The Good News in the Bible


The Sanctuary in Heaven
William Diehl


The word of God describes a literal place in heaven where our Lord Jesus Christ is set down in His eternal throne as king and priest for His beloved people. The angels of God are the witnesses who record the lives of all who live on earth. The Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ who mediates in heaven and reveals them unto the sons of Adam here on earth.

The good news that Jesus has lived a sinless holy life and died upon the cross of Calvary to suffer for the sins of the human race is proclaimed by his faithful witnesses and is attended by the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin and righteousness and judgment. Those who respond to God's invitation of mercy and justification in this judgment hour message by calling upon the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins are acquitted of all guilt in this judgment and accounted as if they had never sinned. The very righteousness of Jesus Christ is put to their account in heaven and they are filled with the Holy Spirit on earth to begin the life-long work of Sanctification and growing in the life of obedience and love, becoming partakers of the divine nature.

This infilling of the Holy Spirit is called the rebirth. The rebirth is the fruit of being justified by grace alone through faith in the perfect sinlessness of Jesus who alone lived a sinless life and died an atoning death for us on the cross of Calvary. We are not saved by the rebirth but rather the rebirth is the fruit of having been forgiven, justified by faith, and adopted into the family of God. This growth in sanctification and over-coming our natural tendencies to sin and selfishness will continue until our last day on earth or until we see Jesus come in the clouds of heaven.

No saint can claim to be sinless in this lifetime. True saints always confess the sinfulness of theirs lives and trust only in the perfect righteousness of Jesus which He imputes to every repentant sinner who trusts in His shed blood. These are legal terms and these terms are the terms of the everlasting covenant. When we are forgiven and covered with the robe of Christ's righteousness, our names are entered into the covenant of God, the Book of Life. Those who are repentant of their sins and trust in the blood of Jesus to the end will remain in the book of the covenant and not have their names removed.

Thus the plan of salvation is a work which takes place in heaven as well as on earth. The Heavenly Sanctuary which surrounds the throne of God is vitally linked to events which transpire on earth. Our great merciful High Priest, Jesus Christ is vitally aware of the condition of each soul for whom Christ has died. The very hairs of our heads are numbered. No one is beyond the tender watchcare of the Lamb who sits upon the throne.

As His eternal covenantal purposes are unfolded upon the earth in the unsealing of His covenant as depicted in the opening chapters of the Revelation, the trumpets sound upon the earth as God acts in judgment to defend the servants of God, represented as the those who have the seal of the living God. These trumpets are partial plagues (represented as being upon only 1/3 of the creation) and are mingled with mercy so that sinful mankind will be brought to repentance and not perish eternally.

But as the final trumpet sounds these partial plagues, which were intended to bring men to repentance, cease. The hour of God's mercy expires and the Seven Last Plagues fall upon the earth as the full wrath of God unmingled with mercy. God acts in justice to avenge the suffering which the kingdom of Babylon has brought upon the spiritual Israel of God throughout the long midnight of her wilderness wanderings. As once God's mercy streamed freely from the heavenly court room, now only the wrath of His indignation is poured out upon the rejecters of His grace and love.

Then the court room of heaven is emptied as the King and all the holy hosts of heaven come pouring out to the rescue of His beloved people. He comes to wipe away all the tears of redeemed. He comes to judge all who worship and wonder after the Beast and his Image that they might be destroyed by the brightness of His glory and consumed by the eternal glory of His majesty. And we who are alive and remain shall be caught up with the Lord in the air and so shall be ever be with the Lord.

Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus. God bless His remnant people who have cast their faith within the veil and who will dwell forever with the Lamb and follow Him whither so ever He goeth.



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