The period after the Feast of Tabernacles is the time to begin walking, step by step, on the pilgrimage toward the Kingdom of God. Walking is the Bible's prime metaphor for a way of life, and spiritual growth, unlike physical growth, is unnatural and requires discipline, motivation, and personal effort empowered by God's Spirit. Because that effort is easily lost, each person needs to see himself as part of a cause: God's purpose of reproducing Himself and bringing mankind into the image of Jesus Christ. This is a far greater cause than merely preaching the gospel, and no one can rely on group salvation, since each must give account of himself (Romans 14:12; II Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12). A new season therefore calls for simple but demanding steps so as not to neglect so great a salvation (Hebrews 2:1-3). First, study into how great the salvation is and keep Christ's return fixed in mind. Second, guard the relationship with God, which is salvation itself, through aging and changing circumstances. Third, seek first the Kingdom (Matthew 6:33), resisting the endless busyness and shallow distractions, such as television, that Satan uses. Fourth, be diligent (spoudazo) and dig deeply into God's mind through study and obedience, since God reveals His deep things to those who keep His commandments. God asks only that one walk willingly, one step after another, so the day after the Feast begins with one step.

The post-Feast season is the time to apply what was learned by seeing ourselves as part of God's cause: reproducing Himself in us and preparing an advance party to carry that cause to all humanity. Worsening world conditions will press believers to abandon the faith, so each person must take responsibility for growing and overcoming, because judgment is individual (Romans 14:12; II Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 22:12). Relying on the group's preaching work breeds a "pay and pray" complacency, a belief in group salvation, and living by sight and numbers rather than by faith. The real danger, as in Hebrews 2:1-3, is neglect of so great a salvation, not flagrant sin. Matthew 6:33 commands seeking first the Kingdom of God, which means setting priorities in the use of time. Satan's world drives people into incessant, vain busyness and entertainment such as television, leaving no time for intimacy with God. God is deep, and His judgments are a great deep (Psalm 36:6; Romans 11:33), so knowing Him requires making time to dig for wisdom like hidden silver (Proverbs 2:1-9). Study and prayer must be joined with obedience and living by faith, since God rewards those who diligently seek Him and practice what they learn, not intellectual vanity. Conversion must be to the living Person, Jesus Christ, not merely to words. The result is a solid foundation for a relationship with God.

Leaving the Feast of Tabernacles means returning to a chaotic, uncertain world, and the years that follow can be a place of great spiritual growth if the focus stays on God's calling. As George Peabody put it, the task is not to bring order out of chaos but to get work done in the midst of chaos. For the Church, this means working at its calling without letting distractions deter it from its responsibilities to the Father and the Son, which is Job Number One. The coming five or so years will likely bring gradually worsening moral, political, economic, and religious decline in America and Britain, with no real peace and no immediate return of Christ. That slow wearing down is as spiritually dangerous as outright catastrophe, so believers must not grow weary in well doing. The ministry serves as watchman, as in Ezekiel 33:1-7, warning and guarding souls, while members are to heed the warning. The world has never offered so many readily available distractions, and the divisive political climate and the prevailing zeitgeist pull the mind away from God. Distraction cannot be avoided entirely, but it must be ended quickly. Distraction takes one off course, as the Apollo 13 course correction and Karl Wallenda's fall show. Hebrews 12:1-2 gives the remedy: lay aside every encumbrance, run the particular race God has set, and keep eyes fixed on Jesus. Because Trumpets reveals whether each person reached the right destination, the time to overcome weaknesses and grow is now.

After the Feast of Tabernacles, God's people return spiritually energized, with high hopes and resolve to overcome zealously, and that resolve must be turned into sustained effort. The relationship with God opened through Christ's sacrifice is the only matrix, or womb, in which salvation develops, so the returning member stands at a crossroads and must choose God's way over the world's and choose to pursue the relationship zealously rather than casually. Justification clears past guilt but does not change nature or character, so the believer must move on to sanctification, supplying zeal through frequent prayer, Bible study, meditation, occasional fasting, and above all humble obedience. Babylon's allurements, like spiritual drunkenness, constantly divert attention from seeking first the Kingdom of God. The chief danger is Laodiceanism: prosperity and a numerical measure of success persuade a person that he needs nothing, so he settles on his lees, going through the motions with a divided heart. Character and relationship with God cannot be borrowed, as the Parable of the Ten Virgins shows, and loyalty cannot be split between Christ and the world. Undivided, energetic seeking of God, His Kingdom, and His righteousness is the way to work out salvation, escape Laodiceanism, and be present at the next Feast.