There Are Passages of Scripture That Point Toward the Cleansing
There Are Passages of Scripture That Point Toward the Cleansing of God's People in the Last Days.
We are not without scriptural support when we claim the salvation to come in the future will include the removing of sin from God's people.
When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning, (Isaiah 4:4—NASB)
And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. (Malachi 3:3—NASB)
And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12—NASB)
We can see instantly in the above passages that we are not dealing here with the forgiveness of sin but with the removal of sin from God's people.
Perhaps the clearest expression of the judgment and deliverance to come in the last days is portrayed in the thirteenth chapter of the Book of Matthew. We are referring to the parables of the tares and the wheat, and the net let down into the sea. Careful attention must be paid to the fact that we are dealing here with the Kingdom of God. There is an actual removal of wickedness from the Kingdom.
It is our point of view that all persons born on the earth have tares in them but no wheat. When Christ is born in us we have wheat in us but the tares are still there. Working out our salvation means we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit as He removes the tares from us. The removal of the tares from our personality is salvation.
After we are saved from sin we can be with the Lord wherever He is, in Heaven, on the earth, or anywhere else. So shall we ever be with the Lord. Salvation from sin makes it possible for us to have fellowship with the Lord.
He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels." (Matthew 13:37-39—NIV)
The good seed stands for the sons of the Kingdom, those in whom Christ has been sown.
The weeds are the sons of the devil.
The angels will reap the harvest at the end of the age, perhaps before the Lord returns! We think the harvesting already has started. It has begun with those who are living close to the Lord.
As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. (Matthew 13:40,41—NIV)
Again, at the end of the age, not necessarily at the return of Christ.
Notice we are speaking of His Kingdom.
We think two events are spoken of here. First, everything that causes sins will be removed. Then all who do evil will be removed.
We know well, if we are an experienced Christian, that even though we have the wheat of Christ in us we also have the weeds of the devil. We must confess these weeds and turn away from them. The Holy Spirit stands ready today to empower each of us believers to put to death the deeds of our body.
For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:13—NASB)
But if we do not cooperate with the Holy Spirit in removing sin from us, then we ourselves will be removed from the Kingdom. First the sin is removed from the righteous. Then those who refuse to be delivered will be removed. They are branches without the fruit God is looking for and so they will be cut off from the Vine, from Christ.
At the end of the age, which we may be entering now, everything that is wicked and lawless will be removed from the Kingdom of God. This is why we can look forward to a new world wherein dwells righteousness.
Another parable tells us the same thing.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:47-50—NASB)
Notice that we are speaking here of the Kingdom of Heaven. The angels will remove from the Kingdom all who practice wickedness and will not repent of their sins.
This parable contradicts the pre-tribulation rapture doctrine which teaches that the righteous will be taken to Heaven and the wicked left here. It is true rather that the wicked shall be removed from among the righteous before the Lord returns, in order to prepare His way.
We are stating that this procedure has begun with those who are living close to the Lord. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He helps us wash our robe in the blood of the Lamb. The time is now!