With what attire do we come to the marriage of the Lamb?
(Leviticus 16:21, 30; 23:26-32; Daniel 7:9-10; Hebrews 8:1-5; Revelation 11:1-2) Blog 19-25 May 2024
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: <PresentTruthLRI@gmail.com>
REVIEW: God is continually working against Lucifer in the controversy between good and evil. He works to warn and guide his people on earth through messengers and through his prophetic Word. When his people expected the second coming of Jesus and were disappointed, he pointed them to the true tabernacle in heaven.
New Light Required
1. When God’s people, who expected Jesus to come in the 1800s, were severely disappointed, what instruction did he give them? God told his people that they must prophesy again (Rev. 10:11).
2. If God’s expectant people were wrong about the return of Jesus in the 1800s, what did they need before they could prophesy again and not be disappointed again? God’s people needed new light in order to understand their mistake & rightly present the prophesies of Daniel (1 Thes. 5:1-8).
3. To where did God direct his disappointed people between the 6th and 7th Trumpet? God told his people to measure the temple of God, the altar, & them that worship in the temple (Rev. 11:2).
4. To what temple was God referring in Revelation 11? The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70AD as Gabriel & Jesus had predicted. The deacon Stephen was stoned for teaching that God’s true temple was now in heaven. The Apostle Paul wrote that the Old Covenant & its temple were vanishing away. So, the only temple to which Revelation could refer is the one in heaven where God’s people worship (Dan. 9:26; Matt. 24:2; Acts 6:13-14; 7:48; Heb. 8:13; Rev. 11:1; 13:6).
5. How was an understanding of God’s temple in heaven going to help the disappointed believers on earth? Those who expected Jesus to return for his bride in the 1800s understood that the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the 2300-day prophesy was this earth to be cleansed by fire. Now they were directed to the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched in heaven. This truth was to bring light amid disappointment (Dan. 8:14; Rev. 13:4-7).
6. What conclusion did God’s people come to when considering the truth of the sanctuary being in heaven and not on earth? If the sanctuary to be cleansed was in heaven, then its cleansing must refer to the removal of the sins confessed there by God’s people & the typical Day of Atonement service would serve as a pattern for what would take place in heaven (Heb. 8:1-5; 10:1-4; Rev. 11:19).
7. How was the Day of Atonement pattern in the wilderness observed? On the Day of Atonement in the wilderness the high priest entered the second phase of his ministry by entering the Most Holy Place & making atonement for the people who placed their faith in him. Using blood, he removed the sins that had been confessed there during the year & they were sent away into the wilderness on the head of a scapegoat (Lev. 16:21-34; 23:26-32).
A heavenly explanation
8. Does the Bible teach that the high priest had a two-part ministry in the sanctuary on earth? Yes, the high priest was in charge of a daily ministry dealing with sin & sinners that included sacrifices & offerings & a yearly ministry that cleansed the sanctuary of sin & made final atonement for sinners (Ex. 29:38-42; Lev. 23:27; Heb. 9:1-7).
9. Since the earthly sanctuary service was a pattern for Christ’s high priestly ministry in heaven, what conclusion must we come to regarding its cleansing predicted by Daniel? The prophesy recorded in Daniel 8:14 must point to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary (Ex. 25:40; Dan. 8:14; Heb. 8:1-5).
10. If the sins of God’s people are not finally dealt with until the heavenly Day of Atonement, what must we conclude about their salvation? We must conclude that they are not eternally secure (once saved, always saved) until the sanctuary in heaven is cleansed (Eze. 33:13; Dan. 7:13, 14, 22; 8:13-14; Rev. 11:16-17).
11. How does Peter refer to the two-part heavenly ministry of Jesus? In his first Pentecostal sermon Peter speaks of the forgiveness of sins, while in the second he speaks of the blotting out of sins” (Acts 2:38; 3:19).
12. What phrases does the New Covenant use to refer to the two-part ministry of Jesus? The New Covenant refers to “forgive iniquity” & “remember sin no more” (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:12).
13. How did Jesus show that an investigative judgment must take place just prior to the marriage of the Lamb? In his story of the marriage that a king prepared for his son, Jesus taught that the King inspects the guests’ attire before proceeding with the marriage (Matt. 22:10-14; Heb. 9:27).
14. According to Zechariah, with what sort of attire do we come to the marriage of the Lamb? We come to God’s final judgment like we came to Jesus in the first place: with defective characters (Zech. 3:1-3).
Entering the Holiest
15. What hope do we have in God’s final judgment if we enter with defective characters? Our only hope is in the mercy of God & our only defense is prayer, for unless Jesus pleads his blood & righteousness for us in judgment & covers us with his perfect character, we are lost eternally (Neh. 13:22; Psa. 4:1; 51:1; Zech. 3:1-5; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:22).
16. How does the book of Hebrews tell us to come to God’s final judgment? Paul tells us to come to judgment trusting in the blood (death) & righteousness (life) of Jesus who is our high priest, with our sins forgiven & living sanctified lives (Heb. 10:19-22).
17. How did Jesus express the thought that his mission was to live a perfect life in our place? Speaking to the Father, Jesus said that he came to earth to do God’s will, thus, fulfilling God’s covenant with man (Adam) (Heb. 10:5-10).
18. What blessing is given to God’s people when they pass God’s final judgment? Those who pass God’s judgment are given the Latter Rain of God’s Spirit that prepares them for Christ’s coming (Acts 3:19-21).