Like Jesus
The aim of all real Christians are to be like Jesus, in nature and character, but also in sinlessness. We cannot achieve that in our own strength or merits, but Jesus covers us with his perfect life and character when we approach the Father. This state of being we accept by faith, but find ourselves still plagued by human flesh, and the inherent propensity to sin. Our sinful natures will be with us until we die, or until we are changed at the Second Advent when we are glorified. Is the removal of our sinful natures part of the process of glorification? Let us see if Scripture can cast some light on this concept.
The ritualistic and symbolic removal of sin was part of the annual feast cycle of the Israelites. Nothing of the sanctuary rituals was real, but all symbolic. All the rituals pointed forward to the real, which would start with the life of Christ. The rituals of the sanctuary were symbols, termed types. The fulfilment of these rituals were in Christ Who is the antitype.
Throughout the year, on a daily basis, the Israelites would bring a lamb to the sanctuary to be sacrificed. They confessed their sins on the lamb and it was then killed and placed on the altar of sacrifice as a burnt offering. Their sins were transferred to the lamb, then to the temple’s Holy Place, and on the Day of Atonement from the Holy Place to the scapegoat. These transfers were all symbolic. Christ would one day become the Lamb that would carry the sins of the World.
On the Day of Atonement the sins of the whole nation for that year would be dealt with, and the sanctuary and the people and the altar would be purified, and the whole nation would then have a fresh start in holiness and purity, just for the new annual cycle to begin, and the Israelites with their sinful natures would sin again, and the whole process would started again:
Lev 16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.
In the antitype, Christ was sacrificed once. There is no new cycle. Likewise Atonement will be once for all the saints. The antitype for the Day of Atonement is yet to come. This is obvious because we all have sinful natures still. Revelation elaborates on the fulfilment of the autumn feasts and teaches us some important concepts.
Before we look at the prophecies in Revelation with respect to the Day of Atonement, let us take a closer look at the rituals of that day in the annual typical feast. What we should focus on is that the high priest went into the Most Holy Place with the blood of sacrificial animals twice on that day, first for the priesthood and then the congregation:
Lev 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
The priesthood had to be purified first, and then the congregation. In the antitype this also occurs, and there is three and a half years between the purification of the priesthood and that of the people at large:
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Only the priests were allowed into the Holy Place of the Temple. The congregation were assembled in the outer court. Notice that the measuring includes all the elements mentioned in Lev 16:33, except the congregation. They are to be measured 3.5 years later. The parallel between Lev 16:33 and Rev 11:1, 2 indicates that measuring means these elements have been purified.
Let us focus on the priesthood at this point. Who are the priests at the end of time? Without proof of Scripture here, because it is a huge study on its own, the priesthood is the 144 000. God chooses His priesthood to mediate for the masses at the end of time. Christ shares His priesthood with the 144 000. Once the priesthood is purified, they may not sin again, because there is only one Atonement for them in the antitype. In order for the 144 000 to be sinless from this point onwards, they need to lose their propensity to sin. God will remove their propensity to sin when He seals them for the priesthood. We see at least two indications of this in Scripture.
The first is in Zech 3 where Joshua the high priest is purified from sin. His priestly garments are soiled, but God has his soiled garments replaced with pure garments for him to operate in the office of high priest for the people:
Zech 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.
6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.
Notice that Joshua in his purified state walks with those that stand by, heavenly beings. He has been purified, and does not sin. His garments are pure and will not be soiled again.
Another type in Scripture of the 144 000 is Isaiah who was impure and had unclean lips, but a coal from the altar purifies his mouth and he is made fit to work for God:
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Notice that verse 7 says his iniquity has been taken away and his sin purged. Iniquity is our inherent tendency to sin. His sin has also been purged, that is his wrong doings have been cleaned. The difference between sin and iniquity is explained by Strong’s:
Chata' (H2398) (sin) describes the mistake or violation, whereas Avon (H5771) (iniquity) describes the crookedness of character or the legal guilt that follows.
God does not only take Isaiah’s sin away, but also his inherent sinfulness. Joshua’s iniquity passes from him. This then applies to the 144 000 as well when they are measured. God takes away their past sin, and also removes their fleshly inclination to sin. The antitype is different from the type. In the type a new cycle begins, but in the antitype there is no new cycle, and God changes them to be like Jesus was, with our flesh, but without the propensity to sin.
The 144 000, not yet glorified, but having a state of being as Jesus had on Earth, will be tempted while labouring for God, but will remain without sin, just like Jesus overcame all temptation.
3.5 years later is the General Close of Probation. The remaining saints on Earth are sealed in their turn, and the same change takes place. All their sins are removed, and their inherent propensity to sin. They are sinless and will remain so throughout the remaining days before the Second Advent of Christ when all will be glorified, and taken to heaven, that is, all the saints. All the saints will be like Jesus was – in a sinful World with temptation, but without sin. They that are vile and have not been purified when the respective sealings occur will remain vile:
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
When Probation Closes the temple will be filled with smoke, and there will no longer be any mediation between God and man. It won’t be necessary because all the saints are sealed and will not sin again, and all the impenitent are sealed and have chosen their destiny of doom. The temple, altar and saints will all be measured, including those in the outer court.
May it be your prayer to be like Jesus, to grow more and more like Him until He seals you and removes from you the inherent desire to sin. God bless you.
The aim of all real Christians are to be like Jesus, in nature and character, but also in sinlessness. We cannot achieve that in our own strength or merits, but Jesus covers us with his perfect life and character when we approach the Father. This state of being we accept by faith, but find ourselves still plagued by human flesh, and the inherent propensity to sin. Our sinful natures will be with us until we die, or until we are changed at the Second Advent when we are glorified. Is the removal of our sinful natures part of the process of glorification? Let us see if Scripture can cast some light on this concept.
The ritualistic and symbolic removal of sin was part of the annual feast cycle of the Israelites. Nothing of the sanctuary rituals was real, but all symbolic. All the rituals pointed forward to the real, which would start with the life of Christ. The rituals of the sanctuary were symbols, termed types. The fulfilment of these rituals were in Christ Who is the antitype.
Throughout the year, on a daily basis, the Israelites would bring a lamb to the sanctuary to be sacrificed. They confessed their sins on the lamb and it was then killed and placed on the altar of sacrifice as a burnt offering. Their sins were transferred to the lamb, then to the temple’s Holy Place, and on the Day of Atonement from the Holy Place to the scapegoat. These transfers were all symbolic. Christ would one day become the Lamb that would carry the sins of the World.
On the Day of Atonement the sins of the whole nation for that year would be dealt with, and the sanctuary and the people and the altar would be purified, and the whole nation would then have a fresh start in holiness and purity, just for the new annual cycle to begin, and the Israelites with their sinful natures would sin again, and the whole process would started again:
Lev 16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.
In the antitype, Christ was sacrificed once. There is no new cycle. Likewise Atonement will be once for all the saints. The antitype for the Day of Atonement is yet to come. This is obvious because we all have sinful natures still. Revelation elaborates on the fulfilment of the autumn feasts and teaches us some important concepts.
Before we look at the prophecies in Revelation with respect to the Day of Atonement, let us take a closer look at the rituals of that day in the annual typical feast. What we should focus on is that the high priest went into the Most Holy Place with the blood of sacrificial animals twice on that day, first for the priesthood and then the congregation:
Lev 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
The priesthood had to be purified first, and then the congregation. In the antitype this also occurs, and there is three and a half years between the purification of the priesthood and that of the people at large:
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Only the priests were allowed into the Holy Place of the Temple. The congregation were assembled in the outer court. Notice that the measuring includes all the elements mentioned in Lev 16:33, except the congregation. They are to be measured 3.5 years later. The parallel between Lev 16:33 and Rev 11:1, 2 indicates that measuring means these elements have been purified.
Let us focus on the priesthood at this point. Who are the priests at the end of time? Without proof of Scripture here, because it is a huge study on its own, the priesthood is the 144 000. God chooses His priesthood to mediate for the masses at the end of time. Christ shares His priesthood with the 144 000. Once the priesthood is purified, they may not sin again, because there is only one Atonement for them in the antitype. In order for the 144 000 to be sinless from this point onwards, they need to lose their propensity to sin. God will remove their propensity to sin when He seals them for the priesthood. We see at least two indications of this in Scripture.
The first is in Zech 3 where Joshua the high priest is purified from sin. His priestly garments are soiled, but God has his soiled garments replaced with pure garments for him to operate in the office of high priest for the people:
Zech 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.
6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.
Notice that Joshua in his purified state walks with those that stand by, heavenly beings. He has been purified, and does not sin. His garments are pure and will not be soiled again.
Another type in Scripture of the 144 000 is Isaiah who was impure and had unclean lips, but a coal from the altar purifies his mouth and he is made fit to work for God:
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Notice that verse 7 says his iniquity has been taken away and his sin purged. Iniquity is our inherent tendency to sin. His sin has also been purged, that is his wrong doings have been cleaned. The difference between sin and iniquity is explained by Strong’s:
Chata' (H2398) (sin) describes the mistake or violation, whereas Avon (H5771) (iniquity) describes the crookedness of character or the legal guilt that follows.
God does not only take Isaiah’s sin away, but also his inherent sinfulness. Joshua’s iniquity passes from him. This then applies to the 144 000 as well when they are measured. God takes away their past sin, and also removes their fleshly inclination to sin. The antitype is different from the type. In the type a new cycle begins, but in the antitype there is no new cycle, and God changes them to be like Jesus was, with our flesh, but without the propensity to sin.
The 144 000, not yet glorified, but having a state of being as Jesus had on Earth, will be tempted while labouring for God, but will remain without sin, just like Jesus overcame all temptation.
3.5 years later is the General Close of Probation. The remaining saints on Earth are sealed in their turn, and the same change takes place. All their sins are removed, and their inherent propensity to sin. They are sinless and will remain so throughout the remaining days before the Second Advent of Christ when all will be glorified, and taken to heaven, that is, all the saints. All the saints will be like Jesus was – in a sinful World with temptation, but without sin. They that are vile and have not been purified when the respective sealings occur will remain vile:
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
When Probation Closes the temple will be filled with smoke, and there will no longer be any mediation between God and man. It won’t be necessary because all the saints are sealed and will not sin again, and all the impenitent are sealed and have chosen their destiny of doom. The temple, altar and saints will all be measured, including those in the outer court.
May it be your prayer to be like Jesus, to grow more and more like Him until He seals you and removes from you the inherent desire to sin. God bless you.
Like Jesus
The aim of all real Christians are to be like Jesus, in nature and character, but also in sinlessness. We cannot achieve that in our own strength or merits, but Jesus covers us with his perfect life and character when we approach the Father. This state of being we accept by faith, but find ourselves still plagued by human flesh, and the inherent propensity to sin. Our sinful natures will be with us until we die, or until we are changed at the Second Advent when we are glorified. Is the removal of our sinful natures part of the process of glorification? Let us see if Scripture can cast some light on this concept.
The ritualistic and symbolic removal of sin was part of the annual feast cycle of the Israelites. Nothing of the sanctuary rituals was real, but all symbolic. All the rituals pointed forward to the real, which would start with the life of Christ. The rituals of the sanctuary were symbols, termed types. The fulfilment of these rituals were in Christ Who is the antitype.
Throughout the year, on a daily basis, the Israelites would bring a lamb to the sanctuary to be sacrificed. They confessed their sins on the lamb and it was then killed and placed on the altar of sacrifice as a burnt offering. Their sins were transferred to the lamb, then to the temple’s Holy Place, and on the Day of Atonement from the Holy Place to the scapegoat. These transfers were all symbolic. Christ would one day become the Lamb that would carry the sins of the World.
On the Day of Atonement the sins of the whole nation for that year would be dealt with, and the sanctuary and the people and the altar would be purified, and the whole nation would then have a fresh start in holiness and purity, just for the new annual cycle to begin, and the Israelites with their sinful natures would sin again, and the whole process would started again:
Lev 16:33 And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation.
34 And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the Lord commanded Moses.
In the antitype, Christ was sacrificed once. There is no new cycle. Likewise Atonement will be once for all the saints. The antitype for the Day of Atonement is yet to come. This is obvious because we all have sinful natures still. Revelation elaborates on the fulfilment of the autumn feasts and teaches us some important concepts.
Before we look at the prophecies in Revelation with respect to the Day of Atonement, let us take a closer look at the rituals of that day in the annual typical feast. What we should focus on is that the high priest went into the Most Holy Place with the blood of sacrificial animals twice on that day, first for the priesthood and then the congregation:
Lev 16:11 And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself:
12 And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
13 And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not:
14 And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
15 Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat:
The priesthood had to be purified first, and then the congregation. In the antitype this also occurs, and there is three and a half years between the purification of the priesthood and that of the people at large:
Rev 11:1 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Only the priests were allowed into the Holy Place of the Temple. The congregation were assembled in the outer court. Notice that the measuring includes all the elements mentioned in Lev 16:33, except the congregation. They are to be measured 3.5 years later. The parallel between Lev 16:33 and Rev 11:1, 2 indicates that measuring means these elements have been purified.
Let us focus on the priesthood at this point. Who are the priests at the end of time? Without proof of Scripture here, because it is a huge study on its own, the priesthood is the 144 000. God chooses His priesthood to mediate for the masses at the end of time. Christ shares His priesthood with the 144 000. Once the priesthood is purified, they may not sin again, because there is only one Atonement for them in the antitype. In order for the 144 000 to be sinless from this point onwards, they need to lose their propensity to sin. God will remove their propensity to sin when He seals them for the priesthood. We see at least two indications of this in Scripture.
The first is in Zech 3 where Joshua the high priest is purified from sin. His priestly garments are soiled, but God has his soiled garments replaced with pure garments for him to operate in the office of high priest for the people:
Zech 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
2 And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.
5 And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.
6 And the angel of the Lord protested unto Joshua, saying,
7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.
Notice that Joshua in his purified state walks with those that stand by, heavenly beings. He has been purified, and does not sin. His garments are pure and will not be soiled again.
Another type in Scripture of the 144 000 is Isaiah who was impure and had unclean lips, but a coal from the altar purifies his mouth and he is made fit to work for God:
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Notice that verse 7 says his iniquity has been taken away and his sin purged. Iniquity is our inherent tendency to sin. His sin has also been purged, that is his wrong doings have been cleaned. The difference between sin and iniquity is explained by Strong’s:
Chata' (H2398) (sin) describes the mistake or violation, whereas Avon (H5771) (iniquity) describes the crookedness of character or the legal guilt that follows.
God does not only take Isaiah’s sin away, but also his inherent sinfulness. Joshua’s iniquity passes from him. This then applies to the 144 000 as well when they are measured. God takes away their past sin, and also removes their fleshly inclination to sin. The antitype is different from the type. In the type a new cycle begins, but in the antitype there is no new cycle, and God changes them to be like Jesus was, with our flesh, but without the propensity to sin.
The 144 000, not yet glorified, but having a state of being as Jesus had on Earth, will be tempted while labouring for God, but will remain without sin, just like Jesus overcame all temptation.
3.5 years later is the General Close of Probation. The remaining saints on Earth are sealed in their turn, and the same change takes place. All their sins are removed, and their inherent propensity to sin. They are sinless and will remain so throughout the remaining days before the Second Advent of Christ when all will be glorified, and taken to heaven, that is, all the saints. All the saints will be like Jesus was – in a sinful World with temptation, but without sin. They that are vile and have not been purified when the respective sealings occur will remain vile:
Rev 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
When Probation Closes the temple will be filled with smoke, and there will no longer be any mediation between God and man. It won’t be necessary because all the saints are sealed and will not sin again, and all the impenitent are sealed and have chosen their destiny of doom. The temple, altar and saints will all be measured, including those in the outer court.
May it be your prayer to be like Jesus, to grow more and more like Him until He seals you and removes from you the inherent desire to sin. God bless you.
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