HI,
I read your comments on the “outer court”. You speak of
this as our dwelling place while here on earth, and I can agree with that. What I
am wondering about is the following verses from Ezekiel? Preachers say that we
are sanctified by Jesus’ obedience (His clothing is draped over us –
His righteousness is given to us), but this seems to disagree with that
assumption.
Ezek 44:19 And when they (the Priests – JESUS) go
forth into the utter court, even into the utter court to the people, they shall
put off their garments wherein they ministered, and lay them in the holy
chambers, and they shall put on other garments; and they shall NOT sanctify the
people with their garments.
Ezek 46:20 Then said he unto me,
This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin
offering, where they shall bake the meat offering; that they bear them NOT out
into the utter court, to sanctify the people.
Rev. 19:7 Let us
be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come,
and his wife hath made herself ready.
8 And to her was granted that she
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints.
The bride “made herself ready”
which is repeated over and over again in the idea of each person
“conquering”.
Ezekiel even mentioned how Adonijah was
permitted to live AS LONG AS HE LIVED RIGHTEOUSLY.
Thanks,
John.
Hi John,
thanks for the email and hope things are well with you. There
seems to be some misunderstanding in your email on what I said. You wrote:
"I
read your comments on the “outer court”. You speak of this as our
dwelling place while here on earth, and I can agree with that"
I
don't believe I said that at all. It has been several years since I wrote
those studies but I have never thought of the outer court as our dwelling place
while here on earth. It is a type of the age of the Mosaic law. The church age is
typified by the Holy Place, not the Outer Court. Your quotes from Ezekiel 44
& 46 need to be read in context. Ezekiel chapters 40-48 are prophetic of what
takes place after Jesus' second coming.. ie the Kingdom age. They
haven't been fulfilled yet and aren't speaking of this age of grace in
which we currently live.
The Bible is clear that righteousness for
salvation is a GIFT of God's grace for those who have placed their faith in
the Lord Jesus. It cannot be earned. There are righteous acts that believers do
(Eph 2:8-10) - works prepared for them to do before the foundation of the
world... but these should NEVER be confused with the gift of righteousness by
free grace at salvation without which no one can righteous before God.
Rom
3:19-28 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under
the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable
to God. (20) Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by
observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (21) But
now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the
Law and the Prophets testify. (22) This righteousness from God comes through
faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, (23) for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24) and are justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Rom
5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,
how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and
of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
So
when Revelation says the Bride has made herself ready, what is it speaking of?
William Newell in his book 'Revelation - A Complete Commentary' writes
well on this. Note specifically the true translation of 'righteous
acts' of the saints (not righteousness) and how it is talking about the
bride, the Church, AS A WHOLE. It is not that some true believers will be at the
marriage without wedding garments or limited garments because their righteous
acts were few. No. The bride as a single body is in view in her wedding and ALL
righteous acts of the bride THROUGHOUT the entire church age constitute the one
wedding garment that His bride shall wear! We always tend to read these verses as
individuals instead of as the entire body of believers, but the Lord is viewing
His marriage at the end of this age, to His one bride, the Church as a whole.
I'll
leave you with Newell's comments.
Hope it helps.
Iain.
What
Is the Bride’s “Making Herself Ready”? (from Revelation - A
Complete Commentary by William Newell)
Rev 19:7-8 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the
marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." (8) It
was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine
linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
We read,
“It was given unto her.” The preparation for this marriage,
“the supreme event for which the ages are waiting,” is an absolute
bestowal of divine grace. It is not, of course, salvation, since those who
constitute the Bride were saved long before, while on earth. But it is a special
granting from God to prepare herself for this great climax.
Again, to
“array herself in fine linen, bright and pure: for the fine linen is the
righteous acts of the saints.” The King James Version falls utterly short
of the meaning, by translating the Greek plural word dikaiomata, which means
“righteous things” or “acts” as if it were dikaiosunee,
“righteousness.” These bridal saints were declared righteous in
Christ when first they believed. The bridal array for the wedding is something
absolutely different.
Garments are woven little by little; and thus were
woven the materials for her, the Bride of Christ.
The Holy Spirit who
indwelt the Church wrought what Paul calls in Php_1:11 “the fruits of
righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ”; or, as in Ephesians 2-10,
“We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
afore prepared that we should walk in them.”
Now, although for our
service each one in the kingdom will “receive his own reward according to
his own labor,” yet all the works wrought through Jesus Christ by the Holy
Spirit in and by the saints of the Bride will all belong alike to that holy
Bride: for the whole Church is the Bride. Linen represents manifested
righteousness, and this is “fine linen, bright and pure.” It has that
same “exceeding white and glistering” appearance as her Lord’s
raiment had on the transfiguration mount-of glory as well as purity.
In
other words, the Church will appear, all of it, in raiment wholly befitting
Christ, her glorious Bridegroom. She herself had no righteousness; Christ Himself
is her righteousness and her standing. She is one with Him. But now all those
blessed Spirit-led works, those “righteous acts” of the saints while
on earth, are wrought to produce an array manifestly befitting the Bride,
herself, without “spot, blemish or any such thing”-in this
unspeakable scene!