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When is the Carnal Nature Eliminated?

By now, I am sure that you are aware that the greatest problem for an individual is the carnal nature. This pesky problem is about to come to an end! God will eliminate the carnal nature from every person who passes the test of faith that He administers during the Great Tribulation. By the time the seventh trumpet sounds (Revelation 11:15-19), God will have placed His seal upon everyone who lives by faith. (Revelation 10:7) The 144,000 will be the first people to experience the elimination of the carnal nature. Millions of other people will then pass through the fiery test of faith and also experience this miraculous transformation. Before we consider God’s seal and the importance of the sealing, a few words about the Great Tribulation are necessary.

One of God’s objectives for the Great Tribulation is to set up a global situation where His authority is diametrically opposed to man’s authority. As these two authorities stand in opposition to each other, God will determine who loves Him. (See Daniel 3.) This contest is similar to the struggle that goes on within the heart of every born again person-which nature will reign? Our actions will reveal which nature we favor most.

During the Great Tribulation, the Ten Commandments will stand in clear opposition to the laws of man. In other words, the Great Tribulation involves a great controversy. The contest between God’s sovereigns will and the will of humanity will be an intense drama.

People will be forced by dire circumstances to take sides and this is how the sheep and the goats become separated. Using His servants, the 144,000, God will send a powerful proclamation of the terms and conditions of salvation (the gospel) throughout the Earth.

If a person obeys God, he or she will have to disobey the laws of man. Conversely, if a person obeys the laws of man he will have to rebel against God. Every person will make an informed choice. There will be no straddling the fence or middle ground. Into this intense chaos, the Antichrist (the lamb-like beast who is the devil) will eventually appear and the controversy will finally end. The people of Earth will receive either the seal of God or the mark of the beast. Each person will make an intelligent and informed decision regarding his or her allegiance. Each person’s choice will reflect the dominant influence within that person’s heart. If the nature is carnal, that person will rebel against the authority of God and have no option but to accept the mark of the beast. If the nature is spiritual, that person will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to obediently submit to the commandments of God and be sealed in His righteousness.

Of course, no sane person plans to receive the mark of the beast. The same might be said about the people in Noah’s day. No person planned on drowning! Isn’t it interesting that almost every Christian today sees himself smart enough to “get into the boat?” But do not forget; only eight people went into the boat. Why so few? There is only one answer: The carnal nature. Rebellion is man’s greatest problem. Aware of this, God has designed a four-step process that will separate the sheep from the goats during the Great Tribulation. This process is easy to understand once the drama surrounding the sealing is understood.

The Setting

A few days before the Great tribulation begins, Jesus will personally select, seal and empower 144,000 ordinary people of all religious backgrounds. God will use these servants to proclaim the gospel to the world. (Revelation 7:1-4) When the 144,000 are ready to do their work, Jesus will methodically begin to destroy the Earth with enormous manifestations of His wrath. The book of Revelation predicts global earthquakes, meteoric showers of burning hail, asteroid impacts, darkness, sickness, death and destruction beyond our imagination. These horrific events will affect the whole world and will suddenly cause billions of people to consider the enormity of God and His wrath for the first time. In a setting of death, confusion, conflagration and calamity, billions of people will want some answers. God’s 144,000 servants will explain what God is doing and why. Currently, because of the religious gridlock and religious paradigms, most people will not consider anything about God that disagrees with what they already believe. Therefore, God will empower 144,000 people to speak for Him and after He delivers a series of fatal blows to the ecosystems of Earth, people will become more willing to consider what the 144,000 have to say. The 144,000 will proclaim three messages which are stated in Revelation 14:6-12. The three messages are condensed as follows:

1.      Fear God, worship God and obey His Ten Commandments.

2.      Have no part in the crisis government that will form to appease God. Reject its laws and false doctrines.

3.      Do not submit to the Antichrist or receive his mark. If you do, God will severely punish you.

The 144,000 will present these three messages within the context of fierce opposition. The call to worship God and obey His Ten Commandments will collide “head on” with the religions of the world. The demands of God’s Law will be contrary to the laws and demands of the crisis government that will form. This predicament will produce some very tough choices. (See Daniel 3 for an Old Testament parallel to this story.) These three messages contain the “saving” elements of the everlasting gospel, and as surprising as it may seem, will completely separate the people of Earth. People who allow their carnal nature to reign will reject God’s authority, just as people who allow the Holy Spirit to reign will submit to God’s authority. It is this simple. Notice the four-step process that God has predetermined for the gospel during the Tribulation:

1. Everyone must hear the gospel.

2. Everyone must decide for or against the gospel.

3. Everyone must be tested in his or her decision (faith tested).

4. Depending on the outcome choice, everyone will either receive the seal of God or the mark of the beast.

The first step in the testing process is the proclamation of the terms and conditions of the gospel. The second step is the decision phase. The honest in heart will make the right choices as the Holy Spirit and the Bible directs them, even though they may be threatened with persecution and death. The point is that everyone will make an informed decision about the will of God because the 144,000 will complete their preaching assignments. Everyone will either submit to the gospel or rebel against it. The third step will be the testing phase. This phase will confirm whether our faith in God is firm and loyal. Last, God will remove the carnal nature and seal those who pass the test of faith with a spiritual nature that has no propensity toward sin! God will give the sinless nature He originally gave to Adam to the people who pass the test of faith.

What is the Seal of God?

How can we conclude from the Scripture that the sealing process described in Revelation 7 is the change that takes place within the heart when God removes our propensity to sin? There are four steps:

1. The doctrine of justification and its supporting texts (discussed in Chapter 4), describes a process whereby the righteousness of Christ is imputed to everyone who becomes willing to submit to the dominion of the Holy Spirit. (John 3:16) Because of imputed righteousness, a sinner appears righteous in God’s sight even though he is not righteous in reality. (Ephesians 2:8,9) In other words, when the righteous life of Jesus covers the life of a sinner, God sees the sinner as though he or she never sinned. The imputing of Christ’s righteousness (justification) is God’s gift of grace to every born again person. This is our all-important “ticket” to Heaven that Jesus paid. (Romans 8:1-9)

2. The doctrine of sanctification and its supporting texts (discussed earlier in this chapter), describe that every born again person must submit to. (1 Thessalonians 4:3; Hebrews 12:14) Sanctification is the process of submitting our will to God’s will every day of our lives. Sanctification requires patience and perseverance because the law of sin is relentless. Justification is our “title” to Heaven and the sanctification is our “preparation” for Heaven. God has made a way to get man to Heaven through justification and He has made a way to put Heaven’s government within the heart of man through sanctification.

3. The sealing of the 144,000 occurs shortly before the Great Tribulation begins. (Revelation 7:1-4) The 144,000 are first fruits of the great harvest of souls that will come out of the Great Tribulation! (Revelation 14:4; 7:9-14) This means the 144,000 are examples of what the harvest will produce. Because they are the first-fruits, the 144,000 are sealed first. Believers who receive their testimony and pass the test of faith will be sealed as the 144,000 were sealed during the time-period of the seven trumpets. (The time period of the seven trumpets is 1,260 days in length.)

4. The mystery of God is finished by the time of the seventh trumpet. “But in the days when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet, the mystery of God will be accomplished, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.” (Revelation 10:7) What is the mystery of God? The mystery of God that is completed during the Great tribulation is His plan to transform the carnal nature of every willing sinner into a pure heart! God has not seen a sinner that He did not love. God has not seen a sinner that He could not forgive and God has not seen a problem He cannot solve. The mystery of God that will be announced by His 144,000 servants is God’s generous offer to remove each man’s greatest problem: man’s sinful nature.

Notice how various mysteries of God unfold over time: Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, “Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit of God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Jesus Christ. I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the workings of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. And to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Jesus Christ our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Ephesians 3:2-12)

Now, examine these words by Paul to the church at Colosse: “Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.” (Colossians 1:24-29)

Paul told the Ephesians that the union of Gentiles and Jews into one body of people had been part of God’s plan from the beginning. But, this part of salvation for the human race (the mystery that had been kept secret from ages past) had not been revealed until now. Now that the appointed time had come for this to take place, this mystery was exposed and Paul was empowered to announce his bold new revelation to the world. If you would like to enjoy the fullness of this revelation, read all Ephesians 2 and 3 from your Bible and reflect on Paul’s commission to reveal this “previously unheard” doctrine.

Likewise, Paul told the Colossians that he had become a servant of the gospel, by the commission of God, to present a mystery that had been kept hidden for ages and generations, but was now revealed to the saints. This mystery is that Jesus lives within the hearts of His followers, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The mystery that the 144,000 will proclaim has been hidden from previous generations. This mystery is that Jesus will remove the carnal heart with its propensity for sin and He will replace it with a pure heart that has no attraction for sin. If sinners will put their faith in Christ and obediently submit to the gospel call that the Holy Spirit is pressing upon their hearts, Jesus will generously grant this miracle.

A Pure Heart

The sealing described in Revelation 7 is the gift of a pure heart. God has promised this gift to the human race for almost 3,000 years! God promised His people while in Babylonian exile, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26,27) Unfortunately, the people of Israel failed to follow the Holy Spirit. Israel went astray again and again, Israel rejected Jesus as the Messiah and the fulfillment of Ezekiel 36 was delayed. But, it is still coming! Six hundred years after Ezekiel’s day, Paul declared this promise again, “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will man teach his neighbor, or a man’s brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember there sins no more. By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:10-13)

These two texts, one by Ezekiel and the other by Paul, speak about the powerful transformation God has planned. No doubt, both prophets anticipated the fulfillment of this promise in their day, but the mystery is not fulfilled until we reach the Great Tribulation. For thousands of years God has looked forward to the day when He can remove our carnal heart and give us a pure heart. He longs for day when rebellion will no longer be within His children! His children also long for the day for this to happen because they are sick and tried of having to deal with the law of sin. (Romans 7:23-25) Yes, both Ezekiel and Paul knew that this transformation was coming, but they did not know its appointed time. The saints who live during the Great Tribulation will understand the timing and they will see and experience the transformation with their own eyes!

God removes the sinful nature during the Great Tribulation because the intercession of Jesus on behalf of sinners comes to a close at the time of the seventh trumpet. For thousands of years, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed. During the 1,260 days of the sealing, the righteousness of Christ will be imparted to every sinner who passes the test of faith. No longer will the saints be reckoned as sinful, for they will be pure! As individuals pass their personal test of faith, God will do something He has not done since sin began. He will replace the carnal nature of every “faith-filled” saint with a pure heart and seal it within him or her. Therefore, the struggle with sin and the rebellion it causes from within will be finished for all saints by the time the seventh trumpet sounds!

Summary

It is very important that we learn now to recognize the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He often puts us in difficult situations to that we can see the mighty hand of God move within our lives. We need to experience lessons of faith in the school of sanctification right now to prepare for the coming test of faith. Jesus is anxious to prepare us for what lies ahead. Our lack of faith, our nature to do right, our rebellion against God’s will, our selfishness and stubbornness are due to our carnal nature, but this will not be the case forever. Think of it! A time is coming when God’s children will no longer have a carnal nature. This is what John means when he wrote, “Dear friends, now {in our present condition} we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know, that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is, Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” (1 John 3:2,3, insertion mine.) Did you notice that John said, “We shall be like Him?” Talk about a promise! Remember the words of Jesus: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” The saints are going to be pure in heart.

The Great Tribulation will be a great testing time. It will also be a time of revelation and reward for those who pass the test of faith! The saints will be rewarded with pure hearts and they will see the grandest revelation to ever take place, Jesus appearing in all His glory! So, do not give up! If you are struggling with sanctification, persevere-pray without ceasing and ask for God’s grace and strength to overcome. People who learn to depend on God’s strength today will not fail during the persecution that lies ahead. Why not learn to walk by faith now? Everyone who walks with God lives in a constant purification process-this can be compared to washing our dirty clothes each day. Every day, God is working on the stain of sin that is within us. One day soon, at the appointed time, the mystery of God will be revealed. Jesus will eliminate the carnal nature within every saint. This is why the Bible means when it says of the redeemed, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; for they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.” (Revelation 7:14) 

Quiz:

1. What does it mean to be “pure in heart?”

2. What is the “law of sin” in our everyday lives?

3. What is a paradigm shift?  Have you experienced any since this Bible study?

4. What is the carnal nature and does everyone around you have it too?

5. Can faith alone save a person or does it require another element?

6. What is the four-step process that God has predetermined for the gospel during the Tribulation?

Notes:

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