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The Daily Word of Righteousness
Removing the Presence of Sin, #5
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)
The idea of a coming to cleanse the priesthood prior to the coming to establish His Kingdom is supported by logic and also by the Scripture.
The concept of a pre-advent appearing is supported by logic. When Christ appears to the world to set up His Kingdom He will be surrounded by His saints who are coheirs with Him of the nations and the farthest reaches of the earth. It is not possible that Christ will come with His saints until the enemy in their personalities has been driven from them. The Christians absolutely must be cleansed before they can descend with the Lord.
The concept of a pre-advent appearing to His people is supported by the Scriptures. Notice carefully:
On that day you will realize I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him." (John 14:20-23—NIV)
"And show myself to him." "Show yourself to us and not to the world." "We will come to him."
I think this fits the expression, "he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."
It is my opinion that the coming of Christ mentioned here is the spiritual fulfillment of the Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the feast of Tabernacles, the three observances that follow the feast of Pentecost.
The Blowing of Trumpets signifies Christ will come as a warrior, sounding the trumpet of battle. He will declare judgment and war against the sin that dwells in our flesh. I think this is why so many of the recent choruses are emphasizing spiritual warfare.
The Day of Atonement signifies Christ will come to reconcile God's people to God in the areas of worldliness, the lusts of the flesh, and self-will. We have been reconciled to God legally by the blood of the cross. But to claim the Christian believers in America have been reconciled to God in the areas of love for the world, the lusts and passions of the flesh, and self-will, personal ambition, and disobedience to God's Spirit, is to deny what is apparent even to people of the world.
It is worthy of note that when David Brainerd went to the Indians to evangelize them, one of the first obstacles placed before him was the low opinion held by the Indians of the "Christians" who had stolen their land and sold them whiskey. These Christians may have been reconciled to God legally by the blood of the cross but it is certain the Indians were not persuaded the "worshipers of Christ" had been reconciled to God in reality.
Is this true today in America?
To be continued.