The sixth feast of the Lord is the Day of Atonement. The sixth furnishing of the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant. The sixth of the days of creation emphasized the creation of man. The sixth stage of Israel's journey was the series of battles to subdue the land.

The Day of the Atonement (Yom Kippor) is the most solemn day of the Jewish year. The ten days from the Blowing of Trumpets to the Day of Atonement are known as The Days of Awe. This is because of the belief that God judges the world during this period.

It has been almost fifty years now that the Lord spoke to a certain Bible student and said, "The Day of Atonement portrays the judgment of the Church."

Having no knowledge either of the feasts of the Lord or the judgment of the Church the student was mystified but realized it was the Lord. The following forty-nine years have proven the truth of the message.

There is no question but that God is ready to judge His people in America and throughout the world. Wherever people are willing to confess their sins and turn away from them the Presence of God is experienced.

We need in our day, perhaps as never before, a tremendous conviction of sin to come upon the churches. Perhaps if we call on the Lord for rain in the time of latter rain we will have the outpouring of Glory and judgment that we are hoping for. The Glory of God is highly desirable. So is conviction of sin if our nation is to be saved from destruction.

But should we experience a marvelous revival of Divine Glory and conviction of sin, the final results will be disappointing if the outpouring of the Spirit is not followed by sound doctrine, the doctrine that Divine grace is an enablement of righteousness and not an alternative to righteousness.

It is taught today that we stand in grace such that we ought to do good but God sees us through Jesus and so we are without condemnation whether or not we sin. If you think about it, such a warped understanding of grace provides no real basis for repentance.

True, lasting revival must have a sound, scriptural foundation under it. We must come to understand that God does not see us through Jesus, God actually sees our sins. Godly behavior is not a "nice" thing we do when we feel like it or during seasons of refreshing. Godly behavior is the only valid evidence of salvation and is itself salvation.

The sixth furnishing of the Tabernacle was the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark, containing the memorial jar of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the Ten Commandments (which we have discussed previously), represents perfected Christian character.

On the sixth day of creation man was made in the image of God.

The sixth episode of the journey of Israel was preparations for invasion and the actual invasion of the land of promise. So it is with us that as we experience the spiritual fulfillment of the Day of Atonement we bring the Ark of God's Covenant, so to speak, against the worldliness, lust, and self-will in our personality, and in the Day of Christ will bring God's holy Person and ways against the demons of the world.

If you are a saved, Spirit-filled individual you may noticed that the Spirit of God is making you aware of the sin in your personality. You are to judge these behaviors as sin and resist them by the Spirit of God. In this manner you become reconciled to God's Person in actuality rather than just legally by ascribed righteousness.

To be continued.