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The Consecrated Way
by A.T. Jones
The Times of Refreshing
And now, in this time of the consummation of the hope of all the
ages, in this time when the true sanctuary is truly to be cleansed, in
this time when the work of the gospel is to be completed and the mystery
of God indeed finished--now is the time of all the times that ever were
in the world, when the believers in Jesus--the blessed objects of His
glorious priesthood and wondrous intercessions in the true
sanctuary--shall be partakers of the full measure of His heavenly grace
and shall have in their lives transgression finished, an end of sins and
reconciliation for iniquity made forevermore, and, in the perfection of
truth, everlasting righteousness brought in.
This is precisely and alone the purpose of the priesthood and
ministry of Christ in the true sanctuary. Is not that priesthood
sufficient? Is not His ministry effectual to accomplish its
purpose?--Most assuredly. Only by that means can it be possible for this
thing ever to be accomplished. No soul can ever himself finish
transgression or make an end of sins or make reconciliation for iniquity
or bring in everlasting righteousness in his own life. For that ever to
be done, it must be done alone by the priesthood and ministry of Him who
gave Himself and who was given that He might accomplish this very thing
for every soul and present every soul "holy and unblameable and
unreprovable" in the sight of God.
Every one whose heart is inclined to truth and right desires that
this thing shall be done. Only the priesthood and ministry of Christ can
do it. Now is the time of the complete and effectual doing of it for
evermore. Then let us believe in Him who is doing this, and trust Him in
the doing of it, that He does it completely and forevermore.
This is the time and this is the work of which it is written, that
"there should be delay no longer." And why should there be delay any
longer? When the priesthood of our great High Priest is efficient, and
when His sacrifice and ministry are all sufficient in that which is
promised and in that for which every believer hopes, then why should
there be delay any longer in the finishing of transgression, the making
an end of sin, the making of reconciliation for iniquity and the
bringing in of everlasting righteousness to each believing soul? Then
let us trust Him to do that which He has given Himself to do and which
He alone can possibly do. Let us trust Him in this and receive in its
fullness all that belongs to every soul who believes in and implicitly
trusts the Apostle and High Priest of our profession--Christ Jesus.
We have seen that the little horn--the man of sin, the mystery of
iniquity--has put his own earthly, human, and sinful priesthood,
ministry, and sanctuary in the place of the heavenly and holy
priesthood, ministry, and sanctuary. In this priesthood and service of
the mystery of iniquity, the sinner confesses his sins to the priest and
goes on sinning. Indeed, in that priesthood and ministry there is no
power to do anything else than to go on sinning, even after they have
confessed their sins. But, sad as the question may be, is it not too
true that those who are not of the mystery of iniquity but who really
believe in Jesus and in His priesthood and ministry--is it not too true
that even these also confess their sins and then go on sinning?
But is this fair to our great High Priest, to His sacrifice, and to
His blessed ministry? Is it fair that we should thus put Him, His
sacrifice, and His ministry practically upon a level with that of the
"abomination of desolation" and to say that in Him and in His ministry
there is no more power or virtue than there is in that of the "mystery
of iniquity"? May the Lord forever save His church and people this day
with no more delay from thus bringing down so low our great High Priest,
His awful sacrifice, and His glorious ministry.
Let our trust in our great High Priest be true, and let it be truly
implicit. By protestants there is often remark made of the blind
unwisdom of Catholics in their so fully trusting to the priest. And,
with respect to any earthly priesthood, the thought is correct. And yet
implicit trust of the priest is eternally right, but it must be trust of
the right Priest. Such trust in a false priesthood is most ruinous, but
the principle of implicit trust in the Priest is eternally right. And
Jesus Christ is the right Priest. Therefore every one who believes in
Jesus Christ, in the sacrifice which He has made, in the priesthood and
ministry which He exercises in the true sanctuary must not only confess
his sins, but he must then forever implicitly trust that true High
Priest in His ministry in the sanctuary to finish transgression, to make
an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
everlasting righteousness in his heart and life.
Everlasting righteousness, remember. Not a righteousness for today
and sin tomorrow and righteousness again and sin again. That is not
everlasting righteousness. Everlasting righteousness is righteousness
that is brought in and stays everlastingly in the life of him who has
believed and confessed and who still further believes and receives this
everlasting righteousness in the place of all sin and all sinning. This
alone is everlasting righteousness; this alone is eternal redemption
from sin.
And this unspeakable blessing is the gracious gift of God by the
heavenly ministry which He has established in our behalf in the
priesthood and ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary.
Accordingly, today, just now, "while it is called today," as never
before, the word of God to all people is "Repent ye therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of
refreshing shall come ["that there may come seasons of refreshing,"
R.V.] from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ,
which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until
the time of restitution of all things." Acts 3:19-21.
The time of the coming of the Lord and the restitution of all things
is indeed at the very doors. And when Jesus comes, it is to take His
people unto Himself. It is to present to Himself His glorious church,
"not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing," but that is "holy and
without blemish." It is to see Himself perfectly reflected in all His
saints.
And before He comes thus, His people must be in that condition.
Before He comes we must have been brought to that state of perfection in
the complete image of Jesus. Eph. 4:7, 8, 11-13. And this state of
perfection, this developing in each believer the complete image of
Jesus--this is the finishing of the mystery of God, which is Christ in
you the hope of glory. This consummation is accomplished in the
cleansing of the sanctuary, which is the finishing of the mystery of
God, which is the final finishing of transgression, the making of a
complete end of sins, the making of reconciliation for iniquity, the
bringing in of everlasting righteousness, the sealing up of the vision
and prophecy and the anointing of the most Holy.
The present time being the time when the coming of Jesus and the
restitution of all things is at the very doors and this final perfecting
of the saints having necessarily to precede the coming of the Lord and
the restitution of all things, we know by every evidence that now we are
in the times of refreshing--the time of the latter rain. And as
certainly as that is so, we are also in the time of the utter blotting
out of all sins that have ever been against us. And the blotting out of
sins is exactly this thing of the cleansing of the sanctuary; it is the
finishing of all transgression in our lives; it is the making an end of
all sins in our character; it is the bringing in of the very
righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ, to abide alone
everlastingly.
This blotting out of sins must precede the receiving of the
refreshing of the latter rain. For it is only upon those who have the
blessing of Abraham that the promise of the Spirit comes, and it is only
those who are redeemed from sin upon whom the blessing of Abraham comes.
Gal. 3:13, 14. Therefore now as never before we are to repent and be
converted that our sins may be blotted out, that an utter end shall be
made of them forever in our lives and everlasting righteousness brought
in. And this, in order that the fulness of the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit shall be ours in this time of the refreshing of the latter rain.
And all this must be done in order that the harvest-ripening message of
the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world with that
power from on high by which the earth shall be lightened with its glory.
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