The Day of Atonement...

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I spoke this morning about the Day of Atonement, the sixth feast of the Lord. In the evening I taught the significance of all seven feasts. If you are not familiar with these seven celebrations you might find both of these tapes informative.

It would not be possible for me to overemphasize the importance of the Day of Atonement (Day of Reconciliation) The preceding steps of redemption, the blood atonement, water baptism, the born-again experience, and the baptism with the Holy Spirit are preparation for what God intends for mankind. God's purpose for people is that they be in His moral image, and finally in His outer likeness. Salvation and the baptism with the Holy Spirit accomplish neither of these two purposes, as we may notice when we observe believers who are saved and baptized with the Spirit.

(3/4/2007) You may observe in what I have just written that I am assuming you understand that the seven feasts of Israel are typical of seven phases of redemption. I will proceed with this assumption, hoping that if you are not aware of the spiritual counterparts of the seven feasts you may take the time to read "The Feasts of the Lord," and similar texts found on the WOR Library of my writings.

In the beginning God declared that He was going to create man in God's image, after God's likeness. One might refer to "image" as God's Character and behaviour, and "likeness" as being God's outward appearance.

In any case, it is clear that people today do not reflect God's Character and behaviour. This is true even of numerous Christian people, who will cheat you in a business transaction if you are not careful.

Being saved and filled with the Spirit does not accomplish God's original declaration. There are people who are "saved" and "filled with the Spirit" who at times act like Satan himself. You know this is true if you have had much experience with Christian people.

We have converted the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to mean that if we will make a profession of belief in Jesus Christ we will go to Heaven when we die. But this does not accomplish God's purpose. Going to Heaven does not change our character. Passing from the physical world into the spiritual world does not change our character. Dying physically signifies only that the last enemy, death, has overcome us.

We say that if a sinner repents, God welcomes home the erring one. This idea is exemplified in the prodigal son. But the father did not go to the son in his wretched state and say, "If you will only believe you can continue with your liquor and girl friends but you still will be my son and will inherit my estate when I die."

It is true, rather, that the father waited for his son to become aware of his wretched state and return home. We understand from this that the son had gained humility and was ready to be a worthy son of his father.

If the prodigal son had brought his girl friends and liquor home, would the father have received him? Would the father have permitted his household to be ruined?

So it is today. We are preaching "accept Christ," but not repentance. We are not requiring of the seeker that he turn away from the world, revealing his repentance by dying to the world in the drama of water baptism. He enters the Kingdom of God upon emerging from the water, determined from this point forward to follow the way of righteousness.

This apostolic formula is not adhered to today. We give the seeker the impression that making a profession of belief in Christ is a ticket that will admit him to Paradise when he dies, and he can behave as he chooses because he has been "saved by grace."

Thus we have destroyed God's plan for man. We are preaching error today, and the testimony of the churches has been destroyed. The true Christian testimony is that of a transformed life, not of a statement that "Christians are not perfect, just forgiven, and are about to be caught up to Paradise in an unscriptural "rapture." How in the world can devout, intelligent people believe such a concept to be God's plan of redemption?

The Divine program of redemption does not move people from earth to Heaven, it moves people from the person and behaviour of Satan to the Person and behavior of God. We need to understand this clearly if we are to grasp the true Gospel, and how poisonous is the destructive perversion that is preached and taught in our day.

God is building His Kingdom at this time, but it is not something we are doing. Our part is to keep on looking to Jesus and cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

As I see it, the twentieth century was the "Pentecostal Century." The Pentecostal blessing was spread far and wide throughout the world. Pentecost is the fourth of the feasts of the Lord.

The sixth feast is the Day of Atonement. We are entering this supremely phase of redemption in the present hour. We know this is taking place as the evil in our personality is uncovered a bit at a time, through varying circumstances, and we have an opportunity to confess that this part of us is not in the image of God. We then are to denounce it as such. Then we ask the Lord Jesus Christ to fill the vacancy with His Presence and Life.

If you are having such an experience, know that you are passing from Pentecost to the Day of Atonement (or Reconciliation to God). We have been reconciled legally to God through the blood of Calvary. Now it is time for us to be reconciled actually to God in our character and behaviour.

During the celebration of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus, Chapter Sixteen), a goat was slain and its blood employed to cleanse the people and the Tabernacle furnishings. This signified the Divine forgiveness, the atonement.

A second goat was brought forward. Aaron confessed the sins of Israel over the second goat, and that goat was led out of the camp. This action signified God's plan to remove sin from His people.

In order for us to be redeemed fully, sin must be removed and Christ must be formed in us. These two actions are taking place in our day.

There is much religious work taking place taking place. I am not suggesting we should cease doing what has been set before us to do. Rather I am pointing our that during this time of religious activity we should spend time with Christ until He tells us what He actually is doing in our day.

Otherwise our hard labor will have been found to be busywork, having little or no eternal value.

God is kind, and He will lift the current deception wherever He finds an honest and good heart. But it is obvious to me that numerous Christian ministers of today are not even saved. When they die they are going to hear "Depart from Me," because of their behaviour.

It seems to me that much of the Christian ministry of our time has their hands on the Ark of God as they seek to build the Kingdom of God by their own strength and wisdom. This is why they have died spiritually and cannot hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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