The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Second Goat, #7

For finding fault with them [the people], he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. (Hebrews 8:8,9)

The immediate purpose of the new covenant is to create people who walk in righteousness, holiness, and obedience to God. The ultimate purpose of the new covenant is to remove all rebellion and every other form of sin from the entire universe of God, imprisoning it for eternity in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.

We now, historically, are in the beginning of the Day of Atonement, particularly the spiritual activity associated with the second goat, the scapegoat. As such there is a major emphasis on repentance, on God's people gaining victory over sin through Christ.

We see the tares of evil coming to maturity in the world around us. It is time now for the wheat of righteousness to come to maturity.

Satan has anticipated the day when the Spirit of God would begin to warn the Christian churches that it is time to become serious about gaining the victory over sin and so he has sent forth in advance the four horsemen of error.

Satan has injected the poison of humanism, Gnosticism, antinomianism, and Dispensationalism into Christian thinking. These four errors are spiritual. They are supernatural. They lay like a great weight on the minds and spirits of the believers to the point they cannot see what is written plainly in the New Testament.

Once while riding in an airplane we were writing on our portable computer. One of the stewardesses glanced over our shoulder, noticing we were writing something about the Christian life.

"I am a Christian," she informed us. Then she asked us about the topic we were pursuing.

We responded, "the need for righteousness in the Christian churches."

"Oh," she said, "I hate that word!"

This is the result of today's Christian preaching and teaching—a hatred of the term "righteousness." Yet one might have a problem finding a topic more central to the Scriptures, a virtue closer to the heart of God.

It may be impossible for the adults of today to rid themselves of such thinking. We may be looking to our children, or to the generation after them, to attain the iron necessary to finally gain the victory that is required if Satan is to be hurled down from the heavens.

Our essay may not be for everyone. But it is for you if you have the faith and determination to look up to the Lord Jesus right now and ask Him to rid you of the current errors and give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that will enable you to understand the Scriptures.

To be continued.