My readers should read my previous two postings before they read this. This is an end-time message revealed by careful study of the Tabernacle of Mosses and the Jewish Feasts.
As we have seen earlier, the Church is now at the Golden Altar of Incense, the last article of furniture in the Holy Place, just before Second Veil separating the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. At the same time God’s peoples (Israel and the Church) are entering the last three observations of the Jewish Feasts – The Feast of Trumpets, Feast of Atonement and the Feast of the Tabernacles.
It is interesting to note that all these signs speak of restoration, repentance, intercession, prayer, praise of God’s people. Restoration means putting things back in the right place and in the right condition. Restoration which has been initiated by God from the 20th Century is not completed yet. It is God’s will to put Israel back to their God-given political and geographical inheritance. And at the same time God is putting the Church back to its spiritual inheritance. From my point of view the Church has been far away from its spiritual inheritance, in Christ, as Israel has from its geographical inheritance in the Land. In many ways the process of restoration is parallel. It has its fulfillment at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We need understand that there is no restoration without repentance. And without repentance our prayers will be hindered even we are calling out to God from the Altar of Incense!
The Psalmist said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18).
Isaiah said sins and iniquities have separated God’s people from God:
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you” (Isaiah 59:1, 2, NKJV).
The need of Repentance
This message concerns the need of repentance of the Church at the close of this Age – the Church Age of Grace. The Feast of Atonement speaks of reconciliation and restoration and repentance. It speaks of the dealings of the Church with the Lord. It speaks of the removal of hindrances caused by sin.
John the Baptist prepared the way for the First coming of Jesus Christ. Similarly, God Himself prepares the way for the Second coming of His Son. John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance and the confession sins. Similarly, God Himself “baptizes” His Church with the “baptism” of repentance prior to the Second coming of His Son. He cleanses the Church with the Word of His Power – with the deep desire given to each member of His Body for the confession of sin. There will be tremendous cries for God’s mercy in the days to coming.
God is cleansing and sanctifying His Church so “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5;27, NKJV).
God desires His Church to be holy because without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14).
It is a time of consecration and repentance. God said, “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 12:44).
Levels of Repentance
We are the Body of Christ and God calls every member of His Body to repent before He receives us to Himself. Therefore, it is not only important that every one of us must repent but also repent with the right level of repentance consistent to the level of sin committed. There are several levels of repentance according to the degree or level that we sin against God.
1. To bring sin into the light
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7, NKJV).
This is the most elementary level of repentance. Sometimes a Christian could be in the state guilt, fear and confusion because he has sinned against God by failing to walk in the light of God’s Word. He is being accused by the devil (who is called the accuser of the brethren – Rev. 12:10) for something he has done. By faith he should bring his sin to the light knowing that the shield of faith will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one (Eph. 6:16).
One of the characteristics of sin is that it loves the dark places or dark chambers of our mind. Sin gets power from darkness. Sin hates light because it simply has no power in the light. Therefore a good way to deal with this type of sin is to bring it into the light.
2. General confession of sin
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7, NKJV).
The Bible says “all unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). Sin of this category includes all unrighteous acts – unclean thoughts and action; unkind to others; hash words exchanged between love ones and other similar acts of unrighteousness. When we confess our sins, He will forgive us and cleanse us with the Blood of Jesus.
3. Problems of inter-personal relationship
There are two types of problems we need to face up with:
1. You fail to forgive someone
A situation could arise that I cannot forgive someone (another Christian or an unbeliever) for what he has done to me.
Jesus said I must forgive him or otherwise He would not forgive me:
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mark 11:25, 26).
Notice that the only condition in the Lord’s Prayer is:
“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
We need to understand that Jesus considered this command so important that He repeated it immediately after He had finished teaching His disciples how to pray (Matt. 6:14, 15)!
2. Your brother cannot forgive you
“Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23, 24, emphasis added).
Notice that the person who has something against you is another Christian. The word “therefore” indicates the reason why your brother cannot forgive you is given in some verses earlier.
The reason is given in verse 22:
“But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be danger of the judgment….” (Emphasis added).
Your brother could not forgive you because you were angry with your brother without a cause!
In other words, Jesus was saying if our brother in Christ could not forgive us because we have sinned against him we must reconciled with him. Otherwise our gift would not be accepted and our prayer would not be heard!
4. Sicknesses due to sin
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:13 – 16, emphasis added).
Not all sicknesses are due to sin, but some are.
An example of sickness due to sin is found in John 5:2 – 15.
A man had an infirmity for 38 years. After he had received healing Jesus said to him, “See, you have been made well, Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (Verse 14).
James gives the following instructions for a sick Christian:
1. Call for the Elders of the Local Church to pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.
2. If his sickness is due to sin he would be restored and his sin forgiven by the prayer of faith.
3. Christians should confess one another their offenses, faults and sins, so that those who are sick might be healed and restored.
5. Prayer and fasting
We come now to the highest level of repentance for the most severe sins. If you have sinned deeply for a long period of time, the spirits associated with the sin that you have involved with can come to live within you.
A man came to Jesus and begged Him to heal his son who was suffering severely because of epilepsy. Jesus rebuked the spirit of epilepsy and the child was healed instantly. His disciples tried to cast out the demon earlier, but not successful.
Jesus then said to them, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21).
A good example of this type of evil spirits possession can be found in the life of king Saul (1 Samuel 19:4 – 9).
Saul was very jealous of David’s achievements – killing Goliath and killing thousands of Philistines. The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and a distressing sprit from the Lord troubled him (1 Samuel 16:14).
Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you” (1 Samuel 19:4).
Saul sinned against David because of jealousy and envy. As a result the Spirit of God left him and the spirit of jealousy took over.
I believe at this level of repentance not only you need prayer and fasting for yourself, but also the ministry of the Elders and Pastors. The spirit of jealousy, anger and bitterness could often cause sicknesses.
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