Click here to watch the sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjTS6na0dkc
In brief, Jesus extends the invitation to all: “Let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17). “Whoever has the Son has life” (1 John 5:12). Our Lord has said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). Jesus extends the invitation, those who accept his gift of mercy has the Son who then has life. Wrapped in His robe of righteousness, our sins are covered and he presents us before the Father as righteous. Jesus is the one who justifies*, sanctifies**, and glorifies***. At Jesus’ second coming is when he imparts to us immortality. Through this process we build a personal relationship with Him.
Defining terms:
* Justification is immediate upon accepting Christ as Savior, and all past sins are forgiven.
** Sanctification is walking in a daily experience with Christ allowing him to grow our faith; all the while removing present sins out of our life.
*** Glorification comes with the perfecting of our character which comes into its fullest expression at the second coming of Christ.
In reality, it is important to understand that the experience of salvation may be described as a “unity” of justification, sanctification, and glorification. The sanctuary that God had Moses erect is an inclusive experience of salvation portraying differing aspects of justification, sanctification, and glorification…all working together.
How the Gospel Works
Please read Ezekiel 47:1-5. This story reveals to us how the gospel works, which is revealed in this river that Ezekiel sees flowing out of the sanctuary. Before we contemplate the meaning of these rivers, let’s consider this question: What is the purpose of water? Water is used to cleanse. In the Old Testament we see how God speaks about how he uses water to purify his people and give them a new heart. In the New Testament it talks about Christ purifying his church with water. In the bible, water is a symbol of purification and cleansing.
The waters of the bible reveal to us a story. They reveal to us a process whereby God will purify his people ultimately. We will go back to the waters of Eden and look at the rivers there. These waters tell the story of Creation. A story of how God created man in perfection, how he made him in His image, in His likeness; however, it would also tell us a story of how man fell because he rejected the word of God.
Eden’s Rivers
These rivers tell us of mankind’s creation in perfection. They make us think of purity.
Eden means: atmosphere, referring to spot, moment, presence, open door and delightful. Put the meaning together and you get, ‘A spot on earth where the presence of God was an open door to heaven, a delightful place’.
Out of Eden flowed four rivers:
- The first is Pishon, which skirts Havilah [Arabia], having gold, bdellium, and onyx. Pishon means to increase or full flowing.
- The second river is Gihon, which goes around the whole land of Cush, and means ‘bursting forth or gushing’ (John 4:14).
- Hiddekel, which goes towards the east of Assyria, means swift or darting.
- The last is the Euphrates which means sweet or fruitful (2 Cor. 2:14).
The message is, ‘The full flowing water is bursting forth swiftly with fruitful properties that heal’. Who do these waters heal? People, nations, and multitudes (Rev. 17:15). God has given us wonderful insight to this literal, beautiful place of the parents of mankind. We are told that this heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35-39), a new heaven and new earth will be created and paradise will be restored – along with the tree of life (Isaiah 6:22, 11:6-9, 65:17-19; Luke 1:32-33; Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 21:1-5, 21, Revelation 22:1-5).
The Nile
The rivers of the Nile tell us of mankind’s fall.
The waters of Egypt are the next major body of water found in the Book of Exodus, specifically the Nile. The Nile is not a river that represents healing. The Nile points us to the Egyptian captivity of the children of Israel, and the bondage they experience under her rule. Think on this, before sin entered our world, man was perfect and made in the image of God. When sin entered, man became bondage or slave to the flesh.
This is fascinating, rivers of Eden tells of us man’s perfection but then he falls…the Nile river tells us of the result of the fall which is captivity, bondage, working for Pharaoh and building his house. We can say, in a very practical sense that, each one of us has a Nile experience, where we are under bondage to Pharaoh and we are slaving for Pharaoh.
Who is this Pharaoh? The one who is the prince of this world, the one who took dominion away from Adam and Eve (John 12:31,14:30,16:11). Pharaoh is a type for Satan. God heard their cries and sent a deliverer (Exodus 2:23-3:22). Nile means ‘river of light’ or ‘river that shines’ (source). What was Satan before he fell? Lucifer which means: shinning one, light bearer.
Two Kingdoms
At this point we see there are two kingdoms:
- The rivers of Eden reflects the righteous government of God and is represented by living, healing waters, tree of life, love for God and our neighbor, and freedom. This kingdom shall be an eternal kingdom governed by a righteous, holy, loving ruler – and, will include those that want to be saved from the dominion of the second kingdom.
- The Nile reflects a government of enslavement and is represented with pain, suffering, death, tree of knowledge of good and evil, love of self above all else, and complete bondage. This kingdom is temporal and will be crushed for is cannot perpetuate itself apart from God, it along with the inhabitants that cling to it will be forever destroyed.
The decision that every person of every age has/had to make is which master will be served; for there can only be one master (Matthew 6:24). This message of two groups or two kingdoms is a theme throughout the entire bible: God versus Satan, Cain versus Abel, Noah and family versus the people of the world, Job versus his friends, etc. As history unfolds itself this theme is repeated and enlarged in the bible. God is good and He wants all to be saved. He paid the wages that we earned in order for every single human being to be saved. Will you be in the group that accepts His mercy and follows Him wherever He goes? Will you be in the group that inherits the Kingdom of God?
The Red Sea – Exodus 14
The third body of water we read about in the Bible is the Red Sea. We come so a story about a man by the name of Moses, who comes into Egypt because he is sent to deliver His people…to set the captives free. Moses tells the people, as they are about to be delivered, to take a lamb and sacrifice it; and that lamb being sacrificed was the event that led the children of Israel out of captivity and leads them to the Red Sea. With the might hand of God, they cross the Red Sea, and they are set free from captivity.
The RED Sea…wait a moment. This is reminiscence of the crimson river that flowed from the Lamb as he hung on that tree (John 19:33-34). The Son of God came to earth putting on the flesh of humanity to:
- reveal himself to us (John 1:18; Col. 1:15; John 14:9; Luke 24:27, 44-45), and
- ultimately died for us so we could be set free and to conquer the one who has the power of death and the grave (John 3:16-17; Hebrews 2:14-18; 1 Tim. 3:16).
Can you see that these first three bodies of water explain the process of salvation? How we were made perfect in the ‘image of God’. How we fall into sin and as a result we end up in captivity to this world. Christ comes, and his sacrifice allows us to be set free from bondage. Christ gives us a Red Sea experience.
The Shedding of Blood
Hebrews 9:22 is clear that without the shedding of blood there cannot be any remission of sin. Some may ask, ‘Why?’. Mankind cannot through his own merits ever obtain justification, sanctification, or glorification. We are stained with sin and our hearts are dreadfully deceitful (verses). However, the Son of God came in the flesh, who was without sin but tested in all ways as we are tested (Hebrews 4:15), and who paid the price on our behalf so we could be set free (redeemed, John 3:16-17, Matthew 26:28). See posts titled: “Part of the Family Tree” part 1 and part 2. This provides more detail as to how the law of redemption works.
Christ was the propitiation for our sins (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2, 4:10 and Hebrews 2:17 NASB). Propitiation is the only means that would take away or liberate us from our guilt (Romans 3:25). Through propitiation we receive forgiveness and a new life (Eph. 1:7, 5:2; 1 Peter 2:21 ff; Hebrews 9, 10), and because of His stripes we are healed (Isa. 53:5; cf. Dan. 9:24). Christ’s one time sacrifice perfected for ALL TIME those being sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).
This does not mean that Christ was attempting to appease an angry, wrathful God and convince him to be loving toward us. We have to remember that the Father Himself was the one who sent His Son so “that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). The Father was on our side. God does not love us because Jesus died for us; Jesus died because God loves us. God’s love is the reason and source, not the result or effect of the atonement.
This perfect atonement vindicates the righteousness of God’s law and the graciousness of His character; for it both condemns our sin and provides for our forgiveness. The death of Christ is substitutionary and expiatory, reconciling and transforming. The resurrection of Christ proclaims God’s triumph over the forces of evil, and for those who accept the atonement assures their final victory over sin and death. It declares the Lordship of Jesus Christ, before whom every knee in heaven and on earth will bow. (John 3:16; Isa. 53; 1 Peter 2:21, 22; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4, 20-22; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19-21; Rom. 1:4; 3:25; 4:25; 8:3, 4; 1 John 2:2; 4:10; Col. 2:15; Phil. 2:6,11). *
Digging Deeper
Let’s look at this on another level. The bodies of water thus far explain to us the entire history of the Old Testament. Man created in perfection (rivers of Eden), man falls and finds himself in bondage to sin (the Nile), and then the Messiah coming to deliver his people from their sins (Red Sea). We might say, the Red Sea symbolically points us to the 70-week prophecy in Daniel, where Christ comes to deliver his people in reality. What was a type at the Red Sea (lamb being slain), becomes a reality in the 70-week prophecy. If we look diligently, we will find Christ on every page of the bible.
Jordan River – Joshua 3-5
The next body of water found in the bible is the Jordan River. At the Jordan the children of Israel crossed over after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Remember, at the Red Sea they were running from their enemies and were fearful. At the Jordan, they cross over ready to conquer, they cross over as conquerors.
Do you realize that when you give your life to Christ and get baptized, you are running from your enemies (alcohol, cigarettes, cheating, lying, stealing, hate, vindictiveness, etc.) of your past life. Christ says there is a second baptism, and in that second baptism He calls us to go forward as conquerors.
The early church was in bondage to the traditions of men. The early church had a Red Sea experience, in reality Christ set the church free. At Pentecost, which was the birth of the New Testament church, is where they went forward conquering and to conquer taking to ‘good news’ to those in bondage – first to the church then to the Gentiles…ALL were included to be set free. As in the days of old, are you ready to be set free?
When we give our life to Christ and are baptized, we are running from our enemies…those things that kept us in bondage. Christ then tells us there is another baptism, and in the second baptism He calls us to go forward as conquerors.
Cherith (Kidron) Brook – 1 Kings 17
The next major body of water in the bible is found in Kings. We find the story of Elijah at the Cherith brook where he was hiding in the wilderness. Do you remember how long Elijah was there? He was hiding there for 3 ½ years during this famine. Wow, does this make you think of a time prophecy in Daniel regarding God’s church? The 3 1/2 years (times, time, and dividing of time=1,260-days). While Elijah is in the wilderness for 1,260-days, he is being fed. What are we told to do? We are told to feed on the word of God (Jer. 3:15; John 6:51; 1 Cor. 10:4; Ezekiel 34:4; John 10:9; Hebrews 5:12-14; 1 Peter 2:2; 1 Cor. 10:3).
Look at what is happening here, it seems like the bodies of water in scripture is showing us in history of the plan of salvation and the history of the great controversy. Stay with us, we are building up to a point.
Elijah, ends up getting caught up in a whirlwind into heaven (2 Kings 2:11-14), and Elisha comes onto the scene. Do you remember what one of Elisha’s first miracles were about? Dealing with water – Elisha request for a new cruse (jar) to be brought to him full of salt. Elisha cast salt in the waters to heal the waters (2 Kings 2:21). If Elijah’s story of hiding in the wilderness would be symbolic of God’s church going through this 1,260-year time period; then this event of Elisha throwing salt in the waters which happened after Elijah’s hiding in the wilderness, might mean something significant to us as well.
What do waters symbolize in the bible? People, nations, multitudes, and tongues (Revelation 17:15). Did you know that the bible says ‘you are the salt of the earth’? (Matthew 5:13). Did you know that salt was designed to bring healing to the waters? Oh, this is deep. This is God’s end time message for his people. This is why God calls us to be salt. God’s end time message for His people is a message of healing for the waters…for people, nations, and multitudes of all languages. This is why it is so important for us to understand justification, sanctification, and glorification…this is the everlasting gospel. It is here where true healing is found.
The Kebar River – Ezekiel 47
We are now set up for the book of Ezekiel, where we find this river called Kebar (Chebar). By the way, it is this river by which Ezekiel is called to speak against the abominations being done in the temple and then speaks of the glory of God. Very interesting. First, you have Elijah hiding out in the wilderness for 1,260-days (3 1/2 years) and then the next body of water we find in the scripture is speaking of the abominations being done in the temple…this brings us to Ezekiel 47 which we began with above.
Where is this water coming from? Ezekiel 47:1, tells us it is coming from the sanctuary. When you read the entire vision that Ezekiel is having, he is talking about the purifying power of the water, the healing power of the water (v. 12). In fact, the waters are coming from the side of the alter of sacrifice. Do you realize that Jesus depicted himself as the true sanctuary? (John 2:19). In a sense, Jesus used the Old Testament sanctuary to symbolize himself. Notice this, the cleansing water is coming from the ‘side of the sanctuary’. Think on this, Jesus was pierced in the side and water and blood flowed forth (John 19:34). The alter of sacrifice points us to the sacrifice of Christ. We understand, this vision just may be a symbol of the process whereby man is cleansed.
The Plan of Salvation
- Justification. The bible says, an angel takes Ezekiel on this walk. By the way, that would remind us of justification. When Christ died for our sin he was justifying us, forgiving us of our past sins. In Ezekiel 47:3, the waters were measured and was at the ankles. When you first give your life to Christ, it is like ‘this is great’. I’m walking pretty good, if this is what Christianity is…I’m all in…this is a piece of cake – justification ‘I love it’.
- Sanctification. In verse 4, the angel measures again and brought him through the waters and the water is now at the knees. It is one thing to walk in the water at the ankles…that’s easy; but at the knees it is more difficult to walk in the water. By the way, what is Ezekiel doing now? He is walking. My friend, justification is simple…I come to Christ and he forgives me of my past sins. Christ does not leave us there, he sanctifies us in our daily experience with Him. We are growing in faith. As we walk with the Lord, he begins to take us deeper. Why? Because there are things in one’s life that need to be purified.
- Glorification. As we continue to read, the water comes up to the loins. As Christians, we must understand it is not enough for us to stay at the ankles. We like ankle stuff. The Lord says there needs to be more in the Christian life. We are now knee high in the water. The walk becomes more difficult. At waist deep it is starting to become a struggle. We find, the deeper the Lord takes us, the more we see our true condition. Justification does not stand alone, sanctification is connected with it. Notice in verse five, the waters are so deep it seems impossible to pass over. This would be a total covering of water, a total purification…which is glorification. It looks impossible, but wait: justification is God forgiving past sins, sanctification is walking/growing daily in grace and faith being delivered from present sins, and glorification is God removing all sin (past, present, and future). We get to a place where we abhor sin and it is no longer dwelling in us.
When we are justified do we still have sin dwelling in us? Yes, we still have carnal flesh; we have not been perfected yet. Sanctification is asking the Lord to remove sin from our life, our heart, our mind. I am growing in grace. Glorification is the total removing of sin. This is ultimately what God wants for us.
That’s why we have the first angel’s message (Rev. 14:6-7). Fear God and give him the glory…it is a message of glorification. God’s ultimate for his people is not just to justify them, not to just sanctify them, but to remove them from all their sins. This is why there is the message of the cleansing of the sanctuary.
You Are the Sanctuary
Did you know that you are the sanctuary? You are the temple of the Holy Ghost! If you are the sanctuary, the cleansing of the sanctuary is not only this idea of God cleansing something in heaven it is the idea of cleansing something within us. Unto 2,300-days then the sanctuary shall be cleansed (Daniel 8:14)…be glorified for all sins have been removed. In Ezekiel 47:6-7, there were many trees on both sides of the bank of the river. Trees are also representative of God’s people (Psalm 92:12; 37:35). In verse 8, the waters come out of the east going into the sea where the waters are healed. Again, waters are symbolic of peoples, nations, multitudes, and tongues. Wherever this stream goes there will be healing. In verse 9, everything that lives and moves into the rivers will live. There will be a great multitude of fish and they will be healed and everything will live where the river comes. Jesus said, ‘follow me and I will make you fishers of men’ (Matthew 4:19). In verse 12, the river spoken of here is leading us to the river of life in Revelation 22:1. Wait a minute, the bible starts with the rivers of Eden and end with rivers of Eden – making a full circle.
The Glory of God
The Christian is always longing for the glory of God to be manifested in us. That’s why the bible says ‘creation groans and travails in pain’ (Romans 8:22-24) as if in birth waiting to see the manifestation of the sons of God. That’s the hope of glory is Christ in you, to be called sons and daughters of God. Do you hope for something you already have? No, which means the hope of glory has not yet been fully manifested in God’s people because we are still hoping for it.
We are told in 1 John 3:2, that we don’t know when He will appear, but when He does appear we will already be like Him. Are we saying we will be glorified sometime before He appears? We are saying that God’s people are going to be glorified together. That’s why in Hebrews 11:39-40 it says that ‘they who are not with us will not be made perfect’, which means all those believers that came before us will not be made perfect without us (those living when Christ returns). How do we know? The bible tells us that they will rise first and then those living will be caught up with them in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17). We can say it this way, ‘we are going to be born together’, in a twinkling of an eye (1 Cor. 15:52).
Right now, we are ‘born again’ by faith, but when Christ returns we will literally be born again. Think of it this way, before a baby is delivered, there are three trimesters in a pregnancy:
- In the first trimester you don’t really see anything that’s like justification. For the one who made a decision, it is a claim by their mouth that a decision has been made for Christ and they asked for forgiveness for past sins. By the way, this points us to the outer court of the sanctuary.
- In the second trimester is when one begins to show, that’s like sanctification. We can see something is going on, our character is changing and we are more and more imaging God. This points us to the Holy Place in the sanctuary where we find the seven-branch candlestick (meaning: letting your light shine), the table of shewbread (feed on the word of God), and the alter of incense (a prayer life). We are growing in grace by letting our light shine, studying the Bible, and praying. We are growing in grace, but we have not been born yet.
- During the third trimester, is when the baby is completed but not yet born. The baby must be completed first then birth follows. In the third trimester no one really knows the day or the hour, but you know it is coming. In the same way, glorification is what occurs in the Most Holy Place. This is why this is such a powerful message.
Martin Luther started the reformation with justification, past sins forgiven when Christ is accepted, and confessed. The reformers that followed brought forth sanctification which means living and right doing, through the Holy Spirit – overcoming sin (Romans 8:12-13).
As an Adventist, we have a third trimester message and we are living in the third trimester. Jesus comes to deliver. When Jesus leaves the Most Holy Place in the sanctuary there is no longer a need for an intercessor. The reason why that is ‘ok’ is because the baby has been glorified shortly before Jesus leaves the sanctuary. There is no need to worry, for the ones that were justified and sanctified have been glorified. We work in concert with God in justification (we accept) and sanctification (we allow), but glorification we have no part. Glorification is that which is impossible for us, but with Christ all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
Another way to look at it is: the 70-week prophecy is justification, the 1,260-day prophecy is sanctification, and the 2,300-day prophecy is glorification. There will be a series on bible prophecy in the future. When speaking in terms of the sanctuary we can say: the outer court is justification, the Holy Place is sanctification, and the Most Holy Place is glorification. God has taken special care to lay this out before us in the sanctuary and in prophecy. There will also be a series on the sanctuary.
Glorification is the removal of all sin. The biblical idea of sacrifice, concerning the way of approach to God, is finding acceptance before him by means of an acceptable substitute (Christ) offered in place of the sinner and bearing the curse of sin (second death). This is what the cleansing of the sanctuary is all about. How the process works very simple:
- In the Old Testament every time a person sinned they laid their hands on the head of an animal, confess their sins, and the animal was slain. The animal became guilty and had to pay the death penalty (Genesis 2:17). This represented Jesus bearing our sins (Leviticus 1:4, 5). The blood was taken by the priest into the sanctuary and sprinkled it before the veil that separated the Most Holy from the Holy Place. In this way, it was demonstrated that the record of sin was transferred into sanctuary. This process occurred throughout the year. Remember, Christ was not guilty of the sin, for he was sinless (1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; John 19:4; Isaiah 53:9; 1 Peter 1:18-19), therefore, he was not judged but freely gave his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:20-28, Mark 10:35-45).
- The Day of Atonement was the final part of atonement. During the year, the Israelites were forgiven. Their sins were not blotted out but were entrusted to God Himself, who promised to deal with them. The final part, or step if you will, did not have much to do with forgiveness; the people were already forgiven. In fact, the verb forgive does not occur at all in Leviticus 16 or in Leviticus 23:27–32. What this shows us is that the entire plan of salvation deals with more than just the forgiveness of our sins, a point that makes even more sense when understood in the wider context of the great controversy between good (God) and evil (Satan).
- How was this cleansing done? Two goats were brought to the sanctuary. One for the Lord and one to be the scapegoat.
The goat for the Lord, there was neither confession of sin nor laying on of hands upon it, its blood was not a carrier of sin. Therefore, it did not defile as those throughout the year did, but it cleansed. The effect is clearly described in Leviticus 16: 16, 20. The high priest made atonement with the blood of the Lord’s goat, cleansing the entire sanctuary. The same procedure also effected the purification of the people so that, when the sanctuary was cleansed from all the people’s sins, the people themselves were cleansed too. In this sense the Day of Atonement was unique, for only on this day were both the sanctuary and the people cleansed. Understand the sinner has already been forgiven, however the record of sin has to be removed from the sanctuary.
The scapegoat has a much different process. The high priest takes the GUILT of sin and places it upon the scapegoat (Azazel) and sends it into the wilderness, a desolate place. It is through the death of Christ (the sacrifice) that He destroys him who has the power of death which is Satan (scapegoat). Satan will be held responsible for the development of sin and a tempter for sin (1/3 of the angels fell, all of mankind fell). PLEASE understand that the scapegoat in NO way is a blood sacrifice as Christ was and was represented by the sacrificial system; HOWEVER, Satan will bear the guilt for the chaos he caused that began in heaven and ultimately to earth. In the end, when all sin is gone, removed, no more memory of it; then glorification will be completed.
For more information see: https://bibleask.org/why-does-the-heavenly-temple-need-to-be-cleansed/
Justification, Sanctification, Glorification made simple
You go through this process every week, you gather the garbage and take it out of the house and placed it in the trash barrel on the side of your house. Is your house clean? Kind of, but there is a memory of the garbage because it has been transferred to the side of the house. One day of the week, the trash barrel is taken out to the curb for the trash truck that comes to pick it up and take it to a desolate place. You know if you don’t get all that garbage out to the curb to be removed, you are stuck with the garbage. JUSTIFICATION is the trash being taken out of the house, SANCTIFICATION is placing the trash in the barrel outside, and GLORIFICATION is the removal of the garbage to a desolate place.
When this happened on the Day of Atonement the sanctuary was cleansed that means there is no more memory of sin – you don’t need to remember it anymore for it has been completely forever removed. God said he is going to cast it into the sea of forgetfulness (Micah 7:18-19). How does he do that? He placed it on the scapegoat Azazel. Do you know what God does in glorification? He takes the guilt of sin and puts it on the head of the scapegoat and sends the scapegoat ultimately into a sea (lake of fire). So, Satan is destroyed carrying the guilt of our sin. The other goat was slain for the wages of sin (death) it was the sin bearer who’s blood was shed, BUT the scapegoat does NOT shed blood but carries the GUILT of sin which is ultimately destroyed. Remember, Christ was sinless – so he cannot be the bearer of sins guilt; He was the perfect, spotless Lamb that paid our debt. That debt was death.
Those that are being glorified will be going through the time of trouble trying to confess sins but won’t remember any because the sins have been removed from the temple (speaking of your mind) because that is where the record of sin is. This is the cleansing, purification. Christ says ‘I am going to remove those sins so you don’t even remember them’. Glorification, glorification.
My friends, what is God calling us to do? He is calling us to be justified, he is calling us to be sanctified, because ultimately He is going to glorify us. If glorification is in the Most Holy Place there is one key that is important for us to understand regarding how to be glorified in the Holy Place (Leviticus 16:2). God is speaking and says that he will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat. God appears in the cloud (Revelation 1:7; Daniel 7:13; Matthew 24:30; 1 Thess. 4:17). Remember, in the Old Testament the cloud led the children of Israel through the wilderness ultimately to the promised land. The cloud represents the presence of God. The bible tells us about a time when Moses went to speak to God, and we are told he entered the cloud. When he entered the cloud he speaks to God, and the Bible says when he came out of the cloud the glory of God shone in his face (Exodus 34:29-35). How did Moses get the glory of God? He entered the cloud and when he came out his face was shinning. He was spending time with God. The bible also tells us the glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. By beholding we become, the more Christ is beheld in the cloud, the more our life shines.
The Rainbow
Ezekiel has a vision of God and he saw a rainbow around the throne and then he says the rainbow was like the glory of God. The rainbow is a symbol of the glory of God (Eze. 1:26-28). Did you know In the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary there was a rainbow there? The curtains were of various colors and the walls of the sanctuary were made of mirror like gold so when entering the sanctuary it gave the appearance of a rainbow around the throne…the glory of God.
Remember, when God sent rain to destroy the earth? He tells Noah he was going to put his rainbow in the cloud. So, if the rainbow is a symbol of the glory of God then the rainbow in the cloud tells us that the glory of God is found in the cloud (Genesis 9:13). If I want the glory of God, I have to enter the cloud, I have to let the cloud lead me. It is the cloud that led the Israelites from captivity to the promised land. It is the cloud that leads us to justification, sanctification, and to glorification. Follow the cloud, not only follow the cloud but get into the cloud. Learn what it means to have a relationship with Christ. It is that relationship with Christ in the cloud that allows our face to shine with the glory of God. In Revelation 14:14, Jesus comes back on a cloud for those who have followed the cloud, living in the cloud. It is the Holy Spirit of God that leads us step by step. It is nothing you ever do alone…not justification, not sanctification, not glorification. The bible ends with the river of life…it comes full circle. The story began at the river of life (Eden) and it ends at the river of life (second coming of Christ). The waters of the bible reveal to us how God plans to cleanse his people from their sins. We are born again by faith, but we have to look forward to being born again in actuality.
*Reference: https://www.adventist.org/life-death-and-resurrection-of-christ/it-is-finished/
The Words of this Hymn is so Appropriate
I went down to the crimson river
Left my burdens on the shore
I went down a sinner, came up a saint
Died with Christ, now I’m reborn
Yes, He washed me in His mercy
And He cleansed me with His blood
Now I stand complete, I have been set free
I found life there in the flood
Sing it out
Not the same, I am changed
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
By His grace, I am saved
I’m His child, forever, I am
Hallelujah
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
Now I have the living water
From the well that won’t run dry
All the pangs of life have been satisfied
By the precious blood of Christ
Not the same, I am changed
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
By His grace, I am saved
I’m His child, forever, I am
Hallelujah
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
When it’s time to cross that river
I will shine in glorious light
When He calls me home, I’ll fall at His throne
And forever worship Christ
And forever worship Christ
I’ll forever worship Christ
I’ll forever worship Christ
Not the same, I am changed
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
By His grace, I am saved
I’m His child, forever, I am
Not the same, I am changed
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
By His grace, I am saved
I’m His child, forever, I am
Hallelujah (hallelujah)
Hallelujah (hallelujah)
Hallelujah
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
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2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”