The Last Feast and the Christian

The last three of the seven feasts of the Lord are as follows:

The blowing of Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24).

The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27).

The feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34).

The blowing of Trumpets, the observance that follows Pentecost, announces the coming of the King to raise us from the dead. Being raised from the dead brings us into judgment and spiritual warfare. As the Christian believer learns to enter the Holy Spirit he is raised from the dead in the spiritual sense, and will be raised physically at the return of Christ.

Our being raised spiritually from the dead brings us, as we have said, into judgment and spiritual warfare. The more we are raised the more clearly we can see our sins of the flesh and disobedience to God’s will. When we see our sins and disobedience we are to confess our sin and rebellion, turn away from such behavior, resist the devil, and submit to God. This is our personal experience of the Day of Atonement, which follows the blowing of Trumpets.

Confession and repentance cleanse our personality, making room in our heart for a further growth of Christ in us. Christ in is the fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles.

As we receive more of Christ in us we are raised yet further from the dead, spiritually speaking. We continue coming to know the "power of his resurrection." The increased resurrection life causes us to become conscious of the sins and disobedience remaining in our life. We then proceed to confess, repent, and turn to God with increased diligence. Increased repentance and submission make way for an even greater growth of Christ—the Resurrection—in us.

It is the will of the Lord that this process continue until Christ has been developed fully in us, making us eligible to be filled with all the fullness of God.

The Pentecostal experience, along with salvation, is being proclaimed widely throughout the earth today. We must never let up on the task of bringing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to every man, woman, boy, and girl on the face of the earth.

In addition, it appears the Holy Spirit is ready now to bring believers who have come as far as Pentecost forward to the fulfillment of the remaining three feasts of the Lord. The Holy Spirit will not cease working with the Church until the Church is without spot or wrinkle.

The Lord Jesus through the Spirit will continue to perfect the Church until His coming in the clouds of glory. The process of perfecting the Church will take place throughout the darkest hours of earth’s history—the days of the fullness of sin which even now are destroying the earth’s inhabitants.

The Lord Jesus is coming in His external kingdom and every eye shall see Him. But the issue of the present hour, as far as the Church is concerned, is the perfecting of the internal kingdom. As soon as we are under His blood the Lord is able to have fellowship with us, provided we continue to walk in the light of His will. But the feast of Tabernacles points toward the Lord’s Presence in us.

The developing of the Lord’s Presence in us is the all-important work of the Holy Spirit as He brings us through the processes of salvation. Christ will appear in His Church, as well as visibly to the world, in order that the Church may bring the Presence and Glory of God to the peoples of the earth.

The internal kingdom must be perfected in us before the external kingdom appears from Heaven. This is how we know Christ will not appear just yet. It is because His internal kingdom has not been perfected in the Church.

If Christ desired only an external kingdom He would have returned long ago. But Christ is seeking to take up residence in the Body of Christ, and for this reason the Body must be perfected. The Body of Christ has not as yet been perfected. There is more of God for us.

As the dark clouds gather over the earth there is coming an entrance of Christ into His temple—the Christian Church. It does not matter that Satan may become incarnate in a man who will sit in the Holy of Holies of an earthly temple. God in Christ will come to the Body of Christ and His vessels will have an inner glory vastly exceeding and conquering anything Antichrist can produce.

The inner manifestation of the Lord’s Presence will take place, as we understand it, just before Christ’s coming, and is the necessary forerunner of and preparation for the first resurrection—the resurrection of the victorious saints that will take place at Christ’s appearing.

Let us look now at the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, to see what the Holy Spirit has said about the internal dimension of the Kingdom of God.

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:19,20)

We can notice, from the above passage, that this particular manifestation of the Lord can be witnessed only by the disciples, not by the world. His Life becomes our life. We see Him because we are living by Him and in Him.

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 14:21)

The inner manifestation of Christ cannot be obtained by the average careless churchgoer. It can be gained only by the sincere disciple of Christ—the person who keeps Christ’s commandments.

The question that naturally would arise after hearing such a promise was stated by Judas.

Judas saith to him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? (John 14:22)

How can Christ reveal Himself to us without being seen by the world? How is this possible?

The answer is, Christ will come to each disciple in an inner Presence, in fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. If we follow the pattern of the feasts of the Lord we come to the conclusion that the inner Presence of Christ will come after Pentecost because the feast of Tabernacles came after the feast of Pentecost.

Jesus answered and said to him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

It is our understanding that the "Tabernacles" experience of the dwelling of the Father and the Son in the saints will take place before the resurrection of the dead, before the change in the mortal body, and that such indwelling will enable the saints—God’s remnant—to be more than equal to anything Satan is able to bring forth on the earth during the last days.

We can find the concept of the inner Presence of Christ in the writings of the Prophets of Israel. In Joel 2:31 we have a statement concerning turning the sun into darkness and the moon into blood—two events that we know will occur just before the return of Christ in the clouds of glory.

But look what else will be true during those darkest of days!

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. (Joel 2:32)

In the darkest hour of earth’s history, just before the return of Christ, there will be power in Zion—the Body of Christ—to deliver "whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord."

Again, in chapter three of Joel:

The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:15,16)

At the moment of what appears to be the greatest defeat for the Kingdom of God, the Lord will take His place in the Church and roar defiantly against the enemy. Instead of weakness in that hour there will be the hope and strength of the Lord that will make each believer a Divine source of power, bringing victory over the worst evil the enemy can achieve.

It is our point of view that the preparation for the entrance of the fullness of Christ into His Church has begun already, while in the world sin is descending to foul depths. Because of the Holy Spirit’s work in us we are learning to confess our sins, opening the doors of our heart so the Lord Jesus can enter us to a greater degree.

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: (Malachi 3:1,2)

The temple of the Lord is the Body of Christ. As we lift up the everlasting doors of our heart the Lord of Armies enters, ready to do battle against His enemies. Therefore, we must confess our sins and repent so Christ can obtain victory and settle down to rest in us. We are His inheritance, His land of promise.

We notice the Glory of God during the darkest hour of earth’s history:

For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be straw: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. (Malachi 4:1,2)

The destruction of the wicked on the earth is associated with the healing of God’s people and their growth to maturity.

Isaiah informs us of the manner in which God in the Head and Body of Christ, who is the Servant of the Lord, will respond to the maturing of wickedness in the earth.

The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies. (Isaiah 42:13)

When will God "go forth as a mighty man"? When will He "cry, yea, roar"? When will He "prevail against his enemies"? When will all this take place?

It will happen during the night in which no man can work. The preparation for the going forth of the Lord is occurring now as we allow the Lord Jesus to enter our heart to the fullest extent, giving ourselves to Him in strict obedience and diligent discipleship.

If we accept Christ as Lord over us, the Father and the Son will make Their abode with us. Meanwhile, the peoples of the earth will bring themselves down to the lowest cesspools of filth, even as we see in our day. Sin and rebellion cause Divine judgment to fall on the nations of the earth.

Then, at the appointed hour, the Father in the Son will "roar" through the Church. The saints of the Lord will be the vessels God uses to bring utter destruction upon the kingdom of darkness.

Isaiah teaches that the darkest hour to come on the earth will be the occasion for the greatest light to arise on the saints of Christ.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:2)

We Christians are to make sure we do not allow ourselves to become troubled or afraid no matter what we see coming to pass on the earth. Rather, we are to dwell "in the secret place of the most High." If we shall keep ourselves in the center of the will of Christ, serving Him diligently, the protection of the Lord will cover us. The plagues of judgment will not come near us. No evil will befall us.

We can hide ourselves under the wings of the almighty God.

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. (Isaiah 26:20)

By receiving the fullness of God’s Presence into our lives we shall become pillars of strength, a great help to the weaker Christians and also to the unsaved who will be tossed to and fro on the waters of violence and lust rising in the earth. We shall be prepared, as was Joseph, to nourish the family of God in the time of famine with the "manna" that Christ will pour into our souls.

No matter how dark the hour there will be light in the hearts of all the saints, just as Goshen remained lighted when Egypt was wrapped in thick darkness. Our Light will be the Father and the Son who will be dwelling gloriously in us and dining with us on the unlimited abundance of the internal kingdom.

Then, at a moment that will catch the ungodly unprepared, God in Christ will rise up in the Church. The Lord will roar out of Zion. He will bring terrible destruction on His enemies. The Lord Jesus will descend from Heaven and the powers of darkness will find themselves surrounded on every hand by both the internal and the external ferocity of the Kingdom of God.

Christ will be in the saints, saving those who call on the name of the Lord. Christ will be with the saints, coming in external form in the clouds so every eye will see Him. The external Christ, the avenging Lamb, will hurl down the thunderbolts of God on the wicked. Their destruction will be total. The memory of sin will be wiped clean from the planet Earth.

Then will the creation break forth into singing. All of nature will be released into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. The saints will have God and Christ eternally in them, and God and Christ without in the external kingdom. Can you think of anything more wonderful than that?

"So shall we ever be with the Lord"!

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