Life Matters

a. The Marriage Fully Opens the Channel

As we have noted, the Sanctuary system was developed by God to write His protective Ten Commandment Law in our hearts so that we will always stay connected to Him and stay in the channel of blessing.

This journey begins in the court and culminates in the Most Holy Place. This is the place where the law of God is sealed into the minds of His people and then channel of blessing is permanently connected. To seal the law in our minds, there had to be a shift from visible to invisible as we have noted.

The time prophecies of Daniel 8 and 9 set up the key points of this journey. The centre of the visible square is reached through the seventy weeks of Daniel 9. The centre of the invisible square is reached through the prophecy of the 2300 days.

The arrival to the Most Holy Place, as we noted, is the sealing of the law into the minds of God’s people. Since this law is a reflection of Christ, this sealing process is likened to a marriage, where two become one. The minds of Christ and the minds of His people become one.

As we have stated several times, this does not happen because God’s people are good enough, but this state of oneness means that the channel of blessing is now fully open and the mind of Christ flows fully to His people. As Jesus stated:

John 17:21-22 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

This oneness comes directly from perfect submission to the life that flows from the Father. As the church submits fully to Christ, the channel flows perfectly and Christ is revealed in His bride:

Eph 5:23-24 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

The marriage of Christ to the church is also expressed as a marriage between Christ and the city of Jerusalem. This city represents the people of God who fully submitted to the family kingdom principles and channel of blessing.

Rev 21:2-3 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

The marriage is also described by Jesus in the parable of the ten virgins, in Matthew 25. Those who go into the marriage are those who stay connected to the channel of blessing symbolized by the oil, which is the Spirit of Christ. For some reason, half of the virgins ran out of oil, they had become disconnected from the source and lost sight of the Spirit of Christ which would prepare them for the marriage and seal the law in their hearts.

The wonderful marriage of Christ and His bride fully reconnects the channel of blessing and the Spirit of Christ flows fully into His submissive bride and produces the fruit of that Spirit.

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Isa 8:16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.

b. Many Reject the Wedding Invitation

Everyone is called to this wedding but sadly many will not come, either because they love the principles of Satan’s inherent power kingdom or they feel unworthy because of a focus on their own inability to perform; which is really the same thing – a focus on inherent power. Jesus speaks of those who reject the wedding in the following manner:

Matt 22:2-10 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, 3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. 5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: 6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. 7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. 9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. 10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

How sad it is that many will choose darkness rather than light, they would rather cling to the love of inherent power than submit to the divine submissive agent and be filled with the peaceful and loving Spirit of God.

c. An Investigation of Worthiness

The work of Jesus in the Most Holy Place is to examine those who truly believe in Him and have lost all confidence in the serpent’s lie of inherent power. They have been sobered by the truths of the law, the Sanctuary, the Sabbath and the state of the dead, and they have chosen to believe that Christ has made them worthy; because by faith they believe that the victories of Jesus on earth are freely given to them and they believe they are greatly loved as children of God.

The great test of the judgment is the same test that Jesus went through in the wilderness of temptation. Do we believe that we are children of God simply because God has said in His Word and believe that He has made all the provision necessary; or will we doubt him and focus on our failures, mistakes, weakness and lack of performing good works? The simple belief that we are children of God and that God can restore us to His image is what makes us worthy, it has nothing to do with anything we can achieve or perform ourselves, because we have no inherent power to do one single good deed.

The belief that we are children of God by faith is symbolized by the wearing of a special garment given by God at the wedding.

Matt 22:11-14 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: 12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless. 13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.

The Bible clearly states that the king examines the guests to see that they had on the wedding garment. This examination is the judgment described in Daniel 7, where the books are opened and everyone is examined to see that they have the wedding garment on.

Without a clear sense of being a child of God and the value and worth that comes from this, an examination would be a most fearful thing. Those who cling to a concept of some form of inherent power would never wish to enter such a judgment. They refuse to give up the lie of the serpent and so instead choose to believe that no such judgment occurs. They choose rather to believe that Jesus has done everything for them and they are free to hide under that name with all their filthy sins.

Isa 4:1-5 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach. 2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel. 3 And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem: 4 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning. 5 And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

Isaiah tells us that the whole church (seven women) try to take hold of the man (Jesus) and tell Him, we will live by our own means, we just want your name to help us to stop feeling guilty about our sins. These poor people are those who call themselves Jews but are not.

Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

This passage above is speaking of the church of Philadelphia who prophetically live at the time the judgment is about to begin.

The passage in Isaiah 4 goes onto to say that God will wash away the filth and burn away our sins, so that we can truly be connected to him.

We need to be investigated to see if any remnants of the lie of the serpent still exist in us. These principles are so deep inside the human heart that without the call for a judgment, we would never know that they are there. Like the foolish virgins, we could come to the door fully expecting entrance and be shockingly told that Jesus never knew us.

Thank God for the judgment that prepares us for the marriage. Let us sing with David:

Psa 26:1-6 Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide. 2 Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. 3 For thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes: and I have walked in thy truth. 4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. 5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked. 6 I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O LORD:

Like David, we need not fear the judgment, as children of God, we can be truly confident. But the only way to be secure as children of God is to believe the message of God which says, you are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased. We have to turn our hearts to the Father and trust Him or we will be too fearful to enter the Most Holy Place and face the judgment.