WHEN "THIS GOSPEL SHALL BE PREACHED"
“THEN SHALL THE SANCTUARY BE CLEANSED”
AND CHRIST WILL COME

Memory Text: “for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev.12:10.

     There is an important doctrine that all should come to understand: The pre-Advent judgment of the saints. Its marriage to the plan of salvation is integral for the success of the closing work of the Gospel as the saints endure the final scenes of Earth’s present history. It is threefold in its objectives:

1. The saints complete the Gospel Commission of the three angels message (Rev.14:6-12) by allowing Christ to live out the fullness of His Law (Jn.8:58) in the humble suppliant (Isa.57:15), and give the final appeal of His call to repentance and salvation to a dying world (Rev.18:1-5), speaking His Words just as He gives them, without adding or taking away from His Word, as it is written, “I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.” Isa.57:19.

2. Jesus can’t leave His position as High Priest until the sanctuary of heaven is cleansed of every sin of the saints (Dan.8:14; Heb.8:1-6) and the faithful to His Word are sealed in their foreheads; while those who “stand without” (Lu.13:25) have forever forfeit the gift of Christ's salvation (Rev.7:3; Rev.22:11; Gen.6:5).

3. It shuts the mouth of the Devil forever (Rev.12:10).

     When all of heaven witnessed what Satan did to Jesus Christ at His crucifixion through demon possessed men every doubt that the angels and unfallen worlds had about GOD and the character of His government was settled, and Satan was proven to be "a murderer from the beginning and...a liar and the father of it" just as Jesus said (Jn.8:44). At this time Christ’s words were fulfilled, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” Lu.10:18. No more was Satan allowed to impose his cancerous speech to oppose GOD in the heavenly courts as he had previously (Job 1:6). From then on, Satan has focused his attention to the last work of his deplorable life: to bring the human race to stand condemned with himself, who, "as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" "because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." I Pet.5:8; Rev.12:12.

     Satan’s last accusation is that GOD’S people cannot “walk, even as He [Jesus] walked” (I Jn.2:6), and they will always be ‘sinning’ sinners. And he is using miracles of every kind, from counterfeiting the gifts of the Spirit, visions, dreams, and after-death experiences to using his pawns among demons and men to tempt, humiliate, discourage, and threaten “the saints.” He employs every tactic of deception and oppression to divert the saints from the path of righteousness and thus capitulate to the world’s demand to stand with them to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9; Rev.13:17). In essence, the saints will be told, “You cannot live in this world unless you sin with us!”(Rev.13:15). This was the same objective in the days of the tower of Babel, when the men back then were uniting the world in sin (Gen.11:4).

     So, the choice is simple: we either face the wrath of the world or “the wrath of GOD, which is poured out without mixture” (Rev.14:10). David’s words shine heavenly light on this: “I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.” I Chron.21:13.

     Satan will employ every device at his disposal to convince the world to ignore the plain “Thus saith the LORD” and follow “the tradition of men” to “reject the commandment of God” (Mk.7:8,9). His success in deceiving the nations will be through his deceiving miracles, impersonations of Christ, His Apostles, the prophets, the Virgin Mary, the dead saints, Rabbi Rashi, the prophet Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, deceased family members and friends (Deut.18:9-13; I Sam.28:8-14; Rev.12:9). The Apostle Paul warned of this treachery: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Gal.1:8. This coming display of startling astonishment in the supernatural will be coupled with the threat of human extinction: to begin by displaying fire falling from the sky destroying life and property (Rev.13:13; Job 1:16).

     But in the midst of this the Bible-obedient saints will be led by the Holy Spirit, carrying GOD’S love and truth to the hearts of the hearers. This heaven-born love will be so constraining in the faithful class of Christians that it will far exceed the en mass hatred against the saints and their testimony that Christ bid them to give (Matt.10:18-20). Those who are blessed to be part of this last work will share the same Spirit as Jesus faced His executioners and mockers with His public prayer for their salvation. But while Jesus was called to die, the saints are called to live!

     Only Jesus Christ was born to die so that no other man or woman would have to face the eternal grave: if only they would but “hear the word of the gospel, and believe.” Acts 15:7. Again, Jesus was born to die! But we were born to live! The LORD has chosen us, the weakest generation of human history to demonstrate before the onlooking Universe that GOD will have a people who will NOT be sinning sinners and demonstrate before angels and men that GOD is true and Satan is a liar, thief and murderer, nothing more.

     This is evidenced by those who were translated from the living: Enoch and Elijah. Their lives were so in tune with the truths of GOD’S government, so unflinching in their faith to persevere against every temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit that GOD knew they were safe to bring to heaven without tasting death. It is this standard that the last generation of faithful Christians will meet, and thus receive the same honor at the LORD’S coming as Paul gave prophecy:

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [preceed] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” I Thess.5:15-18.

     The necessity for the pre-advent judgment while Jesus is interceding for us in the heavenly sanctuary is because we are being accused day and night by the enemy of souls (Rev.12:10). And before Christ can come to take us to our millennial home in heaven and introduce us to our everlasting community in the New Jerusalem, He has to vindicate the saints from Satan’s every accusation by His substitution as our “Everlasting Father” in bearing the penalty for every sin against the Ten Commandments that were repented of and forsaken (Prov.28:13). This is the whole purpose of the pre-advent judgment described in Daniel chapter 7. Man’s salvation from sin has always been a legal battle, and Christians are wise to recognize the parallels between man’s judicial system and that of heaven’s. There are three phases of judgment in Daniel 7:

   •  The Trial (verses 9 & 10);
   •  The Verdict (verses 21 & 22); and
   •  The Execution of The Verdict (verses 26 & 27).

     The cleansing of the sanctuary of every sin in Daniel 8:14 is united with the cleansing of the gospel message of every defilement that sinful men have imposed by misrepresenting Christ's salvation; and therefore, is linked with the cleansing of the sanctuary described in the book of Leviticus. Also the judgment scene of Daniel 7 and the cleansing of the sanctuary of Leviticus are definitely connected. This is because the cleansing of the sanctuary mentioned in Leviticus has to do with the Day of Atonement: understood by the Jews as the solemn day of judgment (Lev.16:29-31; 23:26-31).

     According to these precious verses, for Jesus Christ as our High Priest to vindicate the saints in the judgment and cleanse us of all sin in our lives thereby rebutting Satan’s accusations, the saints are required to do two things:

1. They are to afflict their soul or deny self; and
2. They are to do no work on that day, it is a solemn day of Sabbath rest.

     Failure to meet these requirements means Christ cannot vindicate us, i.e., we will be cut off... and be lost.

     Our part in the judgment is to remain steadfast in the Gospel guidelines as Jesus admonished: “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.” Lu.6:47,48.

     Among our LORD’S “sayings” is the promise of the “Comforter.” When the Holy Spirit dwells in the heart, Jesus comes with Him as He promised: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (Jn.14:18). This is what Paul meant when he said, “Not I, but Christ” (Phil.3:9) This is what justification by faith is all about. Christ’s part in the judgment, as our High Priest, is to vindicate the saints and acquit them of Satan’s accusations (Zec.3:1-4). This is the power that equips the saints to withstand the final test in our sinful world. And this is what the Day of Atonement service pointed to.

AT THE HEART OF THE GREAT STUMBLING
BETWEEN THE LAW AND GRACE

     But how does Christ vindicate the saints, who are condemned by His own law as sinners, yet who are standing unshakable on the platform of justification by faith (“Not I, but Christ”)? To answer this we need to understand the great paradox concerning the truth of justification by faith and how the religious world stumbles over this paradox. In Scripture, and especially the New Testament, there are two classes of texts that appear to contradict each other. One class declares that we as sinners are saved by grace alone, or justified by faith alone, apart from keeping the law or doing any good works (Rom. 3:28; 4:5; Eph. 2:8,9; Titus 3:5). While the other class of texts tell us that we Christians will be judged and rewarded according to our works (Matt. 16:27; Jn. 5:28,29; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rev. 22:12).

     Because of our frail nature and intellect the tendency has been to choose one group of texts over the other. This lacks the symmetry of understanding we need to bridge the two classes and thus remove the "stumbling block out of the way" (Isa.57:14). For example, the evangelical Christians emphasize the “justification by faith” texts while the conventional Christians emphasize verses where we are “judged every man according to their works” (Rev.20:13). But “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints (I Cor.14:33). Truth, “as the truth is in Jesus” commands that we bridge the texts in a union that resolves the paradox, for “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.” I Cor.14:32. Only then the paradox will be solved, and thus explain how Christ is able to vindicate the saints in the judgment.

     The solution is found in a third group of texts that unites these two classes of texts in a harmonious message, one that caresses the soul with the absolutes of GOD salvation through Jesus Christ. So, when ministers declare there to be only two choices in this matter just know that there is a third choice that they are blind to receive. This third group of texts point out that unadulterated justification by faith always produces good works. The Presence of GOD the Father and the Son dwelling in the soul are the continual inspiration to bless our fellow man. It is as Jesus said: “the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” Jn.14:10. Our works do not merit our salvation but they clearly give evidence of justification by faith.

     The Bible has many warnings about grieving GOD'S Spirit by living a shallow religion: one that is indolent and lazy when it comes to meeting the practical and spiritual needs of our fellow man. The apostle James makes it very clear that faith without works is dead (Ja.2:14,17,20). James is crystal clear that if justification by faith does not produce works of love and sacrifice for the dignity of life, then really our faith is not genuine but instead presumes on the goodness of GOD. This was the issue in Satan's second temptation of Christ in the wilderness when he tried to lead Jesus to presume upon GOD. Jesus responded, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Matt.4:7.

     The Bible declares this to be dangerous to the soul and is the sin of the Laodiceans: “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched [shameful], and miserable [a cause of suffering], and poor [living in spiritual poverty], and blind [undiscerning and indifferent to the call of GOD and the needs of others], and naked [exposed as unrepentant in sin]” (Rev.3:14-22).

     To support his doctrinal stance James uses Abraham as well as justification by faith, as an example (vss.21-24). In this, we must never use works of faith, which James is here upholding, to contradict works of the law, which Paul condemns in his epistles (1 Thes.1:2,3). (As an aside, this was the key stumbling block for Martin Luther. He could not harmonize the paradox in these two doctrines of the Gospel, and therefore declared the book of James to be antagonistic to the Gospel. This was understandable when we consider the depths of legalism that Rome, for centuries, had imposed over the religious world.)

     Having resolved this paradox between faith and works, we are now in a position to see how the Indwelling Christ is able, in the pre-advent judgment, to vindicate His every disciple who places their faith in His righteous history as our new inheritance, thus effectively deleting the inheritance of condemnation we received from Adam. While Satan continues running his mouth in accusing us as sinners, the LORD Jesus Christ, our advocate before heaven’s tribunal, brings up our works — not to prove our righteousness, for “all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” without Jesus Christ (Isa.64:6), but to prove our faith in His righteousness and His Presence to comfort, guide, and inspire the works that are pleasing in His sight, i.e., righteousness by faith.

     Christians who by faith put their full confidence in the righteousness of Christ will manifest it by their works of faith. In the pre-advent judgment, these works will be used by Christ, our defense lawyer, to prove our faith is in His righteousness (read Rom.10:4) for all that is done to complete the Gospel commission the humble suppliant gives every glory from their works of love and devotion to the One Who alone could accomplish them in and through us. On this foundation, Satan now has to prove that Christ Himself is a sinner. This he can never do (Jn.14:30), as Jesus says to Satan and every false accuser, "Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?" Jn.8:46.

     As a result, Christ will win every case committed to His care and rebuke Satan as He did with Joshua the high priest: “Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire? (Zech.3:2). That is why the doctrine of the sanctuary judgment in heaven is good news and deserves to be proclaimed as integral to the plan of salvation (1 Jn.4:16-18).

     The judgment of GOD against sin has put fear into the lives of multitudes. This is only because the church has maligned the character of GOD and of Jesus Christ. But today we may have peace and joy as the LORD promised and wait with bated breath in how Jesus Christ is refining us to stand sure in the judgment. His words are not in vain for those who "love him and keep his commandments." “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” “For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.” Jn.14:27; I Cor.10:13; II Sam.22:32-37.

     So, being settled into the truth “as the truth is in Jesus” we embrace the promises of the LORD to fortify our faith for the coming trials:

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee… Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Josh.1:5,9. “For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.” Isa.50:7 “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” Ps.91:4-11. “…and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matt.28:20.