Chapter 10 verses nineteen through twenty-five: Where only the high priest could enter bearing the blood of sacrificed animals anciently, now, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (vs 19), God’s true saints can enter the Holy of Holies symbolically bearing His blood. In days of old a material veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the world. Christ’s death symbolically changed the vail into His flesh. Since He is now the High Priest of our profession (vs 20,21), we can symbolically pass through the vail and enter God’s presence. Let us not forget the basis of Biblical faith–the Bible itself, which is the Word of God: “For faith comes by hearing (and reading) the WORD OF GOD” (Rom. 10:17). We must not become so focused on the person of Jesus that we lose track of the fact that we will be judged according to our obedience to GOD’S WORD (Jn.12:48), and that we are sanctified by that WORD (Jn. 17:17), and that Jesus was the WORD IN HUMAN FORM (Jn. 1:1-4). God left us His unchanging Word as THE STANDARD by which all things spiritual will be judged and proven. He tells us in 1 Peter 4:17 that judgment must begin in the church, and that we must individually compare our “walk” to that Word in order to determine if we are on the path to eternal life (Eph. 6:5) or eternal death. There is no other method for determining our relationship with God.

Verse 22 highlights the Word-relationship Truth, telling us that only with a “true heart” (in compliance with God’s Truth) are we able to approach the Holy of Holies in faith, having our hearts (minds) washed by the “water that is the Word” (Eph. 5:26). Only then will the works that we perform in God’s service be acceptable to Him. Because of disobedience to His Word the religiosity produced by professing Christendom plays no part in God’s evaluation of her. One need only study His Words to the church at Laodicea in Revelation 3:14-20 to see that churchiness is meaningless unless one is walking in obedience to Him. Note that the Laodicean Church was the last church John wrote to, meaning that it represented the final church system, the system that would be in existence at the end of the age. Catholicism/ Protestantism is that church system. His Words to her are found in Revelation 3:14-20. In verses 24, 25 He tells us that Bible believers will be able to “see the (judgment) day approaching.” For the first time in human history most of the signs of His imminent return are present and observable. The remaining signs could be manifested in short order. And they will when the Lord says, “Enough.”

As Judgment Day approaches God’s saints watch in wonder as the Laodicean condition consumes the religious organization that calls itself  “the church.” For true Bible believers, no more proof of the Lord’s imminent return is needed. The modern Counterfeit Church is Laodicean to its heathen core. And as Jesus warned, He will vomit her out of his mouth (and into the Great Tribulation). There will be no tribulation-escaping “rapture” for church goers as the world explodes into World War III. This 2 1/2 year period of global terror will have been orchestrated by the Antichrist and his False Prophet whom the global church will worship and obey. See The Ingathering. L.J.