The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Fullness of Salvation, #8

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? (I Peter 4:17)

It is the writer's point of view that Christ began His work of judgment immediately after His ascension into Heaven, that it has continued since that time, and that it now is increasing greatly in intensity in preparation for the marriage of the Lamb. The Bride is making herself ready by washing the robes of her moral conduct in the blood of the Lamb.

The Prophets of Israel revealed that the Lord will judge His people:

When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. (Isaiah 4:4)

Who is it who has filthy garments? It is the daughters of Zion. What city is it that is guilty of bloodshed? It is Jerusalem, the city of God.

How does the Lord intend to cleanse the daughters of Zion and the city of Jerusalem? By the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning.

This means that on the Church of the end-time there will fall the Spirit of judgment and of burning from God. God will cleanse His Church by judgment and burning.

Malachi declares:

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3)

When will such cleansing take place? Probably not after Jesus returns with His Bride in glory but prior to His visible appearing.

The coming of the Lord to purify His royal priesthood will take place before He returns in glory so His Bride may be cleansed and prepared to be revealed together with Him in the sight of the nations of the earth. This is the meaning of Hebrews 9:28: "to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

The salvation to come in the last days includes the release of the church from spiritual bondage.

John the Baptist spoke of the coming of the Lord to judge His people:

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is more powerful than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11,12)

"He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire."

The fourth chapter of I Peter speaks of the "fiery trial" that is to test the believers. Each saint must be baptized with the fire of God, with the spirit of judgment and with the spirit of burning. All that is of Satan must be burned out of us by judgment.

To be continued.