So, as you might’ve noticed, it’s been several weeks since I’ve posted Part 6 of our series on studying present truth.
The reason why there seems to be such a time gap between part 6 and part 7 is because these past several weeks I haven’t been feeling well, so I prayerfully decided to take a break from blogging.
But now by God’s grace we’re continuing onto part 7 of our series, where we’ll look into the second component of present truth (or, as you may remember from Part 5 of this series, truth that will help us GET READY and BE PREPARED for Christ’s soon return).
So, without further ado, let’s dive in!
“Who Shall Be Able To Stand?”
I’d like for us to look at Revelation 6:14-17 as a starting point for today’s post:
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
(Revelation 6:14-17)
These verses are a direct portrait of how the wicked will react on the day when Jesus comes again.
But what I find the most interesting is verse 17.
For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
(Revelation 6:17)
What a question!
Who is able to stand before Jesus when He comes again?
Even the prophet Isaiah himself in Isaiah chapter 6 couldn’t stand in the holy presence of God when he cried out in verse 5:
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
(Isaiah 6:5)
Especially considering the fact that it is this aspect of “standing” that will truly enable us to be ready for His return.
Well, we find the answer in Psalm 24.
The Pure Will Stand
In Psalm 24:3-4, we read:
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
(Psalm 24:3-4)
Notice, it’s those with CLEAN HANDS and PURE HEARTS that will be able to truly stand in the final day when Christ comes.
And the mention of having a “pure heart” really reminds me of one of the Beatitudes that Jesus stated in Matthew 5:8, which says:
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
(Matthew 5:8)
But what does it mean to be “pure in heart”? What does it mean to have a “pure heart”?
The Pure Truth Behind Being Pure
The Hebrew word for pure in Psalm 24:4 is the Hebrew word bar (בַּר). It means “empty.”
Meanwhile, the Greek word for pure in Matthew 5:8 is the Greek word katharos (καθαρός). It means “free from corrupt desire, from sin and guilt; free from every admixture of what is false.”
In other words, in order to be ready for Jesus’ second coming, we need to be able to stand.
And in order to be able to stand, we need to be spiritually pure in our hearts.
And in order to be spiritually pure in our hearts, we need to be totally empty of and totally free from sin.
Now, I understand that sounds VERY deep and even overwhelming for some of you to grasp.
But I’d like to now quickly share with you some Bible promises that show that becoming genuinely, deeply, and fully purified from and emptied of sin is possible.
The Possibility of Purity
In Malachi 3:3, we read:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
(Malachi 3:3)
This verse makes it clear that it is GOD Who is the One Who purifies us and purges us from sin and even the love for sin.
It is not we in and of ourselves who does the purifying, it is really God Who does it.
The main issue here is that we–as we looked at in part 6 of this series–need to SURRENDER to His purifying work in us to be emptied of sin, and filled with His Spirit.
It reminds me of Ezekiel 36:25-26, which says:
Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
(Ezekiel 36:25-26)
Titus 2:14 is another verse that echoes the truth that God is the One Who can solely and truly purify our hearts to become pure.
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
(Titus 2:14)
See, it is God’s desire to purify and empty our hearts from the “bad works” of sin, and to replace it with the “good works” of being His transformed lights, servants, and witnesses in the midst of this dark world.
And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
(Acts 15:9)
Now this verse is the last Bible promise I’d like to share with you all.
God’s work of purifying our hearts is really a work of faith.
What do I mean by that?
Because throughout our day to day lives, there may be times where we may fall down, and feel like we’re not truly growing in purity of heart.
That is where faith comes in.
Hebrews 10:38 says:
Now the just shall live by faith
(Hebrews 10:38)
The work of being purified is a work of faith. It’s a work of living by faith, walking by faith.
Being purified by the Lord in our hearts requires us to TRUST HIM throughout the process.
To trust Him with this purifying work He is doing in us, and to trust that He “will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6).
Friend, will you surrender to the Lord today and allow Him to purify and empty your heart from sin, the love of sin, and to replace all of it with His righteousness?
If so, then I wanna encourage you to pray:
Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
(Romans 14:4)
Amen! Maranatha!
Stay tuned for our final part of this series, where we’ll explore the third and final Biblical aspect of present truth to make us ready for Jesus’ return! Stay tuned!