall arise like you."

Now notice God's overflowing blessing. This is what's so important that we need to understand today in facing all of the evil and all the things we need to overcome

• never get discouraged
• never give up on God
• never become lax
• never let your attitude be satisfied

Although whenever you do good, that's fine; God wants it:

• He will bless it
• He will honor it

But let's not be satisfied with what we do, but look beyond for the accomplishment of what God wants to do for us.

Notice what he said to Solomon here:

Verse 13: "And I also have given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days. Therefore, IF…" (vs 13-14)—free moral agency!

This is the thing we need to understand for the Millennium:

Verse 14: "Therefore, IF you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days."

Verse 15: "And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. Then he came to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD… [that was in the house of David] …and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants."

What happened to Solomon after starting out in such a wonderful way everything given to him?

(break@43:21)

Now let's look at the requirement that God gave concerning a king. Then we'll look at what happened to Solomon and what took place after that. So, here we have:

• free choice
• blessing of God directly to Solomon in great abundance
• very pleased with his attitude and willing heart

he was given

• wisdom
• knowledge
• understanding
• great wealth; the wealthiest man in the world
• the wisest man in the world

Then we will see what happened to him because he chose to do what he wanted to do rather than what God wanted him to do!

Now we've covered this before, but let's apply it to Solomon directly:

Deuteronomy 17:14: "When you come to the land, which the LORD your God gives you, and shall possess it and shall live in it and shall say, 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me.'"

Now that happened during the days of Samuel. And Samuel thought that, the people had rejected him, but God said, 'No, the people didn't reject you, they rejected Me.'

Verse 15: "You shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God shall choose…. [God chose Solomon] …You shall set a king over you from among your brethren. You may not set a stranger over you who is not your brother. Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, so as to multiply horses because the LORD has said to you, 'You shall not return that way again.' Nor shall he multiply wives to himself, so that his heart does not turn away…. [think about that] …Nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold to himself" (vs 15-17). God gave it to him, all he wanted!

Verse 18: "And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself…"

This had to be before the temple was built. Solomon had to take the things that were already contained and to write the Law, because the Law of Moses was available, copies from the priests.

"…he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book from that which is in the custody of the priests the Levites. And it shall be with him…" (vs 18-19).

He'll write it; he'll have it! And isn't that what we do today? Yes, we do:

• we study it
• we write it
• we read it
• we believe it
• we apply it

"…and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that… [we've covered this in the Feast already] ….he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep ALL the words of this Law and these statutes, to do them so that his heart may not be lifted up…" (vs 19-20).

We've covered that before, when you have everything around, your heart gets lifted up!

"…and that he does not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel (v 20).

There we have it. The first thing Solomon did was what? Let's see what happened to Solomon! That was quite a thing indeed. After all that he had, all the blessings of God, every opportunity, the most fantastic thing that it was.

He made a lot of horses and first thing he did was marry an Egyptian wife, which he shouldn't do (Deut. 17). Remember what it said? You shall not multiply to your wives. Well, Solomon completely ignored this commandment and we will see what happened because of that.

Remember what God said? You do these things, you study these things, you write them down, that it be with you, and you go over it so that you don't be lifted up above your brethren so that your days may be prolonged in the kingdom and the kingdom may continue. We will see what happened to Solomon and what happened to the kingdom. as well.

1-Kings 11:1: "And King Solomon loved many foreign women, even the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, Hittites; of the nations which the LORD had said to the children of Israel, 'You shall not go in to them, and they shall not go in to you; surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.'…." But Solomon clung to these in love" (vs 1-2).

In the Millennium, there won't be other gods that they can go after, but they will go after the thoughts of their own mind and that will cause them to sin. Here it is, the same thing here:

"…But Solomon clung to these in love…. [notice what he did]: And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines…. [notice what happened; here it is recorded]: …And his wives turned away his heart" (vs 2-3).

A little leaven leavens the whole lump! A little more sin brings on more sin, and complacency and haughtiness take over, and then you sin against God!

That's what happened here! He had everything going for him. This is what it's going to be like in the Millennium. The people are born in the Millennium and they have everything going for them!

Verse 4: "For it came to pass when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods. And his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God as was the heart of David his father, for Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians…" (vs 4-5).

Today, that's the queen of heaven, which the Catholic Church calls Mary; Mary never went to heaven. Same thing!

"…and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites; and Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD and did not go fully after the LORD like his father David" (vs 5-6).

Now, to top all of that off, since he built the temple, the beautiful Temple of God, and everything was dedicated, what a glorious thing! You can read about that, the great prayer that he gave in the chapters preceding 1-Kings 11. Wonderful! He was close to God! So, here's what Solomon did:

Verse 7: "Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill, which is before Jerusalem… [that was just right across the valley there] …and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise he did for all his foreign wives…" (vs 7-8).

Now, across the valley to the west, that's where all of these extra shrines to the other gods were put, made there by Solomon for his wives!

What do you think the children of Israel did when they saw that? Well, they went after other gods, as well. 'Well, if the king does it, if his wives do it, well, then we'll do it.'

Verse 9: "And the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel who had appeared to him twice and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; and he did not keep that which the LORD commanded" (vs 9-10).

Now we will see the penalty. Then, we will look at Ecclesiastes, and we will see how he became completely self-centered! 

Verse 11: "And the LORD said to Solomon, 'Since this has been done by you, and since you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant…. [Jeroboam] …But I will not do it in your days, for David your father's sake, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Only, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for David My servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen'" (vs 11-13).

So then, what happened? God stirred up the adversary; same thing today! That's why we have so many adversaries against us--because of our sins!

Now let's see about what Solomon did and what his attitude was. Now, we'll do a survey of Ecc. 1-2 and this will tell us. What happened to Solomon was this: everything:

• became relative
• became philosophical
• became self-centered

rather than God-centered!

That's going to be a big problem during the Millennium. That everything is there for people and they won't have other gods to turn to, but they will become self-centered and they will be going after what they want, and that will be their sin!

So it's much like this syndrome that Solomon got himself into. An amazing thing!

• you will see how he drifted from God
• you will see how he became enraptured in what he was doing.
• you will see that he used the wisdom that God gave him so that he could experiment to find out what was best

rather than believe God and keep his commandments the way that he should!

Notice how this is written. We will see that this is very philosophical as we put it today.

Ecclesiastes 1:1: "The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem…. [that could only be Solomon] …'Vanity of vanities,' says the Preacher, 'vanity of vanities! All is vanity.' What profit does a man have in all his labor, which he labors under the sun? One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth remains forever" (vs 1-4).

Notice, not a word about God, yet!

Verse 5: "The sun also arises, and the sun goes down, and hurries to its place where it arose. The wind goes toward the south, and it turns around to the north; it whirls around continually; and the wind returns on its circuits" (vs 5-6).

Just looking at everything and saying everything's out there and everything works this way, and it's all vain. No, it isn't! Vanity comes when you leave God!

Verse 7: "All the rivers run into the sea; yet, the sea is not full; to the place from where the rivers come, there they return again."

So he understood about the cycle of how things work and rain comes and snow comes and the rivers empty into the ocean and so forth.

Verse 8: "All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing."

He's going to explain that, that he did everything he could do to find pleasure.

Verse 9: "That which has been is that which shall be, and that which has been done is that which shall be done…"

Same thing again. Repeat of generation, of generation. Look at all the generations that have come before us today. They have all collapsed. Why? Because they sinned against God! It all goes back to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Every single one of these societies:

• Egypt
• Babylon
• the Far East

the Americas

• Mexico
• Mayans
• Incas

They all sought Satan's way to eternal life, which doesn't exist!

What did Solomon do here? He came close to that, as we will see!

"…there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it may be said, 'See, this is new'? It has already been in days of old, which were before us. There is no memory of former things, neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come by those who shall come afterwards" (vs 9-11). History goes on!

I counted all the I's. in chapters 1 & 2 and we're going to see there were 36 'Is'.

• he became self-centered.
• he became philosophical
• he justified in his own ways

Yet, at the end— you'll have to read all the book of Ecclesiastes to get to the end of it—he attached God to it, just like people do today.

Verse 12: "I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under the heavens…." (vs 12-13).

The wisdom of man cannot understand the Truth of God. This is what he was doing. I'm smart, I'm intelligent, I'm philosophical. 'I will discover!' Really? What did he find? It's already been done! All is vanity!

It is a grievous task God has given to the sons of men to be exercised by it" (v 13)—so he brings in God a little bit right here!

Verse 14: "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and striving after wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight; and what is lacking cannot be numbered" (vs 14-15).

All of those things always happen! Aren't there always needs and wants and troubles and difficulties and things that need to be straightened out? Yes!

Verse 16: "I spoke within my own heart…"—instead of praying to God; that's where Solomon went wrong!

That's where people in the Millennium will also go wrong. They will look at their ways and they will say, I…-whatever.

"…saying, 'Lo, I have become great and have gathered more wisdom than all that have been before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart has experienced great wisdom and knowledge'" (v 16).

Who gave it to him? God did! Forgetting God!

Verse 17: "And I gave my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I perceived that this also is striving after wind."

Experimenting in life to find out. ' I'll find out. I will know. I'll have the answer.' God has already told us! Will we learn the lesson of it?

Verse 18: "For in much wisdom is much grief…" Yes, especially if it is the wrong wisdom, human wisdom, because:

• it can never find the answers of God
• it can never come to the Truth of God

So, when you have all the blessings of God given to you and you abandon it, what happens? You look at it as vanity!

"…and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow" (v 18).

Why? Because you don't count God in on it, and you don't give God credit for it!

Ecclesiastes 2—we're going to see a lot, a lot of 'Is'.

• he's looking to himself.
• he's looking to his intellect
• he's looking to all the wisdom that God gave him
• he's looking to all the wealth that God gave him
• he's trying to separate himself from God as much as he could, yet without leaving God altogether

Ecclesiastes 2:1: "I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.'…. [experiment with everything] …And, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, 'It is madness,' and of mirth, 'What does it accomplish?'" (vs 1-2).

It's always empty! That's what vanity means, empty. You end up empty!

Verse 3: "I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet, conducting my heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, until" I might see what was good for the sons of men, what they should do under the heaven the few days of their life."

IF he would have just stuck with the Word of God. We have all the Proverbs of Solomon, as well. Remember that the first 10 chapters are the Proverbs of David, not of Solomon. See what he went through with the Book of Proverbs.  Now, Ecclesiastes was probably written after many of the things of the Proverbs that we have in the Book of Proverbs because this shows how much he left God.

Verse 4: "I made great works for myself…"

How about that? God gave him the plans, but he did this and he did that!. He did many different things!

"…I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself…. [Was he self-centered? Yes!] … I made gardens and orchards for myself, and I planted trees in them, of all fruit. I made pools of water for myself, to irrigate groves of growing trees. I bought men slaves and women slaves, and servants were born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before me in Jerusalem" (vs 4-7). I had everything I could possibly want.

But he didn't have the room for God that he really needed!

In the New Testament, we find the Church of the Laodiceans 'rich and increased with goods.' We find that they're not as converted as they ought to be. Why? Because of the Solomon's Syndrome! They're pleased with the things that they have and the things that they are doing and God has blessed them to do it and they are not giving the full honor to God.

• What is God going to do? He's going to take it away.
• What did God do to Solomon with the kingdom? He took it away!

All of that is because of free choice!

So, in the Millennium, we're going to see there will be people who will act like this.

Verse 8: "I also gathered silver and gold to myself…"

Not a word about God giving it to him! Didn't God say He would give it to him?

"…and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got men singers and women singers for myself, even the sensual delights of the sons of men, and many women" (v 8).

So, he had all of the sexual pleasures that he could possibly want, all of the entertainment it could possibly be. He had the best singers in the world singing the song. I imagine they had plays and they had acts and things like this, and they had drama things. They had the best of everything! Think of what it is today in the world. All of the rich, they had the best of everything, but they don't have God! That's what we find with Solomon. 

Verse 9: "So, I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me."

Why? Because God gave it to him!

Verse 10: "And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion of all my labor." Pleasure-seeking!

What does it say back there in 2-Tim. 3? That people will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God! That's what we have right here, yes indeed.

Verse 11: "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done, and on the labor that I had labored to do; and, behold, all is vanity and a striving after the wind; and there is no profit under the sun"—because he turned his back on the Spirit of God the way that it should be, and:

• relied in his own wisdom
• trusted in his own thoughts
• trusted in his own labors,
• trusted in everything that he did himself

instead of giving God to credit!

Verse 12: "And I turned to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what can the man do who comes after the king? Only that which has been already done. Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness" (vs 12-13).

Well, he had that wisdom, but what did he do with it? Right here, hardly any acknowledgement of God, all self-centered, all leaning to what he did!

Verse 14: "The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness; and I myself also perceived that one event happens to all of them." They all die!

Amazing! The greatest human experience ever recorded by Solomon, who started out with every blessing of God! Amazing indeed!

Verse 15: "Then I said in my heart, 'As it happens to the fool, so it happens even to me; and why was I then more wise?' And I said in my heart that this also is vanity."

Right there, clear picture, he forgot God!

Verse 16: "For there is no memory of the wise more than of the fool forever, since that which is now shall all be forgotten in the days to come. And how does the wise die? Even as the fool!"

He gives up his breath (Ecc. 12). When you die, your breath leaves you, your spirit goes back to God!

Verse 17: "Therefore, I hated life…."

• Why?
• Why did he hate life?
• Why do people have trouble in their lives?

• they don't obey God
• they look at themselves and the very best they can do never works out the way that they think it's going to work out

"Therefore, I hated life…"

• Don't we have that today? Yes!

• he's getting philosophical
• he's getting cynical
• he's turning away from God
• he's trying to find what is good and what needs to be done without searching for God even more than he started out with

Verse 17: "Therefore, I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun is grievous to me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind. Yea, I hated all my labor, which I had done under the sun… [building the Temple of God] …because I must leave it to the man who shall be after me" (vs 17-18). Just thinking of himself!

Why did I do all of this and I'm going to leave it to the one after me?

And when we read about his son Rehoboam, you can understand why he was concerned with it. But :

• Solomon should have taught Rehoboam
• he should never have married all those wives
• he should have never had all those concubines
• he should never have built these altars and shrines and offerings to other gods for his wives

He went and did it himself! Now, think about that after God appeared to him twice!

Verse 19—for the one after him: "And who knows whether he shall be wise or a fool? Yet, he shall have rule over all my labor in which I have labored, and have shown myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity."

So again, completely self-centered, completely looking to himself.

Verse 20: "And I turned to cause my heart to despair of all the labor, which I had done under the sun." He's just going to be disgusted with it:

• Is that going to solve anything?
• Is that going to change anything?
• Is that going to make him better?
• NO!

Verse 21: "For there is a man whose labor is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and with skill; yet, to a man who has not labored in it, he shall leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil."

That's what he's saying. The truth is, when you leave God, that is the great evil! So, in the Millennium, there are going to be all these people. Everything will be there. We saw how gold and silver are going to be multiplied. Everything is going to be multiplied. It's going to be riches and wealth and plenty of everything. But the physical things never produce spiritual results! The way that you tend to the spiritual things is

• to love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and being
• to do and keep His commandments
• to give Him credit and thanksgiving for everything that you have

That's what we're going to be teaching in the Millennium! That's what we need to be doing today. Not ending up in vanity and frustration like Solomon here!

Verse 22: "For what has man from all his labor, and from the striving of his heart, in which he has labored under the sun? For all his days are sorrows…" (vs 22-23).

No, you can have happy days, pleasant days, good days. There are afflictions of the righteous, that is true. That's to give us testing to see:

• Will we trust God in all circumstances?
• Will we believe God for what he has said? Will we go by His Word?
• Will we repent of our sins?

Nothing of that here!

Verse 23: "For all his days are sorrows, and his labor vexation; yea, so his heart does not take rest in the night. This is also vanity."

• what a thing to do
• what a thing to say

It's amazing!

Now, you can read, as we will see here, the rest of the book of Ecclesiastes, and you will see how philosophical it is. It is even more philosophical than the Truth of the Proverbs. So, the Proverbs he must have done first, and this he must have done later in his life.

Verse 24: "There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make his soul see good in his labor? This I also saw, that it was from the hand of God."

So, he mentioned God twice. In all of this, in all of this, he should have given credit to God for every single bit of it!

Verse 25: "For who can eat, and who can enjoy it more than I?"

IF you are thanking God, you can enjoy it a whole lot better than being agnostic at this point:

• you acknowledge God, BUT you don't worship Him the way that you should
• you acknowledge God, BUT you don't keep His commandments

and you end up with all the vanity and frustration of life:

• Where am I going?
• What am I doing?
• What is my life?
• What is it going to be about?

Verse 26: "For God gives wisdom, and knowledge, and joy to a man who is good in His sight. But to the sinner He gives labor, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind."

So, he was saying, 'Look at all the good that I did with God didn't end up the way that I figured. This is vanity.' Listen, it's never vanity to love and serve God!

So, this is the Solomon Syndrome!

• never leave God
• never take credit for what you do without giving credit to God. because he made it possible

Even though you have to work in labor to do it:

• then you can have the satisfaction
• then you can have the joy and the understanding
• then you can have the rejoicing in God

Now, notice how frustrated he was when he came to himself and not returning to God the way that he should. So, this is The Solomon Syndrome, and one of the syndromes that we will have to help people overcome during the Millennium!

Now, come back tomorrow because we're going to look at another syndrome that will perhaps be even more difficult to handle and to teach people to understand, and that will be The Job Syndrome!

So, come back tomorrow, and we'll continue on with the Feast of Tabernacles in Day 6.

Scriptural References:

• Proverbs 16:1-2
• Proverbs 14:12
• Proverbs 16:25, 3-7
• Deuteronomy 30:15-16
• Proverbs 16:3
• Deuteronomy 30:16-20
• Deuteronomy 6:1-18
• Deuteronomy 8:10-14, 17
• 1 Chronicles 28:8-10, 20
• 1 Kings 3:4-15
• Deuteronomy 17:14-20
• 1 Kings 11:1-13
• Ecclesiastes 1:1-18
• Ecclesiastes 2:1-26

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Isaiah 65; 30
• Revelation 20
• Proverbs 4
• Ezekiel 14
• Proverbs 1-10
• 2 Timothy 3
• Ecclesiastes 12

FRC:bo/po
Transcribed: 9/5/24

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