The Daily Word of Righteousness

Purifying the Church From Sin, continued

For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26—NIV)

Some of us might conclude from what we have written thus far that it is uncertain how the Lord God intends to purify His Church, or even if He intends to purify His Church.

Let us bring the good news that God indeed is going to purify His Church and that He has a specific program, a specific agenda for so doing.

The program of judgment and deliverance is being emphasized in the spirit realm today. This is why you, if you are a disciple of the Lord, are having such trouble. You are being saved (delivered) by a baptism of fire.

There are four great types in the Bible that outline God's plan of redemption (forgiveness and deliverance from sin and Satan). The four types are the seven days of creation, the seven stages of the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan, the seven furnishings of the Tabernacle, and the seven feasts of the Lord. The four types agree and portray the Lord Jesus Christ, the program for the redemption of the believer, the perfecting of the Church, and the setting up of the Kingdom of God on the earth.

Let us take the one we use most often, the seven feasts of the Lord, and apply them to our present discussion.

The first three feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits, speak of our basic salvation experience, including the blood of the Lamb, repentance, water baptism, and the born-again experience.

The fourth feast, Pentecost, symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit.

The spiritual fulfillments of the last three feasts, the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles, are not known to the churches. We have not been here yet.

Today we are beginning to enter the last three aspects of the plan of redemption. God has been appeased concerning the guilt of our sin on the basis of the blood atonement made on the cross of Calvary. Now God is ready to remove sin from the heavens, from His Church, and from the nations of saved peoples of the earth, the "sheep" nations.

This is the first time since the original rebellion of the angels that God has gotten serious about removing sin. He is starting in the highest heavens, shaking them and casting down all rebellion. God will permit Antichrist to reach into the heavens and pull down part of the host—wherever rebellion is found.

God is ready to shake the heavens and the earth.

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." (Hebrews 12:26—NIV)

God is angry because of sin and rebellion. He is ready to get rid of all of it.

"Seventy sevens are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy." (Daniel 9:24—NIV)

Don't you love it? "To put an end to sin." "To bring in everlasting righteousness."

To be continued.